Programme Director
All protocol observed.
Good evening to all and once again welcome to the 19th edition of the World Amateur Golfers Championships which this year features about four hundred golfers from fifty nations. What is remarkable is that this event has been growing in stature and popularity amongst amateur golfers from all over the world and more observably since it found its new home in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.
As this sporting code is already being labelled the world over as an elitist pursuit which is inaccessible to poor communities, our objective is not only limited to using it as a platform to expose KwaZulu-Natal to potential international investors and tourists, but we also want to see it shedding its status as a masculine activity.
While we appreciate the growing number of women golfers, as we have already seen in the efforts mounted by organisations mobilizing for meaningful women participation in sport like the Executive Women’s Golf Association, Ladies European Tour and Women’s Professional Golf Association, but the figures especially at professional levels are still not impressive to write home about.
We understand sport is a voluntary pastime but for it to take root in all sectors of our society and transcend gender and socio-economic boundaries, it would require some form of motivation and incentives such as designated sponsorship and developmental interventions akin to the clinics conducted amongst marginalised communities.
In this province as we are determined to make sport one of the essential vehicles for socio-economic transformation and effective marketing that draws the attention of local and global communities to numerous business and employment opportunities, we are aware of the need to bring women to the core of all sporting codes.
With respect to golf we haven’t only created space for World Amateur Golfers Championships and Volvo Golf Champions Tournament, but in the past two years we have also secured contract to host the South African Women’s Golf Open.
This contest is also showing signs of growth as the quality of the event and interest amongst sponsors is on the ascendance which illustrates that gradually women are coming up to claim their stake in this prestigious sport.
However, one would hope that as this game is played on the same turf, gender based competitions would soon be deleted to transform golf courses into avenues of equitable access to opportunities that are devoid of socio-economic barriers.
The challenge is that unless tangible reforms are put in place to demystify sentiments that women and men couldn’t compete on equal par, women golf will remain on the margins in terms of prestige attached to various sports that attract considerable resources like sponsorships, prizes, marketing and promotions that presently tend to favour male dominated games.
To produce highly motivated and competitive women golfers, it is essential that we instil this sport’s interest amongst our girl children right at schooling level and use some of the now renowned female golfers to inspire our girls to consider the game of golf as their sport of choice.
We have many capable women golfers such as Kim Williams, Nobuhle Dlamini, Nicole Garcia, Monja Richards and Lara Weinstein that are making significant contributions and some of them have made it to some high status tournaments such as The Spirit International.
We therefore wish to congratulate national teams partaking in this tournament that have, based in principle and capacity to engage in the competitive game featured women golfers in their line-up.
This, we believe should be once again used as a decoy to attract more women to this fascinating sporting pursuit. We were particularly impressed by the Namibian ladies that played with sheer determination and gusto last year hence running away with a recognition trophy for their inspirational sporting spirit.
Sport is now a serious business and it is not surprising that big corporate from all sectors of the economy are competing for sponsorship space as association with sport offers huge publicity exposure to potential markets essential to boost sales of products and services as these sporting events are covered in prime time television and radio slots and prominent pages of print media.
Meanwhile global sport is estimated at $620 billion while golf alone is said to be worth around $69 billion when considering its impact on other associated economic sectors of the economy including production and distribution of its branded apparels and other allied commercial and services.
Moreover golf is fast engulfing the entire world with its wings having spread from the traditional courses of North America and Europe to curve significant space in the hearts and minds of many audiences in the developing economies of Asia in particular and some parts of Africa and South America.
Revenue generated through this sport has therefore to be enjoyed by all and sundry hence social stratifications shouldn’t be allowed to block other certain sections of society like women benefiting from wealth generated through various games. Sports entails travel across the globe hence it’s intertwined with tourism one of the sectors we are keen to ensure it contributes significantly to the country’s economy.
As mentioned in the preceding parts of this text, we are determined to make KwaZulu-Natal home of world mega events since this is guaranteed to boost our tourism business and the prospect of attractive potential investors that can identify more business opportunities in different sectors in the economy of the economy.
We are pleased to reveal that events like World Amateur Golfers Championships were beginning to pay dividends as participating sportspersons weren’t only contributing to the province’s coffers through general spending on products and services such as accommodation and leisure interests, but some were already making substantial investments in the economy through amongst other things purchase of residential and commercial properties.
At the same time sportspeople were becoming reliable ambassadors that inspire their respective friends, family members and colleagues to consider KwaZulu-Natal as preferred holiday and investment location.
With the province and country wishing to increase tourism share in the nation’s GDP from R189 billion in 2009 to R499 billion in 2020 sporting events are amongst key instruments than can expose high spending global visitors to various tourism products.
For those who are in the province for the first time, we urge you to use your stay to experience a wide range of attractions that make KwaZulu-Natal one of the world’s premier tourist destinations.
While we know that fascination with the game of golf could be so overwhelming, but to gain maximum experience of what this province could offer to international travellers, is to make time to visit some of the world renowned attractions like UN endorsed natural wonders like the ecotourism retreat on the north coast, iSimangaliso Wetland Park that features nature reserves such as Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Game Park.
The majestic uKhahlamba Drakensberg mountain ranges that form a spectacular natural wedge between KwaZulu-Natal and its Northern neighbouring provinces is another jewel on the crown and is strategically linked to historical battlefields routes that are scattered across the midlands and coal belt towns of Ladysmith, Estcourt, Dundee, Newcastle and Vryheid.
Besides the warm and sandy beaches that make KwaZulu-Natal a single season province, which forever summer, we are also blessed with cultural diversity that is the real confirmation of the country’s claim of a `rainbow nation’ as any travel across the province could ensure that visitors are exposed to what could be described as `world in one experience’ where African, European and Oriental cultures are uniquely blended.
We therefore believe that one of the reasons why KwaZulu-Natal has become a magnet attracting visitors from all over the world is because of its tapestry of intercontinental cultures as everyone once landing on this coastal province would definitely develop as sense of being home away from home.
As you prepare to take to the field of play tomorrow, we wish all of you all the best of luck and may the best team seize this year’s accolade. Torrential rains last year didn’t dampen the spirit and enthusiasm amongst golfers and Malaysia and Indonesia played exciting golf to clinch first and second prizes respectively.
Having come third, we are confident that Team South Africa as hosting nation will emerge victorious this time around in the face of what is promising to be likely to be a highly competitive tournament. Welcome to the Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal and let the games begin!
Thank you,
