Nelson Mudanyi: From childhood dream to big boys’ club

Nelson Mudanyi

Nelson Mudanyi during a past tournament.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Mudanyi returned home in 2016, and rose to the position of Head Golf Professional at Muthaiga Golf Club.
  • He says it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice for one to become a professional golfer.

Coming from a humble background, it dawned early on Nelson Mudanyi that he needed to work hard and be resilient to achieve his childhood dream of being a professional golfer.

And so, the 34-year-old never allowed his rough start in the sport to kill his dream.
DNation bodytext: “My golf journey was simple, and complex at the same time,” says Mudanyi, the Head Golf Professional at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi.

He recalls that his fast rise to his present role started at Eldoret Golf Club back in 1994 when he was only six-year-old.

Then, his parents worked at the club, and he took up golf after watching children from the well-off families playing the sport at the club’s golf course.

Since he did not have access to the golf course, Mudanyi recalls that he together with a handful of his friends, who also came from humble backgrounds, devised ways to play the sport.

Nelson Mudanyi

Nelson Mudanyi follows the flight of his tee during the Safari Tour Golf tournament at Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi County on November 28, 2022.

Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group

They improvised home-made golf clubs known as “Shikong’o” (in Luhya language) using wood from blue gum trees, and golf balls from dry maize cobs.

The Eldoret Golf Club staff’s football pitch was their golf course.

“That is how we started and it was fun,” says the Resident Golf Professional, adding that they created artificial holes par three, four and five on the football pitch.

First proper golf club

Mudanyi only got to hold a proper golf club sometime in 1999.

Two years later, he stepped at the prestigious Muthaiga Golf Club for the first time to take part in boys’ and girls’ championships.

During the competition, he shocked everyone by winning the non-handicap category with 54 points over 18 holes.

“It (winning the non-handicap category) was a good experience. It gave me confidence that with constant practice I had the potential to be a top golfer,” says the professional golfer-cum-coach.

Thanks to his hard work, it was not long before doors began to open for him.

Through Muthaiga Golf Club, Mudanyi landed a scholarship to study in the United States in 2010 and club members gave him financial, physical and emotional support.”

Mudanyi says that his family and other golf clubs, where he was known, also chipped in.

Two years after landing in the US, Mudanyi turned professional, and later migrated to South Africa to play the Sunshine Tour for five years.

While in America, when Mudanyi was not on a golf course, he was in class studying.

Golf Complex and Hotel Management, Golf Course Maintenance, Golf Course Design, Club Fitting and Operation are some of the courses he studied in the US.

Mudanyi returned home in 2016, and rose to the position of Head Golf Professional at Muthaiga Golf Club.

He says it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice for one to become a professional golfer.

“You need good equipment and facilities for practice,” says the player-cum-coach.

“You need a good trainer who understands the foundation, basics and principles of the game. It takes quite a lot, and you have to go through the junior, amateur and senior amateur ranks.”

Muthaiga Club’s legacy

As a way of keeping Muthaiga Golf Club’s legacy of being the home of golf in the country, Mudanyi says they are focusing more on junior golf development, and plans are underway to start the Muthaiga Golf Academy, where international coaches will be invited to help train budding players.

“My heart is moving towards coaching, that is why I want to ensure that Muthaiga Golf Club is at the top in grooming the young ones in the game,” he says.

Mudanyi was elated when Muthaiga Golf Club hosted the Magical Kenya Open — a DP World Tour — again on March 9-12. Last year’s tournament was held at the same venue.

He said that the rich field at Muthaiga Club made the event stand out.

Mudanyi said that South Africans Thomas Aiken and Justin Hadin and Tom Lewis of the US are some of the big names that made the 2023 Magical Kenya Open more interesting.

Spain’s Jorge Campillo produced an impressive final round of five under par 66 to beat Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura by two shots to claim the the title.

Kenya’s lone survivor, Mutahi Kibugu, tied with six other players in position 65.

“The field has had bigger names than any other Kenyan Open that I have ever watched or played in. For Muthaiga to host this kind of event, it is really important and we are looking forward to more,” he says.

For beginners, Mudanyi advises them to have a good grip, alignment and posture.