For the longest time in the past and to a large extent even now, golf has always been considered an elite sport, and has also mostly been associated with older people. With these scenarios, many potential players and especially the youth have shied away from participating, whether competitively or for fun. This is to the detriment of the game since a shortage of fresh talent to carry the baton is inevitable with time.
This perception has been changing albeit very slowly, and the change is about to be accelerated with the Safaricom Golf Tour which was officially launched on Saturday 22nd at Golf Park – Ngong Racecourse. The aim of the golf series in which Safaricom has invested Ksh.100M is to tap into undiscovered golf talent around the country, nurture players, and help them grow.
The tour which officially starts in Nanyuki on 29th will go on to cover golf courses in Limuru, Muthaiga, Nyanza, Nyali, Eldoret, Karen, Machakos, Kericho, Kitale, Royal Nairobi, Nakuru, Kenya Airforce, Vet Labs and Vipingo Ridge where the grand finale will be held. In Vipingo, winners from each event will converge to determine the overall champions.
This will be seven intensive months with junior competitions, youth golf clinics, and golf outreach programs. The well-rounded tour will also feature a caddies’ tournament in partnership with the Kenya National Caddies Association.
Safaricom has always had successful empowerment programs in different sports like football and athletics. At the end of this seven-month golf tour, the game will have been demystified to a large extent and I have no doubt that many players will have found their footing to move forward and become the next generation of pros. That is what Safaricom aims for. To get more people in especially the youth, and empower them by giving them a platform which they could very well go ahead and monetize in future.
We will be following up with the golf tour and bringing the stories throughout the series.