Kenya, only hundreds of kilometres away, but a world apart

Not long ago, a group of us twice-a-week golfers decided to embark on a golf pilgrimage to Kenya. One of us came up with a great idea to also have one of our young talents come along for the journey. We wanted to experience the golfing culture from our neighbours, who certainly know a thing or two about the game.

On Thursday, the April 14, after sampling courses at Karen, Limuru and Vetlab, we were going to play at the most recent home of the Magical Kenya Open, a European Tour sanctioned event where a teenager defied most odds and became the only Kenyan to make the cut. Ultimately, that tournament belonged to Ashun Wu from China who brilliantly shot a 65 to overcome a four-stroke deficit on the final day.

Needless to say, the level of expectation was unreasonably high for some of us. It is weirdly okay to dream of birdies even after long nights out, ask any self-respecting golfer. This group was no different, surely back-to-back rounds at the aforementioned fantastic clubs had prepared us for this championship course, surely!?

We arrived at Muthaiga Golf Club at around 11am. After going through security who made sure that we were supposed to be there, we ambled over to the club house. While ordering our breakfast, we noticed two juniors practicing their pitching at the practice area; hitting pitch shots from around 50 metres out, clearly pin-hunting. Highly lofted shots, aimed at the flag, landing softly on the greens, stopping after a few skips of the pristine surface.

Prior to tee off, the starter reminded us of our responsibilities to the course; replace your divots and pitch-marks, respect the pace of play and oh, ‘play well’ he said. The last bit would soon be forgotten by a few of the pilgrims from Dar es Salaam.

The level of organisation I describe above is common at all the clubs we had visited. All of them have someone called a starter, who ensures that groups start when they are supposed to. You listen when the starters speak. Being in charge of player traffic, they are not ones you want to ignore. Our group is divided into two, one is going to start on the back 9 at 12:10pm. “Be ready 10 minutes before” the starter says, cue the many, many practice swings.

By the time we started our rounds around midday, the two young men were still at it. Pitch shots, walking over to collect their golf balls, increase the pitching distance by about 10 metres, repeat!

My particular 3-ball finished our first 9 right about when the aforementioned juniors moved to the practice greens. Close to the short-game practice area, there is an open-air seating space, with shade provided by garden umbrellas sponsored by a local company. Sitting there allows you a nice view of a couple of greens and tee-offs, it’s serene. Also close is a half-way house where members can get refreshments and snacks when they finish their nine, or as they continue practicing their short games. No cash is used, just a card system whether they are issued by the club or your favorite bank.

The excesses of the front 9 demanded a visit to this half-way house. We re-fueled with high hopes that the back 9 would be kinder; it was not for all, but that is a story for another day. As we headed to the 10th hole, the juniors were still grinding.

Working on long putts, short putts, left to right ones, right to left, uphill, downhill; you get the idea. Give or take, the young men had been honing their pitching/chipping skills for close to 2 hours. One was using a ‘gate’ system to practice their putting; quite simply an alignment method using simple golf tees to ensure that the golf balls start where they are intended to; simple but efficient. They would take little breaks, interact with other members, sip some refreshment, and go right back into it.

The 10th hole reminded us promptly how much work needs to go into our collective games in order to play Muthaiga and post a respectful score. Much like the courses we had experienced that week, it is a testament to design, and maintenance. As an enthusiast, I think I was okay with a bogey at times as I felt lucky just to have the opportunity to experience the property. Make no mistake, I want to go back and leave with a few birdies, but to accomplish that, the nights out need to be shorter. With Nairobi being littered with delightful spots, I am quite aware of the conundrum that awaits me on my next visit, inshAllah!

The back 9 was indeed (slightly) better, largely due to me finally remembering how to putt and my caddie’s refusal to give up on me. My playing partners’ struggles worsened but they had a few moments; such is the game that we love, pain and pleasure can be a few seconds apart.

After warm showers a few of us sat outside the clubhouse to enjoy the 19th. What a day it had been, what a week! The country had taught us a lesson, served a reminder on the gap we had to cover if we want the best for golf in Tanzania. From the organisation at the entry gates (of all the clubs), adherence to tee-off times, different options at the club-houses, immaculate greens and fairways, facilities including the locker rooms...the list does go on!

Upon reflection, it is probably pointless to spill some tea about what has passed; it would be much better to be excited about possibilities that the future can bring.

The game needs vision, the game needs junior programs, the game needs commitment, the game needs support, the game needs transparency, the game needs structure.

Sadly, nothing in the current Tanzania Golf Union setup suggests the existence of ANY of these requirements. There is no clear strategy to attract new golfers, no clear plan to develop the nation’s talented young golfers.

We failed to host a major event recently, the junior programs are funded by generous individuals, these young talents have failed to attend regional or international competitions in the past few years due to the union’s disorganization, there is NO support from the union to enhance the country’s courses and very few can claim to be abreast of what is happening with TGU.

It is time to look forward Ladies and Gentlemen! Whatever experiment that the game was on over the past few years has led us to where we are today. The game’s current leaders may have the best of intentions, but have shown time and time again that they are incapable of delivering.

There is a TGU Annual General Meeting on the 3rd week of May (Thursday, May 21, 2022), which SHOULD offer a chance to realign and choose a different path. Get in touch with your committee and volunteer to be part of this change if you find the current situation alarming.

Yours Truly,

Pilgrim, Change Agent