African lady golfers come to Namibia

NAMIBIA will play host to the All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT) for the first time since the inception of the event seven years ago.

The prestigious event will be held at the Windhoek Country Club Resort between March 23 and 25, with 15 countries expected to take part. According to AACT member of the Organising Committee, Erica Oosthuizen, ladies golf is known as one of the smaller codes in the country, and this event is billed to provide a booster for the game among ladies in the country.”Be assured that golf of an exceptional standard will be on display as handicaps of participating players are currently as low as +2.Rose Nalaika of Kenya currently has a +2 handicap.Oosthuizen said the competitors are expected to arrive from March 21, with flag raising and an opening ceremonies to be conducted on the same day.She said teams will have the opportunity to play two practice rounds on the golf course before the actual tournament.”The course is in a good condition and the staff is working full time to prepare a well groomed course for the competition,” she said.Oosthuizen said they could at this stage not confirm the participation of the Malawi team, but established that Gambia’s Vicky Clarke, one of the founder members of the AACT, will be present at the event.”An interesting fact is that one of the Tanzania team members, is Zainab Kinswaga, who took up golf while she was resident in Namibia,” she said.Meanwhile, MTC Managing Director Bernd Strenge, who on Tuesday handed over a cheque of N$30 000 to be used for the opening ceremony, and the for the first prize, said over the past decades, ladies have entered and conquered the so called ‘men’s world’.Golf is no exception.He said the Namibian Ladies Golf has currently 15 registered members, but compared to other countries it may be insignificant.”But these ladies competed in golf tournaments across the African region,” he said.The challenge of hosting more than 70 ladies, with different cultures and backgrounds is truly admirable, said Strenge.”We realise that a prestigious tournament of this nature is not possible without support and sponsors, therefore MTC takes pleasure in announcing a sponsorship of N$30 000,” he said.According to AACT member of the Organising Committee, Erica Oosthuizen, ladies golf is known as one of the smaller codes in the country, and this event is billed to provide a booster for the game among ladies in the country.”Be assured that golf of an exceptional standard will be on display as handicaps of participating players are currently as low as +2.Rose Nalaika of Kenya currently has a +2 handicap.Oosthuizen said the competitors are expected to arrive from March 21, with flag raising and an opening ceremonies to be conducted on the same day.She said teams will have the opportunity to play two practice rounds on the golf course before the actual tournament.”The course is in a good condition and the staff is working full time to prepare a well groomed course for the competition,” she said.Oosthuizen said they could at this stage not confirm the participation of the Malawi team, but established that Gambia’s Vicky Clarke, one of the founder members of the AACT, will be present at the event.”An interesting fact is that one of the Tanzania team members, is Zainab Kinswaga, who took up golf while she was resident in Namibia,” she said.Meanwhile, MTC Managing Director Bernd Strenge, who on Tuesday handed over a cheque of N$30 000 to be used for the opening ceremony, and the for the first prize, said over the past decades, ladies have entered and conquered the so called ‘men’s world’.Golf is no exception.He said the Namibian Ladies Golf has currently 15 registered members, but compared to other countries it may be insignificant.”But these ladies competed in golf tournaments across the African region,” he said.The challenge of hosting more than 70 ladies, with different cultures and backgrounds is truly admirable, said Strenge.”We realise that a prestigious tournament of this nature is not possible without support and sponsors, therefore MTC takes pleasure in announcing a sponsorship of N$30 000,” he said.