Fernando Marques follows his tee shot during the Nyali leg last weekend. The Dasani Golf Gala this week moves to Leisure Lodge for the seventh leg.

By JAMES WAINDI

A total of 92 players have been drawn from Vipingo Ridge and home club Leisure Lodge Golf Club to feature in the seventh leg of the ongoing Dasani Golf Gala at the scenic par 72 Leisure course.

Already 12 teams of forty eight players have qualified for the Gala’s grand finale slated for Karen Golf and Country Club on September 29, after the previous six rounds and a fierce battle will be expected at the seventh round where the out of the 92 players only the best eight will earn tickets to the coveted finale.

Club manager Ernest Chea has told players to expect a good round of golf noting that the course is easy apart from its signature hole, which is hole 15. Chea said the fairways are in good condition and that the greens are also well kept

“The signature hole is hole 15. This hole is a par 3 across the Lake Wilhelm. Gold is 152 metres, White 139 metres, Blue 115 metres with a stroke index of 14. The best way to play this hole based on my experience is to know your driving power, use the appropriate club and consider the wind direction. If you are hydrophobic you will put all the balls in the water,” Chea said.

He added: “Players coming for the event will have an experience of a life time since Leisure Golf Club is the most beautiful golf course in East Africa. It offers a standard of care and maintenance that will satisfy their demands at any time of the year. The course designed by Tommy Fjastad is characterized by rolling fairways, 88 challenging bunkers, appealing water features and impeccable greens.”

Among the players expected to spice up the day long tournament will be handicap six Mitesh Allan who teams up with handicap 17 Ken Okeyo and J. Davis to make up a formidable team that will certainly be favoured on paper. They tee off at 12.20pm. The other team to watch is the team handicap two Amos Kamau, Major General Rob and P. Gathuri who will be teeing off at 13.30, while A. Haballa playing off handicap 16 could also claim some scalps in the competition.

This year, the grand prize will see the winning team of four players travel to Dubai to attend the Grand Finale of the European Tour, the DP World Tour Championships at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. While in Dubai, they will also have the opportunity to see Europe’s top 60 money earners on the 2012 Order of Merit battle it out for a 1.3 million winner’s cheque.

In addition, they will play at some of the best golf courses in the region, including the Dubai Creek Course and the challenging Faldo Course at the Emirates Golf Club, a course designed by former world number 1 and six-time major Champion Sir Nick Faldo. joyasdepandora joyasdepandora

SWING: Toyota's ambassador Dennis Awori follows his tee shot during a past event. He will among the players to watch at the Parapet Golf Day on Friday.

By JAMES WAINDI

The par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club will on Friday host one of the hottest annual corporate golf days of the season, the Parapet Golf Tournament. Now in its 5^th year, the Parapet Golf Day has continued to attract a who-is-who guest list; this edition is no different.

According to Alex Nyaga, the Parapet CEO, this year’s golf edition will have a few special attractions. “Our golf days are famous for not only offering a superior corporate golf day, they are also well known for introducing twists that we believe go a long way in developing golf in Kenya,” Nyaga said. “This year, we have invited Rose Naliaka, the only female professional golfer in the region and also the current director of programs at the Rose NaliakaGolf Academy, an institution that teaches golf to children from economically challenged backgrounds. At Parapet we are proud to be associated with this great initiative that has dedicated itself to nurturing golf talent.”

Naliaka will be joined at the Parapet Golf Day by Naomi Wafula, a member of the Kenya Ladies Golf Team and a top junior golfer in Africa. “At only 14-years of age, Wafula is an inspiration! She recently participated at the All Africa Challenge Trophy in Botswana and she plays off an impressive handicap of five,” Nyaga added.

Corporate Captains who will be joining Rose Naliaka and Naomi Wafula at Muthaiga include Chase Bank’s Duncan Kabui, Toyota’s Ambassador Dennis Awori, Tyson CEO Barth Ragalo, IMG’s Betty Gacheru, Kenya Pipeline’s Seleste Kilinda, Multichoice CEO Danny Mucira, environmentalist Dr. Isaac Kalua, BAT’s Lawrence Kiambi, Serena’s Jan Mohammud and Deloitte’s Sammy Onyango. The Muthaiga Golf Club Chairman, Dr. Macharia Irungu will welcome his Karen Country Club Chairman, Jinaro Kibet, at the same event.

With the Muthaiga Golf Club playing long due to the wet weather conditions, scores at the Parapet Golf Day are expected to be low. “I am told the greens are in top class condition and that the golf course is in pristine condition,” Nyaga added. “I reckon our guests will have an excellent afternoon on the golf course. air max 90 air max 90