International golfer says Nairobi is teeming with talent
English golfer Matt Ford believes Nairobi can host an international golf tournament. He spoke to NairobiNews during the Barclays Kenya Open Golf tournament held at the Karen Golf Club last weekend.
How has your experience been so far in Kenya?
Fantastic. This is the fourth time I am playing golf in Kenya and the hospitality and talent is immense. Aside from the altitude that takes time to get used to, everything else is great.
You have won a number of tournaments. Do you feel that you have reached the peak of your career?
Absolutely not. There are still a few big games that I want to play especially now that I am reaching my prime years. There is no secret to success. You just have to work hard and believe in yourself. On normal days I practice six days a week to be the best.
Are the players we have challenging enough on the course?
Like I said there is a lot of talent that is yet to be exploited. Some of your players are not doing so bad.
I believe that with constant training from professionals, Kenya will be able to produce more professional golfers. In England we have a number of public golf courses that are cheaper and affordable for anyone with an interest in the game which is not the case here where.
It is expensive to play in the clubs available. I think if things continue improving, like they have been, we will see changes.
Did you stumble on golf as a career or is it something that you had set out to do from the start?
My dad was a professional footballer cw Andy Ford. As I grew up I thought that that was what I would eventually do. Everything changed when I was in school and started to participate in different games and at the end football and golf were my two favourites.
The final decision to play golf was after I realised how much fun I used to have playing on the course rather than on a pitch.
Having played in other tournaments around the world do you see Kenya hosting a big tournament like the American Open?
There has been a notable improvement over the years, but because of the weather we need to have longer golf courses.
Players too need to get help from federations who will help them get the correct training. Apart from that, I see nothing stopping it from happening.