Dawie Stander

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Dawie has lived his whole life inside the game.
A former tour player and now coach of the German Club Team Champions, he’s played and taught at the highest level — but it’s the human side of golf that keeps him there.

He’s a husband, a father of three, and a teacher to players chasing freedom under pressure.
His work isn’t about mechanics. It’s about truth — the kind that shows up when the stakes are high and the noise gets loud.

For Dawie, golf has never just been about score.
It’s about honesty. Presence. And the quiet, difficult work of becoming who you are.

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Chasing the Burn is his first novel — a story shaped by years spent walking fairways, watching players come undone, rebuild themselves, and finally swing with something that looks a lot like peace.

This story is fiction — but every truth in it has been lived.
By me.
By the players I’ve coached.
By anyone who’s ever tried to swing freely under pressure.

Golf reveals character. That’s why it’s hard. That’s why it matters.
I’ve seen this game expose fear, ego, and shame — and I’ve seen it build resilience, clarity, and freedom.
I’ve seen people come apart on the course.
I’ve seen them come alive.

This book is for them.
And maybe for you.

To every player I’ve ever coached — thank you. Whether it was one lesson or a lifetime, you’ve shaped how I see this game and how I teach it.
Your questions, your struggles, your breakthroughs — they live in these pages more than you know.

To my family in Germany, and back home in South Africa — thank you for the love, the patience, and the space to chase the rhythm of this story. This book couldn’t have been written without you.

Every step of this journey — every shot, every word — has been guided by people who trusted me to help them find their way.
This is for all of you.