Kenyan junior golfers are set to benefit from golf equipment donated by Ladies European Tour (LET) players taking part at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open presented by M-Pesa AND held at Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Baobab Course.
The equipment, which was presented by LET player Lynn Carlsson and received by representatives of the Junior Golf Foundation, the Kenya Ladies Golf Union and the Vipingo Village Fund Golf Academy, is meant to support the development of golf and motivate the junior players to continue honing their skills in the sport.
Speaking shortly after receiving the donations, the Junior Golf Foundation Coast representative, Alice Wahome, said that the Foundation was humbled by the gesture and added that the equipment would go a long way in ensuring that young golfers are able to play the game in proper gear.
“The juniors will benefit a lot from this equipment because some children, for example, play without gloves here in Mombasa where its very warm and humid which makes holding the golf club quite slippery without the glove. This will most certainly make a difference for our young upcoming golfers,” she said.
On her part, Lynn Carlsson said that the LET players had been motivated to donate the equipment by the enthusiasm the young golfers had shown for the game of golf. She said that the players had pooled together to be an inspiration and to play their part in the growth of the game in Kenya.
“The players did this to be an inspiration to the young golfers. I have been very glad to show up here and interact and talk to them -seeing them has been really nice. I am happy to be a part of this and hope that this equipment will be very useful to them” she said.
LET Tournament Director, Michael Wood, said that the initiative was meant to motivate young players not to give up their dream of playing golf and also to ensure that more Kenyan golfers participate in tournaments in the future. He added that young golfers should be nurtured and constantly motivated to continue training.
“This was done to show that there are many opportunities in life. We want to encourage the young golfers to go out and try playing golf because there is always something new out there for them,” said Michael.
Earlier in the week, junior golfers from the grassroots programme in Vipingo, the Golf Academy, had the opportunity to be coached by four LET players during a golf clinic organised as part of the preliminary events of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
The Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) was set up by the Kenya Golf Union and the Kenya Ladies Golf Union with the objective to promote junior golf development and participation for boys and girls from the ages of five to 21 in Kenya. This mandate is achieved through working closely with Kenya Golf Union, Kenya Ladies Golf Union and golf clubs across the country.
