Well out: Rich weekend for junior golf

Tom Sangala June 28, 2016

42 1 minute read

It all started on Friday. 60 junior golfers converged at Country Club Limbe to take part in the prestigious Inter Schools golf tournament. Despite the cold weather, everyone seemed ready to represent their school, thanks to sponsorship from Alliance Capital Limited.

What I find very encouraging is that the winning score at our inaugural inter-schools’ golf tournament on November 20 2015 was the worst score at last Friday’s event.

The difference between the first and last in November last year was over 250 strokes and it was only less than 90 at the Alliance Capital Limited’s sponsored event. Well, this means that golf continues to improve.

The National Junior Golf Committee South (NJGCS) believes that the best way of growing golf in Malawi is by having it as part of the school programme. In any case, that is the trend today in the United Kingdom (where golf was born), United States of America, Europe and South Africa.

In South Africa, there is a school league that has existed for the past 10 years. It is contested for among 36 school teams from Johannesburg to Pretoria. An international inter-schools tournament is held every year at Sun City, South Africa.

I know that Zimbabwe sends a team or two. Most of the participants of that tournament end up playing golf on the professional tour and that is exactly what Malawi desperately needs.

If we are to look at our set-up in Malawi, very few parents would leave work to pick and drop their children for a 15:30 pm golf lesson. Enrolling for golf at school, takes away the stress and there would be no time for productive lost. The other advantage is that costs are less when lessons are taken in a group.

Additionally, that talent which cannot have access to golf clubs under normal circumstances would be identified and developed. Research has proven that our members-only clubs are so intimidating to non-members. Let’s embrace golf in schools, shall we?

Saturday, June 25 2016 was another milestone for junior golf in Malawi. Seven girls participated in the Old Mutual-sponsored Blantyre Ladies Open Championship held at Blantyre Sports Club. It is the first time that we have had such a kind of a tournament for girls. As Malawi, we have a huge task of forming a Malawi National Girls Team that will represent our country at the Quad Nations tournament in Lilongwe.

Malawi will be hosting Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. All these countries are very advanced in regards to junior girls’ golf. Raising a team of four junior golfers will be a victory for Malawi as this has never happened before. Well done Blantyre Sports Club ladies’ section and of course, the Ladies Golf Union of Malawi.