East Africa Swing: Exciting Golf Development Tour
The Magical Kenya Open is an important event on the DP Tour calendar, the pinnacle of men’s golf competition in Kenya.
Players from around the world come to Kenya to compete, however is it is a rare moment from a player from East Africa to make the cut in the tournament, with limited representation from the host continent playing through to the weekend.
The roadmap of Kenyan and East African professional golf, for players to get competition experience, improve their mental game and to have opportunities to play with the best, on a more frequent basis than annually, has long been a missing piece of the Kenya golf puzzle.
Introducing the Sunshine Development Tour: East Africa Swing
In 2025 a new tour has been launched with the ambition of creating consistent opportunities for play at the highest levels, and aiming to level the disparity in professional golf across African countries. The name is the Sunshine Development Tour: East Africa Swing (SDT-EAS)
Elite Amateurs, such as our own Naomi Wafula, play the amateur level as there is limited incentive to take the pathway to professional golf.
Currently Professional golf in Kenya has limited playing opportunities, no sponsorship and competitions not counting towards international points (Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) Points, the professional-level game in Kenya has had no established pathway into the world of golf.
The East Africa Swing is a Professional Development a pathway to the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and beyond.
Sunshine Development Tour Benefits to Kenya Golf
The Sunshine Development Tour will take place in a series of courses in Kenya, bringing benefits for the whole golfing eco-system in Kenya:
1.Professional Golfer Pathway
Top performing players will have direct access to Sunshine Tour and other global tours. The 2025 competition will create immediate playing opportunities on the Sunshine Tour with invitational places available this season.
2. Official World Golf Ranking Points
Sunshine Development Tour provides an immediate plug-in to the OWGR points platform. This can take competitions 3 or 4 years to achieve for competitions, marking a true fast track to lifting the game in East Africa.
3. Latest Technology
The events will be run on tournament management technology and platforms that are the cutting edge, using OCS (the official administration technology software), helping to grow the innovation in golf as the tour moves around the country.
4. Knowledge and Skills Transfer
The Sunshine Development Tour will lead on Tournament Management and be offering mentoring and coaching to the Golf Clubs across Kenya, helping to lift competition standards across the game.
There will also be opportunities for Agronomy and Caddy training to help these critical golf departments and team members to learn and improve.
5. Television Coverage
Growing and raising the profile of golf is an important part of improving sponsor revenues and the opportunities for our golfers. The tour has immediate access to SuperSport and Continental TV coverage.
An inclusive Sunshine Development Tour
Ladies are a critical part of the SDT-EAS. From East Africa the pro and elite amateur women will play alongside the men in the SDT-EAS events.
The Ladies will have their own point-based ranking system within the SDT-EAS Order of Merit. Lady golfers will also earn points to qualify for the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
In addition to gender diversity in the events, nurturing and releasing young talent is a key objective of the SDT-EAS.
There will be special provisions to include and accommodate elite Junior golfers on the Tour. Elite Juniors can be any golfer, male or female, under the age of 18 years with a registered handicap of less than 10.
Naomi Makes Her East Africa Swing Debut
This week, the tour heads to Thika Greens Golf Resort and Vipingo Ridge talent Naom Wafula will be joining the action.
Fresh from winning the ladies prize at the NCBA Coronation and Bender Trophy in Naukuru, she’ll join fellow Kenya Captain, John Lejirma, who is on fine form, Uganda talent Ronald Rugumayo and the winner of the East Africa Swing Qualifying ‘Q’ School Celestin Nsanzuwera from Rwanda at the Thika Greens Golf Resort.
Starting today, there are 5 nationalities, over 80 players and 54 holes of competition. We wish Naom all the very best.
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