The rise of women on the golf course

As more women pick up clubs and swing for the fairways, they're rewriting the rules. They're showing that golf isn't just for the few but a game for anyone willing to put in the work—whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started.

When BD Life met up with three women armed with their clubs at the Muthaiga Golf Club, their determination to shatter these perceptions was evident, one swing at a time. One of them is Frankie Gichuru, the Secretary of the Kenya Ladies Golf Union.

She says her dream death would be on the golf course, and if that doesn’t tell you about her passion for the sport, nothing else will.

How so? She chuckles, "I will be playing a round of golf, then feel a heart attack coming, and just slump and die. I feel that’s the only way to go for a golfer—you play to your death."

At 47, Frankie, when she was in her early 30s, was looking for a gift for her husband on his birthday. She thought she would buy him a gift certificate to go to a golf pro and get taught how to play golf.

"My husband was extremely excited, took to it immediately, and then wanted to come the very next day. So, I came the very next day... begrudgingly, and then I hit a shot, not a very long shot but one that kind of worked," she recalls.

This motivated Frankie to begin, and as her sporty side kicked in and fused with the game, she found quick success. Now, 13 years in, Frankie's handicap is 7, and she often plays with her husband, making it a family game.

Every Christmas holiday, she competes with her husband, and the loser gets to do the washing, cleaning and cooking around Christmas.

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So, how many have you won? "Oh, I've won several. I think I'm the winner with four out of six Christmases." Though you would easily call her a pro because of how close to zero her handicap is, Frankie summarises her journey as tumultuous.

"One day you are the king of the castle and the next golf just comes and asks you... 'Who do you think you are?'"

While golf is now a part of Frankie's life, one of the biggest misconceptions about the sport is that it's expensive. Though it can be, it doesn't have to be. Secondly, golf is not boring. It is anything but that. It is nice and interesting.

The only way Frankie sees the world in her capacity, aside from work, is through the lens of golf. She has travelled to Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Angola, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Belgium, England, and the United States of America.

Among the courses in these countries, the toughest course she has had to play in was Gunton in England. Why? "Because of the number of bunkers - holes where they put sand to just trap you there. So, if your ball goes there, then you know you're not going to make your par."

For Frankie, winning the Royal Nairobi Ladies Open in July 2022 was a big standout moment. "I was the overall winner of that event. So, of all the people that played golf that day, I was the best, and they even gave me a fridge and a bag of goodies," she says.

When you meet Neddie Akello, she will definitely shy away from telling you her age and simply tell you, "I am 24, with Value Added Tax (VAT)," and then you will share in a heartfelt laugh.

Besides the banter, almost three years ago, Neddie fell into golf by fluke, introduced to it by her client. However, like most of us, she always looked at golf as an old people's sport and knew she would join it when she retired.

"Then there was this client who also started golf maybe two years before me and was particularly taken by it. And so, she kept on telling me, 'You need to come and play golf sometime,' and I kept on telling her I don't have time. I mean, where would I get the time to be on the course for hours?" she recalls.

On this one occasion, they had a meeting, and her client called the morning before, asking her to bring her gym clothes and comfortable shoes with her.

Starting at the tee box, Neddie didn’t ask questions about the lingo, as in her mind, they (the client and her) had a lot to discuss. "So, I asked her, 'Do we sit down for the meeting first or do you want to tee off first?' And she said, 'We’ll do them together.' So that was very interesting to me."

As the client and her four-ball played, Neddie kept quiet while they hit the balls and continued walking and talking. From a spectator's point of view, Neddie felt that the game was "so easy" and wondered why they would waste their whole day there.

To demystify her belief, her client handed Neddie her club and asked her to give it a shot. She says: "I took the club and swung away and I miserably missed the ball...and I tried again several times and missed it. That became a challenge I needed to take up.

So, my getting into the space of learning was not because I have always wanted to learn golf or this was what I wanted to do, but because 'why am I not hitting that ball that everyone is hitting so easily?' Just like that, my client sent me a number of a pro I would work with, and that is how I started playing golf."

Having gotten her handicap at the end of June 2022, Neddie says the game is quite addictive.

"That good one has very high adrenaline. Very high, like it's that one thing that would even keep you there till the night. So, that's what keeps you coming back."

Though the sport is welcoming to women, Neddie, who doubles up as the lady captain of Golf Park, says there is still a long way to go. She says, "There's a lot of stereotypes, social barriers in terms of you'll find one lady in a squad of many men."

Though it is a cultured sport, Neddie shares that sometimes women become their own enemies, where older ones will stereotype the younger ones.

"We are in a space where they (younger golfers) want to dress the way they feel comfortable but are decent, then you'll find the older women stereotyping them... 'Oh, why are you dressed like this? Why are you trying to come and find our husbands? Or something like that.' We have guidelines from the Kenya Ladies Golf Union which tell you what will count as decent versus indecent."

As a result, the biggest misconception that people have about women playing golf is that it's a sport where single women are trying to fetch men from the course.

The day Neddie felt unstoppable on the golf course was in 2022 when she got her first win.

"I played a detour match - one of the formats that we have that is organised by this detour committee. And you have match play competition, which is a different format of play. So, I was a new golfer, nearly handicapped, but I played so well, and I ended up standing out as the lady winner. That was a defining moment," she shares.

Her toughest course is Muthaiga Golf Club. "I love Muthaiga, I score well, but it's a challenging course. It has ups and downs...not a flat one," she says.

It is not an even course, there are a lot of ups and downs. The tee is wide and has a very wide hole, plus exposure to the wind.

So, you hit your ball in one direction, and then it goes in another. I've only played there three times, but every time I've played there, in fact, I recently told my captain I'm not playing there again. Until I figure it out or go there when I'm relaxed because I always play during a tournament."

Though Debra Ajwang, 44, was a sporty child before, she knew that with age and time catching up, she might not be able to do high-intensity workouts. She went to the drawing board to look for something she could do for the rest of her life in terms of fitness, and golf was it for her.

"Previously, I never imagined I would play golf. I used to think it was very boring...I mean, how do you walk for three, four hours hitting a small ball in the sun?" she confesses.

When Debra was on a work break in late 2022, she decided to learn golf at Golf Park. Almost three years in, Debra says playing in the tournaments initially, even without the handicap, helped improve her game. "Because when you are playing in a tournament, there is that competitive thing."

Now with a handicap of 34.8, Debra admits the tournaments helped move it from the 40s to the 30s within a short time, something that usually takes a lot of time. If Debra would describe her journey with golf, she would term it as exciting. Why? Because there is always something new.

"There is never a repeat of the same thing. Even though you play on the same course, you play differently."

So far, Debra has played in Mombasa, Rift Valley, and Nanyuki, so it's a chance to see Kenya while playing golf. She has also played in Ethiopia.

Which is your toughest course? "Sigona. For some reason, every time I play there, it's just a challenge."

To golfers, golfing is their elixir—an addictive sport that never provides satisfaction. For Debra, every time she is out of the country, her hotel must have, or be near, two things: a gym and a golf course within the vicinity.

To any woman interested in golf, Debra says: "So, if you think it's something for you, then just start. You'll figure it out as you go along, and you get better day by day."

However, Debra realised that golf was more than just a hobby when she played in Addis Ababa and won. She says that at the time, she didn’t even have a handicap or understand what it meant, and the surprise and shock only fuelled her passion for the sport.

"For lack of a better word, the golf course was like a cattle shed. The grass was long, and playing there was difficult...the balls got lost, hitting the ball was hard, I was not playing with my clubs, but somehow, I managed to play well," she says.

According to Debra, the biggest misconception about female golfers is that we wear just nice clothes. She shares, "The majority of people who ask me about golf say, 'I want to go and play golf.' And I reply, 'Okay, when are you ready to start?' Then they often say, 'First, I need to get those pretty clothes.'

And I’m like, 'Wait a minute! Can you at least start with the lessons and learn the basics? Maybe you won't even be interested in playing after all…'"

Before an orchestra is played, the musicians tune their instruments to get the rhythm. Similarly, before playing golf, Debra says one needs to stretch one's body and muscles and practice one's swing before actually playing.

"Usually, I know if I just arrive and get onto the course, my first two or three holes will be all over the place as my body adjusts."

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