Lessons for Kenya from NY public golf course vision

• The Black, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow golf courses are all part of the Bethpage State Park, situated in the heart of Long Island, New York.
• In NY the future of golf development is vested in public golf courses; and in Kenya we have seen many new golfers emerge from The Golf Park at the Jockey Racecourse.
• Public golf courses are not necessarily ill-kept cattle tracks; they can be well kept golf courses capable of hosting major championships. Talent nurturing and development in Kenya should not be the preserve of private members clubs.

This weekend, I am off to play The Black! If I am lucky and my editor has called all the right people; otherwise, I may have to play The Red, or perhaps The Blue, The Green, or The Yellow. If you are wondering if I am talking about golf read on.

The Black, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow golf courses are all part of the Bethpage State Park, situated in the heart of Long Island, New York.

This complex of public golf courses popularly known as “The Peoples Country Club” have a history stretching back to the 1930’s.

Since then, Bethpage has hosted over 14 million rounds of public golf, and The Black had the honour of hosting the US Open in 2002 and 2009 making it the first public course to host major golf championships.

First, in NY the future of golf development is vested in public golf courses; and in Kenya we have seen many new golfers emerge from The Golf Park at the Jockey Racecourse.

Secondly, public golf courses are not necessarily ill-kept cattle tracks; they can be well kept golf courses capable of hosting major championships.

The vision for the public golf course at Kasarani should emulate that of Bethpage and create a golf course that should be the next “home of golf” for Kenyan golf.

This is true for all sporting disciplines in Kenya; talent nurturing and development should not be the preserve of private members clubs.

Bethpage is set on over 1,386 acres of land on the eastern end of Nassau County, 32 miles from the biggest city in the world, New York.

The five golf courses at Bethpage ensure that every golfer is catered for; The Black offers a difficult and stern test of golf and was the recent venue for The Barclays, won by Nick Watney.

Tiger Woods conquered The Black in 2002 winning the US Open with the only under-par score of the tournament.

The Blue Course is an intermediate level course for those not looking for the punishment a course like the Black or Red can provide.

The Green course was the first to be opened at the Bethpage facility back in 1934. At just 6,000 yards from the back tees, The Green is a far less grueling course.

The Yellow is designed for beginners and regular weekend golfers. The Red course is the second most difficult golf course at Bethpage, but with three sets of tees, it is playable by low to mid-handicap golfers.

With fees ranging from $96 at The Red course to $38 at The Yellow course, cart fees at $34 and $40 for hire of golf clubs, playing at Bethpage is not costly.