P. G. Woodhouse, a master of English sarcasm and wit once said, “Golf is like measles, it should be caught early. This is the challenge behind breeding great Egyptian golfers and ensuring a strong future for the sport in the country.
The truth is that Egyptian players are not the bread and butter of golf in this country. Tourists and expatriates make the golf industry in Egypt go ’round, and it likely will stay that way. Until there are a few Egyptians playing golf on the professional tours, the country will not achieve its ambition to become a great golfing destination. It is the younger generation of Egyptians that will carry the torch for the future of the sport. But where will they come from?
“[Egyptians] who don’t live on courses never see one, says Mirage City’s pro Calle Carleson.
That’s why he’s making an effort to bring local children to the club, to help promote the game and assure a lasting future for the sport in Egypt. “At the end of the day, it’s too expensive for most Egyptian children to start, he added.
Still, even with Mirage’s attempt at bringing in young players – students at an English school now visit the course every week to learn golf basics – Carleson believes “it needs to come from the Egyptian Golf Federation and all the clubs at the same time. It’s a very big challenge.
There are exceptions to everything.
This month’s issue of Golf In Egypt magazine published a story about a nine-year old boy who has recently picked up the sport and is quite good – very good, actually. With less than a year of practice and no professional coaching, the young man, who lives in the shadow of the Pyramids and the Mena House course, recently managed to technically beat all the participating adults in an 18-hole round with the British Golf Society. Without being a member or having a recognized handicap, his score of 93 was not included in the final leader board.
Mohamed doesn’t mind. He just loves to play, and the supportive ex-pats who gave him his first try at a tee have signed him up to play in the Cairo Junior Open at Katameya.
Amr Mahfouz, chairman of the Gezirah Sporting Club Golf Committee, understands golf and Egypt and knows how these things work, how legends are made. He explains to us on an afternoon in Gezirah Club that with all the new golf courses in the country, the number of young Egyptian players should be growing. He adds that Egyptians used to become good players after being caddies, but today the game is played differently.
Because most people use carts, there’s not always the need for a caddie and so local youths from lower income areas are less likely to experience the game first-hand like they used to.
“These are kids with passion, Mr. Mahfouz says of the underprivileged, “The ones who are hungry for it are the ones who will work hard to achieve success.
