As the good weather graced the fairways of Bletchingley Golf Club in Surrey, the members of The Social Golfer gathered for its 14th annual major championship, The Social Golfer Open.
Unlike previous years, this event was also a chance to celebrate the new partnership that has been forged between the popular online community golf club and the Afriyea Golf Academy in Uganda. This saw both a DJ playing African music on the golf course and a ‘Mud Putt’ to replicate the conditions some of the kids learn to play golf in in Africa.
The men’s tournament was won by Kent-based golfer Richard Scott with 38 points, with Russell Mitchell a point back in second, and Essex golfer. Paul Houghton also scoring 37 points but taking third on countback. The ladies’ competition was won for the fourth time by Judy Lilley from Kent with 41 points, with Kate Tan a distant second with 25 points.
Lilley said: “Thank you Ian and all the team for another fantastic day with The Social Golfers. We had a real mix of members and the camaraderie overall was brilliant. I loved the live broadcast, the interviews and the African music to welcome us to the 19th – golf should always be like this! I am thrilled to win the trophy for a fourth time and will be back again next year fighting for my fifth title!”
The Golf News Guest Trophy was won by Sam Cooke with 38 points, and he combined with Richard Scott, Bob Syrad and Mark Crane to win the Cairns Cup. The Yellow Ball competition team winners – Steve Slater, Barry Beard, Dave Wilkinson and Canhai Howell.
The day raised vital funds to allow Afriyea to continue with its golf programmes that teach underprivileged youth and kids with special needs to prosper in life via the game of golf. In addition, the website will provide kids with a platform on which to record their scores and track their progress via their new unique The Social Golfer Handicap Index System.
With a host of prestigious golf clubs, including Royal Norwich, West Hill, Frinton, Redbourn, Hendon, Hertsmere, Goswick Links, Croham Hurst and many others, donating 4-ball vouchers to the event auction table, the TSG Team raised more than £3,500 for the kids in Africa. However, it was also a chance for the members to donate golf clubs, golf balls, golf apparel, iPhone, iPads and more, with the website management team using the event as an excuse to gather equipment to send to Uganda. Over 500 golf clubs were donated on the day, making it a resounding success.
The Social Golfer team plan to use some of the auction funds to send the golf equipment to Fort Portal in Western Uganda in the Autumn. Any remaining money will be used to provide a pathway for kids into the professional game of golf by 2030.
The event was streamed LIVE on Facebook and YouTube via Live Sport Now and was hosted by Ian Waterhouse. A big thanks also goes to GOGOGO Sport rangefinders who donated the prizes for the ‘Mud Putt’. In a generous show of support for the new partnership, the Directors of the site also donated a joint branded uniform to all the coaches that represent the Academy in schools.
Finally, the Kids at the academy prepared a superb ‘spoof’ Ugandan Sport Channel video discussing the ‘potential’ winners of the day which brought both laughter and tears to the day.
Isaiah Mwesgie, CEO of Afriyea Golf Academy, said: “We are so excited to partner with The Social Golfer in the UK and worldwide. This partnership will help us raise the funds we need to provide golf programs to underprivileged youth and kids with special needs. We believe that golf can be a powerful tool for social change, and we are committed to using the game to help these young people reach their full potential.”
Ian Mullins, Editor of The Social Golfer, said: “We are so excited to partner with Afriyea Golf Academy and support their mission to provide golf programs to underprivileged kids and promote sustainability and conservation via the game of golf. I can’t applaud Isaiah enough for his work so far. We are inspired by both his story and the academy’s ambitions. We believe, with our help and support; we can make a real change to golf in Uganda and all of Africa.”
