The Zimbabwe Professional Golf Association (ZPGA) has announced a global development programme in partnership with the South Africa PGA Tour to prepare local professional for relevance in golf apart from playing.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
Largely, a teaching and professional accreditation course, the programme will include areas ranging from finance, marketing, psychology, fitness, and physiology, as well as coaching techniques, among other things.
ZPGA made public the new development on the side-lines of the National Aids Council (Nac) Pro-Am golf tournament which started at Royal Harare yesterday.
“We are delighted to give a second track to golf. We now have an accredited global programme through the SA PGA Tour linked to the PGA Tours of Europe to do teaching and professional accreditation to anyone who wants to learn about the game,” ZPGA president Gary Thompson said.
“It will equip our golfers with everything from finance, marketing, the psychology and the psychological aspect, the trending aspect the fitness, the physiology of it and how the game is moving and coaching techniques.
“We are inviting people to join us for these two-year modules. It will cost about $600 a year and we are looking at some corporates to help those who cannot pay for it. But it’s going to be the best investment for the guys coming to the end of their professional careers,” he added.
A lot has been happening on the local professional golf scene of late, with the ZPGA set to announce another new tournament tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, ZPGA director of golf development, William Lake shot an initial round of five under par 67 to take an early lead in the third edition of the Nac sponsored tournament.
Lake was closely followed by Trainos Muradzikwa, who was one shot behind after carding a round of 68, while Biggie Chibvuri and defending champions Ben Follett-Smith tied for third on 69.
A total of 63 golfers, including some from Zambia and Malawi, entered the tournament which concludes tomorrow.
Nac finance and administration director Albert Manenji was delighted with how the tournament, that serves as a fundraiser for cervical cancer screening machines, has grown over the years.
“Last year, we managed to raise $80 000 and we bought 15 cancer screening machines. This year, we are targeting 15 more machines that will amount to over $100 000. We should be able to cover 30 district hospitals,” he said.
“You can never put value to the lives that have been saved through our partnership with ZPGA in making this tournament a success. We are going to continue partnering and our aim is to continue improving it.”
