Scola Onsongo: The future of golf is technology

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The long hitting Scola Onsongo, who started her golfing journey during the pandemic period is making major forays on the greens.

The ‘fairway girl’ as she is commonly referred  to has played in all the 36 golf courses in Kenya and in four other countries – United  States, Mauritius, South Africa, and Ghana, fortifying her finesse on the big stages.

When the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in 2020, sporting events  across the globe were halted and countries were put on lockdowns.

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Here in Kenya, golf  courses would open intermittently allowing Scola and her friends to brave the fairways in  a bid to beat cabin fever.

One of her friends introduced her to a golf pro who took her  through the basics of the game – the rest as they say is history.

Three years after she got involved with the game, Mrs. Onsongo has decorated her home  with numerous trophies she has won having played at the Stallion Mountain Golf Club in  LAS Vegas, United States of America, Fish River Sun Golf Course in Eastern Cape, South  Africa, Mont Choisy Le Golf in Grand Baie, Mauritius, Achimota Golf Club in Accra, Ghana  on the international front and on all the golf courses in Kenya.

In the pipeline, she says,  is playing in Australia and Tanzania this year. The KCB Senior Relationship Manager in Corporate Banking says that golf requires a lot  of time to play, casting a challenge whenever she does not have the time to play. According to her, on average, a round of golf takes about four and a half hours.

That  aside, let’s face it. Golf in its entirety takes more than that. If you add 30 minutes to check  in and warm up, another 30 minutes for a post-round beverage (courtesy dictates that  you wrap up nicely with your four-ball/ pairs after a round on the 19th hole), and then the  15-minute commute to the golf course each way, you are at 6 hours to play proper golf.

On the flipside, this is good for her because her job demands that she networks and there  is no better platform to do that than on a golf course.

To further cement this, the Bank is currently running its second edition of the KCB East Africa Golf Tour where she is actively  participating to not only commercialize the engagements held while playing with target  clients but also, as her work out regime.

One of the best ways to stay mentally and  physically healthy is to exercise and golf offers that through the walking along the courses  navigating different terrains.

Interestingly, Scola has introduced her two children to golf under the Junior Golf  Foundation (JGF) umbrella.

Her son Fifty has embraced the sport while her daughter  Twenty, an upcoming marine biologist, currently undertaking competitive swimming has  little time left in her hands to chase a small ball.

She believes this will go a long way in  fostering the golfing culture in the country. For Scola, family, self-discipline, and the great  golfers she has met on the course continue to inspire her to keep playing the sport.

 

Scola Onsongo in action at a past golf event.
IMAGE:Courtesy

The mother of two is upbeat about golf’s future. She says golf attire has changed  dramatically from the days of Bobby Jones competing in a dress shirt and tie to the cotton  pleated khaki pants that Ben Hogan sported to the fitted collarless golf shirt that Tiger  Woods made popular.

Rest assured, what will be worn in the future is something that golf  superstars are wearing later this year. A new innovative golf shirt that allows a golfer to  look great and hit the ball farther than ever is the future of golf’s fashion. Also, there’s  innovation. An avid golfer very likely owns a range finder that will provide accurate  distances to the flagstick.

Access to technology will provide distances to hit the golf ball  while playing the golf course, phone apps that track golf statistics, green reading apps  that help read the greens better, and more innovative training aids popping up every day.

Technology and innovation appear to have no end in sight as golfers utilize these products  to improve their golfing experiences. At this rate, artificial intelligence will soon play the  game for us – fortunately or unfortunately.

 

 

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