Kabete Open tees off on Vet Lab’s brand new course

Vet lab Sports Club is set to host its first Golfer of the Year (Goty) event, the Kabete Open, on Kenya’s newest 18-hole golf course this weekend.
Kenya’s top amateurs tee-off on Friday at the par 72 golf course in the Keringet Water-sponsored series.

Host captain Kuria Kihara said the management of the club was very pleased with the country’s amateur golf body, Kenya Golf Union (KGU), for allowing Vet Lab to host the 18th event in the series.

“We are honoured,” he said.

More than 50 top amateurs, led by Golf Park’s David Opati, the Goty leader and winner of the Barry Cup in Mombasa, will battle it out.

Being at home, the club’s very own national team players – Robinson Owiti, Nelson Simwa and Mathew Omondi – will want to ensure the cup stays at the club in the 54-hole tournament, one of the World Ranking events in the country.

The top players will cover 36 holes on Friday, playing off the white tees, and face the final 18 holes on Saturday off the blue tees.

Vet Lab members will beef up the numbers in a subsidiary category on Saturday.

World class course

Meanwhile, renowned golf course designer David Jones has given a thumbs-up to the team that designed the Vet Lab golf course.

With more than 100 golf courses under his belt – including Kenya’s Vipingo Golf Resort and Green Park – the Irishman admitted that the course played long but described the putting surfaces as “world class”.

“It is still a young course and there are a few small adjustments to make but, from what I have seen, this is a fantastic golf course,” said Jones.

The par 72 course measures 7,767 yards for championship players with amateurs playing over 7,072 yards and ladies doing an impressive 6,506 yards, the longest in the country.

A recent rating by KGU and Kenya Lady Golfers Union (KLGU) put the Standard Scratch Score for the course at 74 for men and 77 for women, a testimony of its toughness.