In celebration of 61 years of Independence (Uhuru Day), Kilombero Sugar Golf Club organized a golf tournament which invited all golfers across the country to participate where a total of 30 golfers from Dar es Salaam and Morogoro participated.
While opening the tournament, Kilombero Golf Club Chairman Fakihi Fadhili, said the purpose of the tournament is to bring together golfers across the country, compete and have fun in the quest to enhance golf as a distinct sport and which has few players. He added that the tournament will help golfers meet and network further. The Kilombero Golf Captain Pierre Redinger shared a couple of ground rules that golfers needed to abide to, interestingly the first rule was to have fun!!
The Kilombero Sugar Golf course which is located within the Kilombero Sugar Company Estate, has 18 holes and tournament was carried in a stroke play method. In an interview, Morris Komba a seasoned golfer from Kilombero Golf Club shared a bit of history of the Kilombero Golf Club saying it was founded on 2002 by David Haworth (the then Managing Director for Kilombero Sugar Company) under the captainship of Gerrie Odendaal (the then Field Manager for Kilombero Sugar Company) and currently the club has a total of 35 players. He further mentioned that Kilombero Golf club has been engaging in other tournaments and have been hosting golfers from Morogoro, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam and from many other places.
Speaking in an interview, Vicky Elias, National Golf Team Player, said she is very happy to participate in Uhuru Golf Tournament organized by Kilombero Golf Club and said the golf course is in a very good condition hence very easy to use. She is used to Par 72 golf course but here it is Par 62 which make it a lot easier to play. She urged parents to support their children to enroll in golf play especially girlsadding that golf fraternity needs to groom and prepare juniors to take part in national team later on. Vicky empasized that she is personally willing to help train juniors and she has been doing that for some time now.
Dickson Sika, Secretary of Tanzania Golf Union (TGU), said that he is very happy to participate in Uhuru Golf Tournament and he mentioned that it was his second time to play at Kilombero Golf Course. He commended the efforts taken by Kilombero Golf Club to prepare the tournament especially on the Independence Day. Relating Golf with Independence, he said although majority of people are not aware, but golf is closely associated with independence and a good number of freedom fighters did play golf, for instance Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Mwl. Julius Nyerere. He further insisted on the need for the government to consider lowering or removing tax on golf gears to enable price to go down so as to encourage many people to join and play golf which for now it is perceived to be a sport for rich people partly due to high cost of golf gears.
The Tournament culminated with a dinner event where Golfers received different prizes for various categories. The overall prize was handled to Seif Mcharo, the women title was handled to Vicky Elias, Division C title went to Nathaniel Gowelle and Buruhadini Qusai emerged as the winner for the junior division.
The Uhuru Golf Tournament was proudly sponsored by Kilombero Sugar Company, Unitrans Africa, Garda World and Manson Mines Logistics (MML).
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