Golf can play role in ‘big four’ agenda

As we sat for lunch at the 90 years celebration of the Kenya Golf Union last week, just a table away from former president and patron of the union, Mwai Kibaki, I sat next to a senior professional golfer, Elisha Kasuku.

The discussion at our table, inevitably, was about Kenyan golf. Having played the sport for 59 years, Kasuku’s wealth of knowledge is very impressive.

The most surprising fact that I learnt from Kasuku is that golf was not his first “love.”

Despite being introduced to golf on a football pitch in Nakuru just before Kenya gained her independence, he was more interested in athletics in his younger days.

Having represented the country at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games in race walking, Kasuku knows a thing or two about what it takes to excel on the world stage.

“In any sport, the heaviest burden of excellence lies in the preparation,” said Kasuku as he recounted his preparation for the competitions that he participated in.

He used to walk from Nairobi to Naivasha as part of his practice regime.

So why is it that Kenyans are successful in athletics but not in golf?

At the conclusion of this year’s Barclays Kenya Open, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the government would put in more money in the annual event to take it to the main European Tour.

Many naysayers wondered whether the money would not have been better utilised in other sports.

A great disservice

There were some who lamented the fact that very little of the money spent on prize money is won by Kenyans and by taking the Barclays Kenya Open to the main tour, we would attract some of the better players and this will mean even less for Kenyan professionals.

Those who continue to wish to “protect” our professional golfers are doing the game a great disservice.

Ever wondered why Dismas Indiza, at 50, is still our best golfer?

We have reached up and scratched at the bottom in as far as the quality of the game we play is concerned.

Golf in Kenya is able to play a much larger role in the development of the country. This is a fact that Uhuru has recognised.

By being part of the European Tour, the Barclays Kenya Open will do a lot more to position Kenya as a golfing destination.

The tournament will be televised live across TV screens around the world. By attracting some of the top golfers in the world, we are sure that their compatriots will be watching them.

This is the reason why Peter Kanyago, chairman of the Kenya Open Golf Limited, and his fellow directors are at the Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship this week.

They are not there just to watch some of the top golfers in the world playing at the event. They are there to meet with the European Tour officials to pave the way to raise the status of the Barclays Kenya Open to the main tour.

Dubai has benefited immensely from it’s association with golf and has attracted many high net-worth golf tourists over the years. The next step is to develop junior golf.

Let’s not focus on the current crop of professionals. As talented as they are, they are not expected to win any international championships.

By endorsing the Lenana School golf project, Uhuru is on the right path.

By starting a centre of excellence at Lenana and mainstreaming golf in our schools, we will stand the country in good stead.

Schools don’t have to have golf courses to start teaching golf.

A football pitch is good enough to get started.

When the children are able to strike a ball, they can then move on to a golf course.

Ready to spring forth

The state of golf in the country has been a good barometer for the Kenyan economy.

Job’s comforters are currently saying that golfers need to prove themselves first by producing champions then, maybe, the sport will deserve support that we are currently receiving from the government.

Luckily, Kenyan golf is ready to spring forth and take its place in the world.

With the collaboration and support from the government, it is time that golf took its rightful place as an important sport in Kenya.