Taking the sport of golf forward

Rossmund Golf Club was abuzz with numerous golfers competing in various competitions at the coastal course over the weekend.

According to the acting president of the Namibian Golf Federation (NGF) and chairman of Rossmund Golf Club, Marco Swarts, the season concluded on a high with the Rossmund Open, the Open for Junior Golfers, and the annual Desert Classic played over two days in December.

“The Classic is a huge attraction. We had 164 golfers on the course for the duration of the event. This competition continues to grow and we acknowledge the sponsor Nedbank and Dan Zwiebel, who organises this event and does so very professionally.”

The beginning of January saw the golfing action commence with the Women’s Coastal Open supported by Hollard Insurance. Four junior golfers also competed for two positions in the Namibian Junior Golf team this past weekend. “The junior golfers had trials. They played 36 holes on day one and another 18 holes on the final day. These golfers are preparing for the All Africa Golf Tournament to be hosted at Benoni Golf Club in South Africa and I am optimistic that the Namibian Junior team can do us proud,” Swarts said.

The tournament is scheduled for April. Once the team is announced, the selected golfers will be given special attention. They will receive golfing lessons and will have to practice their game.

According to Swarts, Junior Golf is alive and well. He hailed Kyle Johnson as one of the promising golfers in the junior group. “In the past, we had numerous coastal golfers who are now based in Windhoek. The coast was also well represented by two to three players from Walvis Bay and Rossmund Golf Clubs in the national team while Tsumeb and Oshakati also produced golfers for the national team. ”

Swarts is adamant that the standard of golf depends on the coaches. “We have two PGA qualified coaches who are based in Windhoek and players who want to develop are required to go to the capital. The Namibian professional golfer Joe Nawanga is also based in Windhoek and runs his own academy and he gets involved when asked. There are also local golfers in Walvis Bay, Rossmund and Tsumeb who can provide a bit of training to develop young golfers.”

He explained that the NGF tries hard to host national tournaments every month for junior men and women golfers. “Any Namibian golfer stands a chance to be ranked amongst the top four performers. We're aiming at hosting a national competition played in various parts of the country every month. Namibia falls within the Region 5 Zone for golf. Ten countries normally enter teams every year and Namibia is one of these. Every second year, the African Golf Confederation hosts the All Africa Golf Tournament with the next event scheduled for 2025. These incentives encourage Namibian golfers. Golfers also use the month medals club competitions to improve their skills.”

Swarts added that he is also extremely excited about the ladies who started their year with a competition at Rossmund. “There are 24 female golfers. There are many more, but not everyone can travel at the same time and this is problematic. Travel costs are high given the price of fuel, while accommodation is also a challenge. The golfers are employed and playing also depends on their work commitments. Wilna Bredenhann of Henties Bay Golf Club for example is a revered ladies golfer. She plays her golf at Rossmund, Omeya and wherever there are tournaments.”

In conclusion, Swarts said that despite the challenges, he is positive about the future of golf. “We need a lot of money and we don't get any financial assistance from the government. There are more than 54 sports federations in the country. So, we focus on getting help from local companies to take the sport of golf forward.”