Children from the 3 Hammers Golf Academy in Wolverhampton and the AFRIYEA Golf academy in Uganda celebrated the recent partnership between the two venues with the first of a planned series of events last weekend over Zoom.
The event showcased the skills of children from the two academies, paving the way for the academies sharing best practice in the recruitment and retention of junior golfers.
3 Hammers owner, Ian Bonser was delighted with the first event in the new partnership. He said: “It was great to see both sets of children taking part in the event at the weekend. It’s a wonderful partnership that we have created between the two academies. It means a lot to us that they all had a fantastic time, and I’m excited to see how the relationship between our two venues can help the development of golfing initiatives both here and in Uganda. We were obviously hopeful that there would be a connection between the coaches and the children, but this first event has really shown that golf is sport that can bring people together, wherever in the world they are.”
The day started with the children from both academies introducing themselves over Zoom, before competing against each other in a series of fun challenges. From the off, the rapport between the children was obvious, clearly demonstrating that although they may play golf over 6,000 miles away, their shared love of the game bridged the gap between nations and cultures.
The children competed in several different challenges that tested all elements of their golf game, including ball juggling, chipping, putting and balancing. The parents of the children from the AFRIYEA golf academy were so impressed at the amount of fun that the children were having they even wanted to be introduced to the basics of the game themselves.
Throughout the partnership, industry leading, 3 Hammers Golf Complex will be sharing its experience of running a successful academy and attracting children to the game from a range of social, cultural and economic backgrounds. Over many years, 3 Hammers has run outreach projects into the diverse community around the complex and aims to help AFRIYEA build on the fantastic work they already do to grow the game of golf in Uganda.
Isiah Mwesige, head of the AFRIYEA golf academy echoed Ian’s thoughts: “It was a fantastic event. It was great to meet some of the coaches at 3 Hammers and their group of children. To see the two groups make an immediate connection was amazing and I can’t wait to see the relationship between them develop into a lifelong project that creates a platform for all the children and staff of both academies.
“There is so much for us all to learn from this new relationship with 3 Hammers. I’m excited to hear more about their experiences growing the game and look forward to sharing our journey too. This has been an incredible start and we can’t wait to see what this partnership grows into. We couldn’t have asked for a better first event.”
Rob Bluck, Golf Academy Director at 3 Hammers led the event from the U.K. side and can see huge potential in the relationship. He concludes, “What Isiah has achieved in Uganda is inspiring. His passion for the game and helping the children learn all the life skills that go along with participation is a real credit to him. This is a fantastic first step in our relationship. I look forward to working closely with Isiah, his coaching team and his fantastic group of children, and seeing how we can learn from each other to bring the game of golf to many more young people across the globe.”