Dating back to the 15th century, women were not even allowed to participate, until 1900 when the first women’s golf tournament was held in the USA. In Uganda, the golf fraternity is a
very tight-knit community with less than 200 women.
However, there are women who have navigated through the male-dominated sport and opened doors for many others because when it comes to being inclusive, the golfer’s world is not always up to par.
As the Tusker Malt Uganda Open rages on at the Lake Victoria Golf Resort & Spa in Kigo, with the brand focused on making golf inclusive and accessible especially to women, The Observer shines a light on the finest ladies in Ugandan golf.
ANNE ABEJA – LADY PRESIDENT, UGANDA GOLF UNION
She previously served as the lady captain of Uganda Golf Club and is currently the president of the Uganda Ladies’ Golf Union and executive committee member of the Uganda Golf Union.
“The first time I saw golf clubs was in the early 1980s when my uncle, an ardent golfer, Dr George W. Olwit (RIP), delivered a set of golf clubs to my father, David L. Ongom (RIP), himself a prolific sportsman – star footballer and coach, badminton and table tennis player. The clubs looked like weapons. My father never took up the game because he thought the game was too time-consuming to allow him to focus on his other priorities,” Abeja says.
In her S6 vacation, her uncle invited her to the Uganda Golf Club practice range and she hit a few balls, but her real golf journey started in 2010 as Monitor Publications, the company she was working for, promoted and supported golf.
As a person in golf leadership, Abeja says there is need to identify and groom more ladies to take up prominent roles in club management affairs as it all starts with administration.
“We need to continue demystifying the game of golf and creating awareness. It is misconceived as a man’s sport, very expensive, etc. My vision is to strengthen ladies’ participation and representation in golf across the country. I thank sponsors that share the same vision for the game and are helping give women a platform to shine,” she says.
Abeja has walked the walk and has so far conducted junior golf clinics and mini-tournaments in 10 golf clubs across the country to introduce youngsters to golf, while upskilling others. Two clubs, Lira and Mary Louise Simkins Namulonge, have held the first-ever Ladies’ Opens and more tournaments at different clubs are in the pipeline.
“We also fielded a formidable National Ladies’ Golf Team that came sixth at the All-Africa Challenge Trophy Golf Championship, out of 20 countries from across the continent,” she says.
She is hoping to work with the golf union to develop a more structured approach to secure sponsorship as well as introduce more women to golf. Abeja believes Uganda is on the ‘fair-way’ when it comes to inclusivity of women in golf.
“On a scale of one to 10, we are at eight. The emphasis about inclusivity of women in golf comes right from the R&A, the leading body in the world that supports golfing activities. We have many women joining and playing golf. We even have two female golf professionals in Uganda now. The future of women in golf is so bright,” she says.
MARTHA BABIRYE – WINNER, TUSKER MALT UGANDA LADIES OPEN (2019, 2020, 2022)
She has just lifted her third Tusker Malt Uganda Ladies Open trophy, having won in 2019 and 2020. Babirye started actively playing golf in 2018 and it was a combination of proximity and
love for individual challenges.
“I was playing so many sports before golf. I played rugby, cricket and football, but I was struggling with teamwork things and that is when I just decided to resort to doing an individual sport. We live near the golf course in Jinja. I just woke up one day and said I am going to try and play golf. So, I started playing in the Jinja club, then I moved to UGC, which is also my home club now. They have been very supportive in my journey. I’m there on a student membership, which is very cheap,” she says.
When asked about how more women can join the sport, Babirye says: “We ladies have to do it ourselves. We are the ones who limit one another…we need to uplift one another. For example, most of my sponsors are women, which is a good example of being there for one another.”
And speaking of sponsorship, Babirye says she could not have gone far without the legion of her sponsors.
“I am grateful for the amazing support from Doreen Mwesigye, Chris Kadumbula, Vanessa Peris, David Prendrith, Alex Matsiko, Mathias Kasule of Shoeman International and of course Tusker Malt Lager, who inject lots of funds to stage tournaments of this nature to allow us a platform to shine,” she says.
Despite being the lady being looked at as the next pro golfer in the country, to bring the numbers to three, Babirye who is a farmer when she is not golfing, says she might play the Uganda Open as an amatuer again, before contemplating going pro.
“I may return for the open once again since I’m just 25. There is a lot of time for me to think about it.”
MERON KOMUGISHA – RUNNER-UP IN THE TUSKER MALT UGANDA LADIES OPEN GOLF
Meron Komugisha is also a member of the national team. She is a clear example of rising from the bottom. Komugisha started out as a caddie, again a preserve of mostly men.
“I used to carry the bag for a lady called Enid at Tooro Club in Fortal Portal. One day she asked me if I liked golf and I said yes I was interested, but I didn’t have a sponsor to help me acquire equipment. She introduced me to Dr Bagambisa, who connected me to Madam Alice Owor, who was the golf union’s lady president at tha time. That was in 2007. I started staying with her and she taught me a lot about golf,” she says.
“I’ve been playing golf for more than 10 years now, but you know when you don’t have a sponsor and can’t play regularly, you don’t progress. I’m a single mother and it has been very hard for me. Luckily, I’m now sponsored by Equity bank,” she says.
Komugisha says ladies in her position should be disciplined in order to retain sponsors.
“They say golf is very expensive, which is true, but sometimes when you are a good player, you get people to support you. If you are well-behaved and play well and you are on the podium, they look for you; you don’t have to look for them. They spot you and your talent.”
IRENE NAKALEMBE – PRO GOLFER AND WINNER, TUSKER MALT LAGER UGANDA LADIES OPEN 2021
Nakalembe is one of only two pro golfers in the country. She started playing golf in 2008.
“I used to play lawn tennis at Entebbe Club and picked interest in golf. When I started, I never turned back. I kept getting better until I turned pro after winning last year’s ladies’ Open. It was a sweet victory because it happened at my home club in Entebbe,” she says.
Nakalembe says it’s not easy being a female pro golfer in the country because they compete against men.
“It is hard because we play in the same competitions and fight for the same prize money with men. In countries where the game has developed like Europe and South Africa, there are ladies’ competitions separate from men’s, with their own prize money.She hopes more women can pick interest in becoming pros.
“But we have to start from the grassroots. It takes a certain level of skill to become a pro golfer,” she says.
FLAVIA NAMAKULA – PRO GOLFER/ NATIONAL TEAM COACH
Namakula is a lady of many firsts, who has blazed the trail for female golf in Uganda. Away from golf, she is a lieutenant in the UPDF and works in the sports department of the airforce.
“It all started in 2006. I was part of the army sports team and Gen Ivan Koreta wanted soldiers to start playing golf. I was lucky to have been selected,” she says.
Namakula is a professional golfer and the national team coach. When asked if the male players respect her, Namakula says that first and foremost she is a soldier and in the army what men can do, women can do; secondly, she has the capabilities and qualifications.
“I’ve played golf at high levels, and I’ve been mentored by the best. I also have a certificate in coaching,” she says.
Namakula has played as a pro in Korea, United Arab Emirates and South Africa. She says that growing golf among women has to start in schools so that more ladies grow into the game. Other notable mentions of women in Ugandan golf are Gloria Mbaguta, Aggie Konde, Monica Azuba Ntege, Peace Kabasweka, Evah Magala and Edrae Kagombe, among others.
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