In 1960, soon after the life story of American golfing legend, Ben Hogan, was portrayed in the movie, Follow the Sun, Mike Florance and his committee announced the formation of the ‘Follow the Sun’ Nomads Golf Club under the aegis of the National War Memorial Health Foundation. The lapel badge was similar to the Nomads badge we have now hanging from the name bar, but it consisted of a bell alone with a scroll at the top edge, with the legends Follow the Sun and Onthou 1939-1945 immediately above the bell. The background colours were yellow (sun) in the upper half and green (grass) in the lower half. The choice of the bell was prompted by a line from the Meditations of John Donne – For Whom the Bell Tolls – symbolising remembrance of those who had lost their lives in World War II. This is now our creed.

The ‘Follow the Sun’ Nomads Golf Club came into being officially in April 1960 and this, our founding club, became known as Transvaal Nomads upon the formation of the other clubs around the country. 106 Founder Members attended the first monthly meeting scheduled for the first Saturday in April at the Glendower Golf Club.

The meeting itself was washed out, but what a party it was! Rain also partially disrupted the second attempt at Parkview in May so it was June before the first complete official Nomads meeting took place, this time at Irene Country Club.

The success of the new club was immediate and membership soon rose to 200 when it was closed because it was impossible to accommodate all those who wanted to play.

During 1962 it was decided that the funds raised would no longer be donated solely to the National War Fund, but also to promote the game of golf in South Africa, and to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. The Nomads badge was changed to its present format of a bell crossed by a golf club to signify the remembrance of others, through golf.

By 1966 the pressure on the Transvaal Club to take in new members was such that it was decided to split the club and let John Thornton and his fellow Pretoria-based members form a new club north of the Jukskei. The Northern Transvaal Club was launched in April 1967 with Mello McRobert as Captain.

"No man is an island entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…

Any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls,
it tolls for thee."

The words we have taken for our creed are printed in the renowned extract from the Meditations of John Donne (1573-1631).