Footgolf off to a great start

THE inaugural Zimbabwe Footgolf Association tournament attracted 30 participants from Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces at Troutbeck Nyanga over the weekend.

Bulawayo had three representatives at the tournament, namely Senzele Ndlovu, Morris Dube and Siphiwe Msimanga.

In the junior girls’ category Nyasha Derera from Mashonaland Central won gold.

Merjury Majoko of Harare was the winner of the women’s contest with Gaily Chawomba from the Midlands taking silver and bronze went to Shebbister Kufaigore from Mashonaland East.

In the men’s category, Pasipamire Jakopo from Masvingo was first, Taona Mbono from Mashonaland West finished in second position while Biggy Chadyoka from Masvingo was third.

Daniel Kuwengwa who is the president of the Footgolf Association in Zimbabwe said that it was an 18-hole course and there were three categories, women, men and juniors. He said that for a new sport, foot golf is gaining traction.

“The attendance of the Nyanga tournament was testament that people are finally appreciating footgolf and we are guaranteed that in the next tournaments the attendance will be better.

“Footgolf accommodates all age groups and there were various ages that competed,” said Kuwengwa.

Senzele Ndlovu one of the participants from Bulawayo said that the tournament was a great experience and that they learnt a lot about the game especially on co-ordination and ball control.

“We enjoyed a lot but it was another experience, the terrain was steep in a way that when you kicked the ball it rolled back quickly and it needed someone with good kicking and targeting skills,” said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu said that all the Bulawayo participants qualified for the Southern African tournament, which is scheduled for October this year, unfortunately, none of them got any medals at the Nyanga tournament.

Kuwengwa summed up by saying that the tournament was a resounding success and that there is still room for improvement in terms of sponsorship.

“The tournament was a success, however there is room for improvement on sponsorship to reduce tournament fees, marketing and prizes for the participating teams.

“We also noted that some footgolfers faced challenges on the course because it was steep.” said Kuwengwa.