NUMICS

Shortly after World War II, a consortium of Companies was formed in Johannesburg called the New Union Merchant Industrial Corporation (NUMIC) with a certain Michael Florance as Personnel Officer. Because of the diversity of the various subsidiary companies, Mike Florance was authorised to implement his proposal that a NUMIC Social & Sporting Club be formed to enable Staff members to get to know each other. Being a keen golfer, Mike became the Honorary organiser of the NUMIC Golf Club. Not having a course of their own, they had to obtain the courtesy of the course on which they played, but in those days Saturday mornings were a slack time for local golf clubs and it was a pleasure for them to host an organised, thirsty group of golfers. Membership was soon extended to business associates and friends and meetings became even more enjoyable.

Mike soon evolved a modus operandi for the club, incorporating several features new to the South African golfing scene, all of which added to the interest and enjoyment of the participants. So the NUMIC Golf Club went on its merry way, giving much pleasure to its members for a number of years - until 1959.

In that year NUMIC unbundled and the NUMIC  Golf Club  held its final meeting that March. At this meeting, Mike and a fair number of members felt that an organisation which had engendered such great camaraderie and enjoyment should not be allowed to disappear and as Mike said in a follow-up letter on the subject, he "was assailed on all sides to continue, in some form or another, a similar type of association." 

In Mike's words "A long experience in and enjoyment of Golf left me, in 1959, with a deeply held feeling that there was room in this game for some kind of association or club for business  and professional men to come together in a closely planned and integrated programme of golf, with all games inter-related and offering a continuing thread of interest, and that out of this activity could arise some tangible benefit to two very proper causes: to the game of golf itself, and to those less fortunate than ourselves." 

Still not having a course of their own, it was logical to change from NUMIC  to NOMADS  and so in 1960, shortly 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.