NCBA Series back, bigger and better!
NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora (centre) unveils the calendar for the 2022 NCBA Golf Series at Railways Golf Club on February 25, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The bank has also increased the junior events to three with the third one to be held at Lake Victoria Serena in Kigo, Uganda from April 16 to 17
- NCBA group managing director John Gachora said besides expanding the series to the countries of Uganda and Tanzania, the bank will also offer an excellent opportunity for the overall winner of the grand finale to be held at Muthaiga Golf Club in December
- Gachora said the bank was committing Sh30million towards this year’s Series because the bank believes this is an opportunity to connect deeply with its customers, to better understand their needs and identify opportunities to serve them better
The NCBA Bank group sponsored Golf Series, has now crossed the Kenyan boarders to Uganda, and Tanzania, making it a regional golf series.
On the other hand, the bank has also increased the junior events to three with the third one to be held at Lake Victoria Serena in Kigo, Uganda from April 16 to 17.
Speaking Friday before launching the 18 events series at Kenya Railway Golf Club which is also the venue for the opening leg on Saturday, NCBA group managing director John Gachora said besides expanding the series to the countries of Uganda and Tanzania, the bank will also offer an excellent opportunity for the overall winner of the grand finale to be held at Muthaiga Golf Club in December.
“We are offering a life time opportunity of a four-day golf tour to South Africa’s best known golf resort, the Funcourt Golf Resort in George. I believe this makes the 2022 series more attractive, bigger and better than the inaugural series last year,’’ said Gachora.
The three junior events will be held in partnership with the Uskids golf which will offer Kenyan kids a chance to play in international events.
“Following the success of last year’s tournament, we are proud to launch a bigger and better 2022 edition of the NCBA Golf Series! Last year, the tournament attracted over 3,000 golfers across 16 golf clubs in Kenya. This year, with the inclusion of tournaments in Uganda and Tanzania, we envision to engage over 5,000 golfers through the NCBA Golf Series,” said Gachora.
NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora in action during the official launch of this year's NCBA Golf Series at Railways Golf Club on February 25, 2022.
“The NCBA Golf Series has the objective of growing and supporting the sport not only for adults but also for our juniors. We will continue our strong partnership with the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation to provide a platform for junior golfers to develop their skills and qualify to compete at international events," he added.
"Last year, we were very proud that over 40 of our junior golfers qualified to play at the Rome Classic and the Big 5 tournament in South Africa. Their strong show in these world-class events affirmed that we are well on our way to developing the future stars of the sport, not just locally but globally."
Gachora said the bank was committing Sh30million towards this year’s Series because the bank believes this is an opportunity to connect deeply with its customers, to better understand their needs and identify opportunities to serve them better. "We are a brand that is anchored on inspiring greatness and delivering meaningful value to our customers. I encourage all golfers across the region to participate in the series to improve their handicaps and swing their way to greatness!” he said.
Speaking during the launch, Kenya Golf Union chairman Peter Kiguru who now doubles as the president of the Kenya Golf Federation, thanked NCBA for once again considering junior events in its series, saying it's the only way to grow the game of golf in the country.
“We are truly grateful for your support to the game of golf and in particular for having included junior events in your series. This will go a long way in supporting the development of the game of golf in the country,’’ said Kiguru who also said the long-awaited National Golf Academy at Lenana School kick-started this week where the government had pumped in Sh50,000, 000 to make sure that the project is finally brought to conclusion.
The new Kenya Ladies Golf Union chairman Rosemary Olonde, who is also the Vice president of the Kenya Golf federation, said KLGU was working towards increasing the number of lady golfers in the country by supporting junior programmes. “I am happy to see that the number of girls in the game is improving though we are still fa from marching the number of boys, but we are working hard to reduce the gap,’’ said Olonde.
The opening leg of the 2022 NCBA golf series will be held at the century-old Kenya Railway Golf Club course now in its best condition, and has attracted a field of 119 players who will be battling it out for some attractive prizes besides earning some slots to the grand finale to be held at Muthaiga Golf Club on December 9, this year.
Full list of the NCBA Bank series 2022
Kenya Railway Golf Club- February 26,
Nyanza Club-Kisumu- March 12,
Kitale Club- April 9,
Lake Victoria Serena-Uganda, Junior Golf- April 16, 17.
Nakuru Golf Club-May 21,
Great Rift Golf Resort- Naivasha- June 4
Sigona Golf Club June 11,
Karen Country Club- July 2- Corporate- July 11, 12 Junior Golf,
Royal Nairobi Golf Club- July 23,
Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club- Tanzania- August 27,
Vet Lab Sports Club- September 3,
Limuru Country Club- September 17,
Mombasa Golf Club- October 8,
Thika Sports Club November 5
Muthaiga Golf Club December 3, 4- Junior Golf, December 9- Grand Finale.
