Late Muthoni Muthiga led way in observing game protocol
What you need to know:
- There was a time in my distant boyish past - I am not as young as I look - when things were done right.
- Organisers took time to plan events. In the early eighties, there came what was to be the most highly acclaimed amateur golf series, The Kenya Breweries Festival of Golf.
The tournament was the brainchild of the late Muthoni Muthiga. A lady, who, not only touched golfers by starting the best ever series to have ever been organised, but also went on to chair the Kenya Ladies Golf Union and at the time of her death last Saturday, she was still their patron.
There was a time in my distant boyish past - I am not as young as I look - when things were done right.
Organisers took time to plan events. In the early eighties, there came what was to be the most highly acclaimed amateur golf series, The Kenya Breweries Festival of Golf.
The tournament was the brainchild of the late Muthoni Muthiga. A lady, who, not only touched golfers by starting the best ever series to have ever been organised, but also went on to chair the Kenya Ladies Golf Union and at the time of her death last Saturday, she was still their patron.
The people who had the pleasure of playing a round of golf with the late Muthiga described her as a very pleasant person to play with but she was strict on Rules of Golf and its etiquette.
She would patiently give even seasoned golfers some lessons on the etiquette. It is no wonder then that golfers who got a chance to participate in the Kenya Breweries Festival of Golf back in the days enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
The tournaments had very clear conditions of play set out. Current committees can borrow a leaf from this event. Golfers enjoy themselves more when the tournament is well organised. For every tourney, it is important that the following issues are considered and well documented for all to see:
Eligibility: The committee must decide on who may participate in the competition. Is it men, women, juniors or is it open to all? How many people will be participating and how to decide on the cut-off? Should the entry be subjected to a handicap limit? These must be unambiguous to avoid dissension.
Format: Many clubs have adopted stableford as the format for most of their competitions. It should, however, not be assumed that all tournaments have to adopt this format. There are many other formats that can be used and the committee needs to communicate which one it.
Prizes and winners: committees should not wait until the end of the competition to decide on how the winners will be decided. They need to be clear, for example, if a junior can win a competition that is open to all (men, women and juniors).
Suspension of play due to inclement weather: Come on ladies and gentlemen of the committee, you cannot claim that you did not expect there to be rain! This is the time of the year when we expect there to be rain. You cannot just suspend play due to rain and leave the tournament in limbo.
You should have thought about this before. You cannot also decide to award prizes arbitrarily based on nine holes if the competition was an eighteen-hole competition. If it is not feasible to reschedule the competition in some of these instances, the competition must be cancelled.
Committees have a very important role in making golf tournaments the joyous occasions that they are meant to be. They need to focus on running tournaments in the right way just like Muthiga did.
She came from a generation that was not fixated on instant gratification. When she did something, she did it right. Due to her selflessness on the golfing scene, she will be remembered for her contribution for a very long time to come. May God rest her soul among the choirs of angels where everything is perfect.
The author is a KGU Executive
