Annual Tannahill Shield marks 98th anniversary at Royal 

The Century-old Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s par 72 is all set to once again host one of Kenya’s most celebrated inter-club amateur golf tournament, the Tannahill Shield tournament whose 2023 edition is set for Wednesday.

Regarded as one of the most prestigious amateur golf events in sub-Saharan Africa, the tournament will bring together the best amateur players from nine teams drawn from Nairobi, Mombasa, and Western region of Kenya to compete for the coveted Tannahill Shield which marks its 98th anniversary this year.

“Unlike other golf events, the Tannahill Golf Tournament is played by teams, instead of individuals of amateur golfers from various clubs who are keen to showcase their golfing skills and team spirit whilst enjoying the company of other competing golfers,” said Royal Nairobi’s golf captain Peter Mwangi.

The participating clubs this year are hosts Royal Nairobi Golf Club, Mombasa Golf Club, Muthaiga Golf Club, Western Kenya, Limuru Country Club, Kenya Railways Golf Club, Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, Sigona Golf Club and Karen Country Club.

“We have been in contact with all participating teams, and they are all excited and training hard so that they can win this coveted trophy," added the captain.

Muthaiga Golf Club have won the shield in the past two editions and the hosts will be keen to claim the title back.

There will be two curtain raiser tournaments before the main Tournament over the Easter weekend.

Firstly, there will be a Junior Tannahill where youngsters from Vet Lab Sports Club will try to defend the title they took from Royal Nairobi Golf Club last year. 

The junior tournament will be held over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. Vet Lab beat the Royal juniors by three shots which led to a very closely contested finish.

The Senior Tannahill Tournament, which is open to golfers over the age of 55 years, will also be held for the second time. 

The senior tournament will be held next Friday where the seniors from Muthaiga Golf Club will try to defend the title they won last year. Muthaiga pipped the hosts Royal to the title with Kenya Railways Golf Club coming a close third.

Historically, the Tannahill tournament is the brainchild of Major Arthur Tannahill who later became the first Chairman of the Kenya Golf Union (KGU). The event was inaugurated in 1924 as an annual event when the general committee of the then Nairobi Golf Club invited teams representing Mombasa, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nakuru and Muthaiga to participate in the tournament.

Every club plays one match against each of the other clubs, eight players a side and the format was four-ball-better-ball match play.

It is the only three-way competitive foursomes match play tournament in the world. The Foursomes is a competition format in which a team is composed of two players, and those two golfers alternate hitting the same ball sometimes called "alternate shot" format.

The tournament this year is being sponsored by Jamii Telecommunications and supported by Crystal Rivers, Coca- Cola, EABL, St John Ambulance, AAR, Yogo Yogo, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Farmers Choice.