Kenya Open – New Deal

Starting next year, Kenya's golfing premiere event will see a new sponsor following cancellation of Kenya Breweries flagship brand Tusker withdrawal (see previous article below). Kenya Golf Union's chairman said this after signing a deal with Icon Sports Marketing who has been given exclusive rights to find sponsors for next year's event. Icon Sports Marketing is a brainchild of Grace Kiraguri (she of Bamburi Cement and also actively involved in Rugby Safari Sevens) and Sam Mwai previously with Sports Stadia Management Board is part of the team. They have an enormous task of ensuring booty of KShs. 35 million to successfully host the event at the Muthaiga Golf Club. Incidentally Sam Mwai was once a staffer at the Golf Club so they should be in good company and this should not be a hard sell for them

Puzzling as it, unconfirmed reports have it that EABL has withdrawn from all sponsorships. Suicidal if you ask me!

Golf : Kenya Open:- Truly Social ?

This time of the year Kenya (tagline-Kenya's Social event) entertains the PGA European Tour golfers as well as seasoned and budding golf players for the Kenya Open Golf tournament. This year sponsored by the Tusker brand of East Africa Breweries.
Kenya's premier social event....? Hmmmm....
Well, from the restricted entry into the club ( yes, you have to be a member...unless the club manager gives authority for the 'public' to be let in; to the rules like putting off your phone at the clubhouse; and even silence when the players are about to putt.
I'm one rare breed in a golf course and the only time I visited one was by default- chasing a goat (for Christmas) which had escaped our grips and made way to the nearest golf course. Guess the poor thing had sensed the last days of its life and decided to make a dash for it...
My friends tell me the members are usually a pretentious lot, holding their noses up and often catching up on the latest gossip in the corporate world on the 'greens'. They usually escape the 'fires of hell'-in the office to breath and catch one for the next day hoping whatever issues were there will be resolved before the end of the day.
What puzzles me especially in Kenya is the effort clubs go to trying to maintain the grounds. If the same effort was made by our politicians- who incidentally have numerous members in the 'gentleman's game', the harsh environmental concerns we are having would be in the past...but that's just a thought.
How come we have never managed to get a single player into the PGA proper even after playing this game -a vestige of our colonial masters?
But unlike me, if you can make way to the Muthaiga Golf Club and watch the 'green carpets' and take solace for awhile in these tough economic times !
Be careful what you pick !