Sports programme beckons Tanzanian golfers

TANZANIA Golf Union (TGU) has urged the golf fraternity to effectively use available online sports Turf programme scholarships.

In partnership with The World Golf governing body, The Royal Golf & Ancient Club of Scotland (R&A), the African Turf Academy (ATA) has invited golf students from across Africa to apply for the scholarship and enrol through the online Sports Turf Education Programme.

That was revealed by Dickson Sika, the honourary secretary of TGU who insisted the golfers not to let the opportunity slip between their fingers.

“This is an important opportunity, we have already informed the TGU- affiliated clubs and encouraged their members to embrace the programme,” he said.

Sika added that R & A have already paid the education fee and it is an opportunity for Tanzanians to produce quality golfers with good skills in maintaining golf courses as well as creating an opportunity for those currently working in the industry to add to their knowledge as Tanzania lacks courses technicians.

“The game is growing up and to match the developed countries we need to have these experts,” he said.

He has called on the clubs to encourage their members, especially, youths to attend the course since it will be learned via online platform.

“We need our courses to have these experts if we have ambitions to develop the game,” he added.

ATA under Andrew McKenna, a founder/director is the internationally accredited sports turf academy in Africa and has produced many of the new generations of course managers and greenkeepers who are now in high positions in South Africa and around the world.

ATA’s online education platform offers a wide range of topics within the golf course maintenance industry with nine module topics offered including Golf maintenance, Golf course machinery maintenance, Turf grass identification and production.

Others are Plant husbandry, Sports turf nutrition, Sports turf industry soils and rootzones, Golf course construction design and layout, drainage and irrigation of sports turf surfaces and Tournament preparation/etiquette rules.

The cost of each module will be $199.

The TGU secretary thanked The R&A and ATA for the support in making Tanzania attend the online scholarship programme.

“All trainees will therefore gain access to three modules a year and will complete the entire course over a period of three years,” he added.

After completion of each module students will receive a certificate of completion.