Golfers should play by club rules to save the sport from disrepute

Have you recently brought the game of golf into disrepute? Have you brought your club into disrepute? Have you recently been asked to “show cause” as to why you shouldn’t be reprimanded, suspended or expelled from your club?

In golf clubs across the world, matters golf are decided by the captain and the committee – such matters may include format of play, for example if Limuru Country Club and Muthaiga Golf Club decided to play certain club nights in the medal format, no problems, decision made, orders followed.

Golf committees also often decide to repair and even completely rebuild greens, create temporary greens, new tee boxes, narrow down fairways, cancel competitions, close the golf course and so on.

In all these instances, there is but one constant, golfers follow the orders, they follow the local rules and treat their captains with upmost respect.

You may therefore be shocked to learn that a group of golfers recently decided to defy the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) that is mandated to promote the interests of the game on behalf of all players and their clubs countrywide.

Further, the union runs our elite national men team, the KGU Golfer of the Year (GOTY) series, the Junior Golf Foundation and organises the Kenya Open Golf Championship.

The union works through various bodies, key among them the Golf Captains who in turn represent the various golf clubs.

On April 28, 2016, the union, in its wisdom and completely within its mandate decided to announce a new criteria through which the elite national men team would be selected.

According to the union’s chairman, Anthony Muhoro, the new system would involve qualification rounds.

“Each club affiliated to the Kenya Golf Union will be allowed to send their three best players who are not in the top 15 of the GOTY rankings for a qualifying round,” he said.

“The team so selected will go on to represent Kenya in the Victoria Cup in June, the Eisenhower Trophy in September and the East Africa Challenge in November.”

Of the top 15 GOTY players invited to the qualification round held on May 2, 2016, only one man participated. The rest arrived at the Muthaiga Golf Club, venue of the qualifications and boycotted the trials.

Whilst the elite amateur players may very well have genuine grievances against the union, was showing up at Muthaiga and boycotting the trials the best solution? Did they need to bring the game and the union into disrepute?

“The changes to the selection policy were discussed and adopted by KGU executive board,” Muhoro added. “This system will open up chances for club members who would like to represent Kenya in the national assignments.”

Many of Kenya’s elite amateur players have risen from the caddy ranks and other developmental avenues, and it is largely this crop of golfers that have now slapped the union in the face.

Golf captains across the country must take stern action against this errant group of golfers, they must slap them with punitive bans and remind them that golf is a game of gentlemen.

Grievances of any nature against the union must be addressed through the council of captains – the stature of the union commands respect.

I trust that the golf captains will mete out long bans on these errant players as a reminder to them that the union is not to be joked with. Ban them all.