My Golfing Experience So Far

It has been a roller coaster ride and I have extracted immense joy from my golfing ride so far. I have visited about 20 golfing clubs in the last eight months all over the country. Partly aided by a few of my friends who work for some of the most regular and generous golf sponsors in the country, I found my way into their tournaments as a guest of the corporates.

I have therefore been able to see different parts of the country as well as play in golf course with some of the most breathtaking sights and backdrops in the land. I have also had the chance to play in the world class Vipingo Ridge’s Baobab course twice. I also played at the Great Rift Valley Lodge’s course during a workshop in the lodge. Vipingo, Leisure Lodge  and GRVL together with Windsor are the country’s golf resorts set up to take advantage of Kenya’s tourism reputation. Most of the other courses  were set up ages ago by colonial civil servants to afford them exclusive hideaways where they could mingle with their kind and laterally let down their hair. 

Apart from the help I got from my corporate friends, my work which takes me around the countryside a lot also came in handy because I was able to play on more courses either early or late in the day after official programmes. During the August and December holidays, I was also able to tie-in one or two rounds during the family vacation. In fact, I have become a bit selfish and will look to holiday around areas with a course a short distance away.

When I started playing, I decided that I would be making a point of playing in all Kenyan courses and so far I have managed some 20. I have another 20 or so golf courses that I want to visit and play in the next one year of so. Some are out of the way and may prove to be a headache like Mt. Kenya Safari Club, Magadi because you have to make a deliberate tour to the establishment to get a chance.

Apart from seeing the country and playing in wonderful courses, golf has allowed me to meet some very interesting people who you are never going to find at your local pub. When you arrive at a starting tee box, you are most likely to play with a perfect stranger. Golf allows four or less players to move together. So the guy you link up with at the start could be a CEO of a blue chip company or a famous litigation lawyer you only read about in the papers. I have played with everyday Kenyans too and struck friendships that have enriched my life. Good golfer having a bad day at work of bad golfers having a good day on the course is very common and there are numerous occasions for commiserating each other due to some bad strokes.

I will keep you posted on my progress, but go out and play today.