HOW PGA STATUS WILL HELP VIPINGO RIDGE AND GOLF IN KENYA

Kenya Golf Guide

Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario (left) unveils the new PGA Vipingo Ridge Baobab Course as PGA Head of Property and Development Guy Moran looks on.

By AMANDA DAMARIS

After receiving Professional Golfers Association (PGA) status on Tuesday, Vipingo Ridge’s chairman Alister Cavenagh has set a 15-year goal of nurturing a local from scratch to the European Golf Tour.

Cavenagh was speaking after the 18-hole Baobab Golf Course was accredited as a PGA Golf course, a first in Africa.

“We have now set ourselves a target of 15 years to start training locals at an early age in the Baobab PGA academy and have them play golf at the European Tour by 2031,” said Cavenagh.

He added: “I am glad that after seven years of investment at long last we have attained the PGA accreditation which will give us the opportunity to attract PGA members from around the world.”

Cavenagh said Vipingo Ridge invested heavily into developing the Baobab Golf Course so that it could reach the PGA standards and would maintain the high standards for both local and international golfers to get value for their money.

PGA head of property and development, Guy Moran said: “It is for the first time that we are accrediting a golf course on the African continent and we are glad that Kenya has joined the league of PGA branded golf facilities.”

Kenya Golf Guide

Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario (left) and Vipingo Ridge’s General Manager Mike Round-Turner during the function.

For a golf course to attain PGA accreditation it must have world class standards and that the owners must adhere to certain qualities such as promoting the development of the sport. Vipingo Ridge will also play host a PGA Golf Academy. “The opening of the Academy means that PGA is now present in 3 continents. We are ready to work together with the directors and officials here to develop a programme that will offer training to various categories of golfing fraternity.” Said PGA’s Guy Moran.

This accreditation is a shot in the arm not only for Vipingo who will attract more golfers from around the world, it’ll beef up Kilifi County’s tourist attraction sites and ultimately boost Golf tourism in the continent; an issue that was debated at length at the Africa Golf Summit held in August. To attract more golfers from around the world, the PGA official said there was a need for Kenya to come up with packages which combine both golf and the wildlife. “Kenya should take advantage of the world class golf course to attract golf tourists who are big spenders to generate more revenue and economic growth. Kenya has got a lot to offer compared to other golf tourism destinations since it has warm weather, the stunningly beautiful beaches at the Coast and the wildlife in popular parks such as the Maasai Mara. Most of the professional golfers are high-end visitors and therefore we must upgrade our tourist facilities to world class standards to woo more holidaymakers.” nike air max cheap uk mens nike air max cheap uk mens

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