Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) has partnered with Safaricom, NCBA, Crown Paints and Prime Bank for golf development.

JGF and the other partners will collaborate on the training of coaches, local tours and training development programs.

JGF received the major boost after signing 3-year renewable agreements with its new partners that will cater for the training of coaches, local golf tours and nationwide development of the game.

JGF President Larry Ngala said they were fortunate to have the four big corporates on board as their key partners.

“We are quite fortunate to have brought on board 4 big corporates in Safaricom, NCBA, Crown Paints and Prime Bank as our main partners. Up to 70 per cent of the investment they have put in will go into developing the sport and identifying juniors who are looking to develop their golfing ability through learning technical skills and venturing out onto the golf course,” said Ngala.

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The CEO of Safaricom, Peter Ndegwa, said his company has been the biggest supporter of various golf initiatives in the country, global events and its own events and would like to involve youngsters in the sport by making it more accessible.

“Over the last 21 years, we have been one of the biggest supporters of various golf initiatives across the country including CSR based golf events, global events such as Kenya Open and Ladies Invitational in Vipingo as well as our own events such as the Safaricom Business Golf Series. We now want to take it a step further and see how we can involve more young people in the sport by making it even more accessible. Our partnership with Junior Golf Foundation is just the first step in this journey,” Ndegwa said.

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NCBA Group MD John Gachora said the partnership emphasises the company’s commitment to growing and nature golf in Kenya. He said NCBA has invested significantly in golf.

"This partnership underscores our commitment to grow and nurture golf in the country. As a brand, we have invested significantly in the sport through the NCBA Golf Series and have so far held events across 17 courses drawing participation from over 2000 players. Undoubtedly, though, our greatest joy has been the outcomes of the junior golf tournaments, which have functioned as qualifiers for two international events – The Rome Classic event and Big Five South Africa golf event. We are delighted that this partnership with JGF will accelerate our journey to support young golf talent in the country to help them explore their potential and reach previously unimaginable heights in the game," said Gachora.

Dr Rakesh Rao, Crown Paints Plc Group CEO said they have walked the journey with JGF for a decade by supporting the training and development of young golfers in the region.

"Crown Paints is a name that resonates well on the golf course with our Crown Xtreme Golf series which for many years has been a fusion of business and pleasure bringing together people from all walks of lives across the East African region. We have walked this journey with Junior Golf Foundation for over a decade by supporting the training and development of young golfers in the region to become professionals. The passion to see the growth of golf as a sport in the country is what drives us to initiate innovative programmes that will see the youth empowered to pursue their dreams of being able to contest at the global stage,' said Rao.

"At Prime Bank, we have firmly committed our support in building a powerful future for young talented golfers, especially for those who cannot afford to take up the sport on a regular basis. For six years running, Prime Bank has been supporting junior golfers across the country nurture talent in the sport through its partnership with Junior Golf Foundation, Kenya Golf Union, and Visa. The partnership is driven by Prime Visa Golf Card – the first ever golf credit card in Kenya. To date, Prime bank has so far donated Sh5.3 Million to Junior Golf Foundation," Said Vijay Kantaria, Director, Business Development, Prime Bank.

JGF has partnered with U.S. Kids Golf Foundation (USKGF) to train 40 coaches from across the country.

They are expected to introduce more youngsters to the game and develop some elite players in return. The local coaches will have 4-day free access to training on JGF’s account.

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President and funder of U.S. Kids Golf Dan Van Horn said they are honoured to partner with JGF to training to coaches and opportunities for Kenyan boys and girls. He reiterated they are committed to doing their part to ensure success is achieved.

“We are honoured to partner with the JGF to bring our training to coaches and playing opportunities to boys and girls in Kenya. This is a remarkable nationwide initiative and we are committed to do our part in making these efforts successful in both bringing more kids to the game of golf and providing resources for coaches in to help some become elite players.” Horn said.

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The partnership will also see the introduction of a U.S. Kids Golf Local Tour Competition which will give qualifying golfers opportunities to play in Regional, International and World Championships competitions organized by the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation.

As part of the partnership, USKGF will offer in-depth, hands-on training in Kenya along with certifications through the Positive Coaching Alliance which provides online courses for coaches and athletes. 

The CS for Sports Ambassador Amina Mohamed said the ministry’s mandate is to develop and promote the expansion of Kenya’s sports industry.

“Our mandate as the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage, is to develop and promote the expansion of Kenya’s sports industry. The successful implementation of this program will contribute to the growth and development of the game of golf in Kenya,” said Amina.