Three groups team up to promote juvenile golf in Obuasi

Obuasi based NGO, Mama Love foundation has collaborated with a Ghana non-profit chari­ty organisation, Captain One Golf Society (Golf for all) as well as the Obuasi Golf Club to train children from foster homes, the needy and less privileged in Obuasi to develop interest in golf.

The initiative forms part of the 'deprived kids project' introduced by Captain One Golf Society and implemented by the Obuasi Golf club. The program kick-starts in Obuasi with children from the Mama Love foundation who are already

undergoing skills development training in dressmaking, hairdressing, bakeries, etc.

The girls will go through weeks of training to be equipped with the rudiments of the game of golf.

Speaking with the media, the Captain of the Obuasi Golf club, Stephen Dapaah said the initiative of the Captain One Golf Society aligns with the objectives of the Obuasi Golf club to demystify the notion that golf is meant for only the rich in the society and also develop the talent of Juvenile goffers in Obuasi.

"The Obuasi Golf club has established Golf academy which is to train kids, nurture them to be good golfers in future. We are working assiduously to bring more of the kids from different schools here onboard to come and learn golf. We want to appeal to parents to enrol their children to start learning the basics at a very early stage", he explained.

The Secretary of the Obuasi Golf club, Paul Baah Nuakoh explained that, currently, they are training kids from Mama Love foundation as a pilot project which will be rolled out across the various children's homes in Obuasi.

He talked about the benefits of golf as a sport. He said golf has social, financial and health benefits which are vital in the development of mankind.

He said: "Golf has enormous benefits hence we at Obuasi Golf club are committed to help our children learn the rudiments of the sports and the benefits involve".

The President of Mama Love Foundation, Reverend Dr. Love Konadu said she was excited for enrolling kids from her foundation unto the program. She said though the girls are developing their skills in apprenticeship training, the lessons from golf will bode well for their development.

She lauded Captain One Golf Society and the Obuasi Golf club for their resolve in training kids to develop interest in golf.

"Over the years, we have embraced golf as an elitist sport so it was important that these groups are working to demystify that", she stated.

According to the founder and president of Captain One Golf Society, Pius Ayeh Appiah, Golf is now played at the Olympic level and requires great talent to compete but currently very few people play golf in Ghana and majority of the few are from the well to do class but he believes that talent cuts across and

all must be given equal opportunity.

He added that the golf clubs and other golf societies are doing a lot to demystify the sport and correct certain misconceptions hindering certain groups of people from participating, but Captain One Golf Society wants to support this by focusing on the deprived who are neglected in our society.

"It is for this reason that we have the ‘Deprived Kids Project’. We want to have at least one care or vulnerable home attached to a golf club in the country", he said.

Mr. Ayeh intimated that aside all the benefits of golf that the kids will get from this project, it is their belief that the children can progress to become professional golfers like Tiger Woods or professional golf coaches and earn the money that comes with it.

Key to their challenges, he added was funding. He called on organisations and philanthropists to come to their aid to make their dream come true for the deprived kids.