NCBA Golf Series

NCBA Golf Series: Empowering the next generation of golfers

Staff Writer·
Cheza Chini

Golf has a long and illustrious history in Kenya having been introduced by Europeans in the 1900s. Despite this, it has long been the preserve of the elite in the society due to the amount of investment required to play. However, this narrative is changing with the NCBA Golf Series.

With the high amount of money required to pay for the golf kit as well as club memberships, a lot of people who would have excelled at the sport are locked out. It was as a response to this that NCBA through their Golf Series embarked on sponsoring the Kenya Golf Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Series as well as the Junior Golf Foundation Kenya.

The NCBA sponsorship of the Kenya Golf Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Series has had the effect of enabling players in the sport to earn a living. This in turn has enabled them to participate in more tournaments which has ultimately led to the improvement of the game of golf in the country.

In 2023, the NCBA sponsorship of the KAGC series to the tune of Ksh. 5 million enabled 162 players to earn a living from the sport. It was from this series that six amateurs that is Isaac Makokha, John Lejirma, Josphat Rono, Michael Karanga and Taimur Malikhave. Got  an opportunity to participate in the DP World Tour sanctioned Magical Kenya Open which was held on 22nd-25th February 2024 at Muthaiga Golf Club.

This year, NCBA has sponsored the KAGC series with Ksh. 6 Million and we can expect to see more and more amateurs being able to make a living from their skills.

One such beneficiary of the series is Elvis Muigua who started his golfing journey at Ndumberi Golf Club in Kiambu. Rising from humble beginnings, he has risen to become a consistent top performer in the series having won the 2025 NCBA Winston Churchill Tournament at Thika Golf Club. His ambition is to turn professional in about three years and start playing the DP World events.

The sponsorship of the Junior Golf Foundation is geared towards junior tournaments and golf development programs. Over the years, the bank has been the title sponsor of the NCBA Kenya Invitational a US Kids Golf Regional Championship.

Junior Golf sponsorship by the bank has enabled over 1500 juniors to play in tournaments across the country. It has also supported weekly junior coaching sessions across the country that allowed the game to grow from the grassroots. 50 coaches were also trained in 2023, increasing the pool of certified coaches to 100.

With the bank’s sponsorship of the Junior Golf Foundation to the tune of Ksh. 12 Million this year. We can expect to see more juniors tournament which are a very good foundation for our young players. This is because these tournaments are able identify the best juniors in the country. Whom with the right investment can be able to soar to greater heights.

NCBA

I do believe that with continued NCBA sponsorship of both the Juniors and Amateurs, we will be able to see the positive results in a few years. Which will be marked by a rise in the quality of the game as well as the number of professional players.