The second leg of the Safaricom Golf Tour was held in Limuru Country Club last weekend with a turnout of 240 participants from corporates and 125 junior golfers.
The outreach activity which is part of the tour took place at Uwanja Wa Mbuzi where there was a turn out of around 100 juniors. Out of these, over 80 got a chance to attend the golf clinic. This is quite an improvement in numbers from the Nanyuki outreach which attracted 50 juniors. It is also a strong indication that word about the outreach is getting out there more and people are responding. The golf tour is a deliberate and long-term project to demystify the game, bring more players in, and involve juniors so that the future of the game takes shape.
In the words of Ezekiel Kamau who was one of the children in attendance at Uwanja wa Mbuzi, “It was my first time to play golf and learn about the sport at the clinic. It was exciting to interact with other kids who have been playing golf. This is a sport I would like to keep playing”.
According to John Mutaha who is a juniors trainer in Limuru, golf mtaani would never have been a strong initiative were it not for the outreach program. Some interest and talents which are visible now would never have come to light since communities and schools are not mentally conditioned to think of golf when they think of sports for their children.
Mutaha believes that the game of golf is only going forward from here and is happy that it is gathering future custodians. As a juniors trainer, he is proud to be part of building this future.
This is a belief shared by veteran golf scribe Larry Ngala, who is the Junior Golf Foundation President. Larry is thrilled by the surge of awareness about golf in general and junior golf in particular. He is especially thankful to companies like Safaricom who are leading the way in demystifying the sport. He is keen on taking golf out of the clubs and into schools and he feels that the Safaricom Golf Tour has come at just the right time for this. As an example, he shared that Nairobi Primary sent 25 kids to Limuru and these are the outcomes that warm his heart.
I’m really loving the experience of meeting and listening to junior golfers. On Saturday for instance, I spoke to a number of them, including 12-year-old Mumbi Gatu who has quite a number of wins under her wing. The first born in a family of 3 started playing golf after her father introduced her to it when she was only about 5. Her skills have come quite far, and she plays in different tournaments and clubs including Nyeri and Nanyuki.
She likes medicine and would like to be a neurosurgeon when she grows up, but she does not intend to ever drop golf. To other kids interested in learning, she says that golf is not a difficult game, but it takes a lot of patience and resilience.
I also met 10-year-old Sophia Marie Nesbitt and her little brother Adam Nesbitt, both of who started playing golf in kindergarten. Their 85-year-old grandma is a golf legend who cut her golfing teeth at Sigona Golf Club and played for 50 years before retiring. She now mentors her grandchildren and walks the courses with them. Grandma says it’s an absolute honour to walk the game with her grandkids. That golf is a therapeutic game that teaches kids social skills, patience, friendliness, integrity, and how to face challenges even off the course.
Limuru based junior golfer Leo Gitonga emerged as the overall winner of the Limuru leg. Leo becomes the second winner to secure a slot in the Grand Finale to be held in Vipingo Ridge and is looking forward to representing his club.
“It is so exciting to be the winner of the second leg of the Safaricom Golf Tour here in Limuru. Playing against 240 senior golfers seemed quite tough, but my best shots in the first nine enabled me to seal the victory. I look forward to representing my club at the grand finale in Vipingo” – Leo Gitonga.
After Limuru, the tournament proceeds to Muthaiga Golf Club on March 12 2022, before heading to the Nyanza Golf Club.