The Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association’s Annual Fundraiser

9 Oct, 2012

The Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association’s Annual Fundraiser scheduled for this Friday

at Wingate is on the brink of being canceled due to lack of teams! I am writing this

mail to appeal to the golfing community to please support this worthy cause and

enter a team, sponsor a hole or even purchase a $10 raffle ticket that can win you 2

return airline tickets to any Kenya Airways destination. 

The volunteers that make up the Zimbabwe Junior Golf Committee work very hard and

put in countless hours, dollars and effort to run a really, really good junior golf

program. Weekly coaching clinics are held which introduce new children to the game

as well as help to improve the technique of existing players. We also run 18 hole

competitions during the school term and in the holidays which are geared to teach

the youngsters basic rules, etiquette and how to score a card properly. There are a

series of major 36 and 72 hole tournaments played each school holidays that  count

towards a national junior order of merit. The best players are rewarded with the

opportunity to play international tournaments and obtain golf scholarships in USA.

Zimbabwe Junior Golf is growing in numbers and the standards are improving. A

testament to the level our juniors are getting to was shown off last week at the

Eisenhower World Amateur Team Championships in Turkey, where the Zimbabwe team came

tie 17th out of 72 countries beating countries like Ireland, Scotland, South Africa

and a host of other European, Asian, South American countries. Two of the three team

members (Scott Vincent and Ray Badenhorst) graduated from the junior ranks last year

and are currently on golf scholarship in USA. 

Golf is the only sport that Zimbabwe has ever produced a world number 1. Every

golfer in the country would get such a boost of excitement every time Nick Price

contended for a major or won a tournament on the PGA tour. Brendan De Jonge is

having a similar effect currently with his great efforts on the PGA tour. Both of

these great players are products of Zimbabwe Junior Golf.

Zimbabwe Junior Golf does not receive income from affiliation fees like the senior

golfing bodies, we rely purely on fundraising efforts. Finance is needed to not only

keep the existing program going, but to grow and improve Zimbabwe Junior Golf

further. What has been so disappointing to me this year is the lack of support of

our efforts from the business and golfing community. Last month the Zimbabwe Junior

Golf Committee held a cocktail party inviting over ninety businessmen. A

professionally put together slideshow detailing our current efforts and future plans

was presented. Less than half of the invited guests turned up and only one company

has made a contribution so far! Our golf day targeting the golfing community has so

far attracted 6 teams, 3 of which have been entered by committee members! 

I am afraid for the future of Zimbabwe Junior Golf. It is getting to a stage where

the committee members including myself are getting disheartened as it is becoming

increasingly difficult and frustrating to financially keep junior golf going. If we

do not raise 15 teams by Wednesday the fundraiser will be canceled and leave

Zimbabwe Junior Golf in financial crisis.

In summary I am making a final bid to save our fundraising golf day. Our team of

dedicated people who put so much in to keep Zimbabwe Junior Golf alive and growing,

once a year surly deserve your support. If you are able to raise a team for $160 or

are willing to sponsor a hole for $100, please could you e mail Cath Riley on

jcr@yoafrica.com or myself at either baylisgolf@gmail .com or mike@baylisgolf.com.

Many thanks for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Mike Baylis

President Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association