-Coast Junior Coach Mary Kandu advise youngsters to play confidently and enjoy the game more than chase scores while urging parents to stop putting pressure on the juniors for better scores.
-Tournament Coordinator Kailesh Chauhan said preparations at Diamond Leisure are in top gear, promising a fair but challenging course for all age groups from 5 to 18 years.
-Coast Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) representative Mary Mariga hailed the partnership with NCBA and U.S. Kids Golf, noting that the structured Tour has revived junior golf at the Coast after a slow period.
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS.
All eyes now set on the Diani’s Diamond Leisure Beach & Golf Resort course in South Coast of Mombasa for the 3rd leg of the NCBA US Kids Mombasa Golf Local Tour that tees off on Sunday,18th, October.
The Coast junior golf caravan rolls to the Kwale Country course after a colorful opener at Vipingo Ridge on 27th September in Kilifi County.
This followed with a highly competitive second leg at Nyali Golf and Country Club on 4th October in Mombasa County, that has rekindled junior golf fever in the region, with over 80 juniors featured in the first two legs and organizers expect more than 100 at Diani in Kwale County.
The Tour organized by Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) is a six-leg tournaments that will then return to Nyali on 1st November, back again to Diamond leisure on 15th November before culminating at Vipingo Ridge on 22nd, November, where the top-ranked juniors will be crowned Coast champions and earn priority status for U.S. Kids Golf international events.
The tournament is part of the global U.S. Kids Golf Local Tour, brought to the Coast by NCBA Bank and registration for the Diani leg closed on 13th, with late registration that was set for 14th to 15th October via http://uskidsgolf.com and coordinator email kais23@gmx.com.
Tournament Coordinator Kailesh Chauhan said preparations at Diamond Leisure are in top gear, promising a fair but challenging course for all age groups from 5 to 18 years.
“We had fantastic turnouts in Vipingo and Nyali. The progression has been excellent, from 6-year-olds playing 9 holes to our elite 15-18 year olds going 18 holes. Diamond Leisure offers a unique test, ocean breeze, tight fairways and true greens. We expect very competitive golf. We urge parents to register early to avoid late fees. This Tour is about building consistency. Six legs give our juniors real tournament experience, and the points accumulated will count towards the final at Vipingo. The level this year is the highest we’ve seen in the region,” said Chauhan.
Coast Junior Golf Coach Mary Kandu said her juniors have intensified training after the Nyali leg, focusing on short game and course management, which proved decisive in the last two events.
She further pointed out that most parents are putting pressure on the juniors for better scores saying, “Iam teaching them to play confidently and enjoy the game more than chase the scores. My Juniors are ready. After Vipingo and Nyali, we identified gaps, especially putting and wedge play. For the last two weeks we’ve been doing morning drills at Nyali and afternoon mental training. Diani is not an easy course, you have to manage the wind and stay patient. The course is challenging, fairways are narrow, se we are focusing more on course management and around the green where thy lose more shots. Improving short game consistency and staying calm after making mistakes are my main focus. The beauty of this NCBA Tour is that it keeps kids active. Unlike one-off events, a local Tour builds rhythm. I have several juniors travelling to Diani, from the 7-year-olds to the 15-year-old category. Expect fireworks. We want to dominate the South Coast leg and carry points to the finals,” Kandu said.
Coast Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) representative Mary Mariga hailed the partnership with NCBA and U.S. Kids Golf, noting that the structured tour has revived junior golf at the Coast after a slow period.
“This Tour is exactly what Coast junior golf needed. For a long time, we only had scattered junior clinics. Now we have a real Tour, six legs, proper U.S. Kids Golf rules, world ranking points and a clear pathway to Vipingo finals. Vipingo gave us a strong start, Nyali brought in Mombasa school kids and now Diani will bring Kwale and South Coast talent together. Our aim is inclusivity, we have caddies’ children, school kids and Club juniors all playing off same system. This is how we grow the next generation of Kenyan professionals. I thank NCBA for walking this journey and Kailesh for his coordination,” said Mariga.
The U.S. Kids Golf Local Tour format allows juniors to play yardages appropriate to their age, ensuring fairness and fun while building competitive spirit.
At Nyali, home players dominated, but Diani is expected to be neutral ground, with juniors from Vipingo, Nyali, Malindi and even Nairobi expected to travel.
Beyond trophies, the Tour offers life skills, honesty, self-regulation and etiquette, core to U.S. Kids Golf philosophy as Parents usually act as caddies for the younger age groups, strengthening family involvement in the sport.
ENDS.
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