We must find a way and break the current mould for Kenyan golf to grow

Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club [Courtesy]

I have been struggling with my game lately. Every time I step onto the first tee on any golf course, I am never sure what to expect. It can be a hit or a miss (sometimes quite literally).

If I was to be honest, it is not the game, it is me. I have been spending so much time in refereeing and tournament administration but very little time actually playing the game.

When the Kenya Open Golf Limited invited me to play in the Pro-Am competition this week, I seized the opportunity with gusto.

Despite my numerous other duties at the Magical Kenya Open, I was not going to let the opportunity slip away.

As luck would have it, I was drawn to play with Erik van Rooyen, the South African professional golfer who was tied second at the Qatar Masters just last Sunday. I enjoyed watching this rising star at close range.

I also happened to have played in the Pro-Am with van Rooyen when he last played at the Barclays Kenya Open in 2017, when it was still a European Challenge Tour event.

At the end of 2017, he was one of the 15 professional golfers who graduated from the European Challenge Tour to the main European Tour.

Watching van Rooyen play at Karen Country Club this week and on a few other European Tour events on television over the last year, I could not help but notice how much his game has improved since the last time that we played together.

The quality of golf he displayed was at a much higher level.  

In the last few years, golf in Kenya has suddenly begun to boom. There are great supporters of the game like the Kenyan Government, Barclays Bank and Kenya Breweries among others, who have given their support over the years and have helped to grow the game.

However, unlike athletics where we see champions shine on the world stage, we are not likely to see our golfing stars doing the same unless we make some efforts to grow the game among junior golfers.

From the last time that I played with Erik van Rooyen in 2017 to date, he has won more than Sh160 million while playing golf.

That could be more than all the Kenyan professional golfers have won in the same period. It is not that we are lacking in talent; we simply are not casting our nets wide enough to bring them forth.

Having the Magical Kenya Open on the European Tour calendar is a very good achievement for the game of golf in Kenya. This, together with the Safari Tour will help create interest and also attract the top golfers from other parts of the world.

If this is then combined with efforts to take golf to schools and develop programmes that will see Kenya have a crop of young golfers who will be thinking of golf as a viable career, then all these efforts will have achieved their goal.

I enjoy seeing young people growing in the game of golf. It is undoubtedly a very good avenue to make money while doing something that is enjoyable. It is a stimulating sport that can be a good source of livelihood.

At 29 years, Erik van Rooyen did not just start earning an average of Sh6.7 million by chance. He is a product of a programme that helped him develop his game from a young age.

I believe we can do the same here in Kenya and demystify this game that we have come to love.   

Mr Wang’ombe is a Kenya Golf Union Executive