The game of golf has thrown thrills and spills at the Kitante course over the past 100 years. One of the distinctive features on this championship course is the kitante stream – a goose-bumps giver to many golfers that runs from Mulago across the city to Lake Victoria. Kitante is actually a corrupted pronunciation of a Luganda descriptive word “ekita ente” loosely translated as “something that kills the cow.”

Folklore has it that the course used to be the major transit for cattle keepers taking their cows to the main market in Mukono, 22 kilometres outside Kampala. The course was at the time one big swampy area and the cows would get stuck in the swamp and die in the process hence the “ekita ente” or Kitante name as the colonialists would pronounce it.

UGC moved to its present location at Kitante in 1908 from the original site which was in Wandegeya. Today, the Kitante course is one of the city’s main attractions. Many visitors are in awe of the lush green-tree filled arena that is always kept in its immaculate condition.

Several high calibre personalities and heavyweights in various fields have been at Kitante to either preside over Prize-Giving events or have a round of golf and many of these have turned out to be memorable. Visits from foreign players, teams and officials as well have also brought spark to the golf club and gone down in the history of books.

Those that have played there are quick to note that the Kitante stream despite being a nightmare to many, gives the course uniqueness.

The course, as it is now, has changed over the years. The first tee used to be where Sheraton Hotel is currently located and Hole No.6 green was where the Jinja Road round-about was. The round-about was demolished recently and now there is a modern junction with traffic lights and CCTV cameras around.

Several high calibre personalities and heavyweights in various fields have been at Kitante to either preside over Prize-Giving events or have a round of golf and many of these have turned out to be memorable. Visits from foreign players, teams and officials as well have also brought spark to the golf club and gone down in the history of books.

Earlier in 2003, the Kabaka of Buganda – Ronald Muwenda Mutebi raised the game’s profile with a royal visit succeeding former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda’s visit in 2002.

However it was in 2005 when Uganda hosted two events that experienced the real wave of change. The visit of Steve Isaac from the Royal and Ancient of St. Andrews (R&A) in Scotland followed by hosting of the Africa Amateur Golf Team Championship (AAGTC) for the first time.

During the AAGTC, a certain 19-year-old called Toto Thimba from South Africa left many in awe of his sterling performance that helped South Africa retain the title. South Africa’s captain Norman Raad is the other notable player, as his final round of six-under-par 66 left him one stroke shy of the old course record of 65 set by DeoAkope. Akope’s record was however broken by Kenyan DismasIndiza who shot eight-under-par 64 on day-two of the 2008 MTN Mug of Mugs.

R&A sent Isaac, who was the Assistant Director for Golf Course Management, to inspect the Kitante Course ahead of the African event and it was all the “high fives” and beaming smiles amongst the officials as passed the course fit for international play.

This was after Uganda had hosted All Africa Ladies Challenge in 2000 which had projected Uganda and the club in positive light by assembling several quality names.

Also to memoir, Kenyan Mary Karano’s and Zambian Melissa Nawa’s victories in Uganda Ladies Open in 2007 and 2008 respectively continue to show the gulf in class that exists between foreign golfers and Uganda’s homegrown talents.

On her way to claiming her successive titles, Karano upstaged Jasper Kamukama by 14 strokes whereas 16-year-old Nawa left her closest challenger Karano in a maze with a sweet 7 strokes win.

In 2004 Kenyan Rose Naliaka won the showpiece and opted to turn pro and a year later a Tanzanian Sophie Viggo claimed the gong but the injury and age have seen her prowess wane progressively. Naliaka was also the first foreigner to win the ladies’ open in 1993 and later in 1994 and 2001. Such is the spark the foreigners have brought to the most prestigious ladies event in Uganda that it is fully supported by history.

Golfing Greats

It was happy days in 1981 when JumaJaffer (RIP) became the first Ugandan to win the coveted Uganda Open. Uganda had a fair share of greats from 12-time Uganda Open champion SadiOnito (RIP) to DeoAkope, a two-time winner.

The list of greats would be incomplete without the fearless character of two-time winner Charles Yokwe (RIP).

Other greats include DedanKagonyera (1990 winner), Stephen “Tiger Woods” Birungi (1997-99 winner), RamathanKayamba (1975 winner) and Alex Okodan who won the Open in 1974.

Although the men dorminate the list of legends, lady golfers have also had an equal share of lime light. The most outstanding of them all is Alice Kego who won Uganda Ladies Open a record 12 times. Kego’s strong hold on the game was mind-boggling. Esther Okullo and Monica Ntege are other lady golfers who add to the list.

Norah MbabaziKagonyera, niece to DedanKagonyera, makes it to the list too. When her uncle died, she carried on with the family’s with several wins on the circuit. Based in Sweden, Mbabazi remains the only Uganda lady professional.

In the early 70s, membership went down to about 40 from 600 and maintaining a massive 18-holes course became hard. Some core members also wanted the course to be reduced to 9-holes during these days of civil strife. Many other people also wanted the course to be taken up for agriculture and property development but the newly established organization, Association of Golf Among Ugandans (APAGU) partly helped to save the course.

Dr. James Rwanyarare, a former Trustee of Uganda Golf Club, remarks that the late KaijaKaturamu, Hon. Livingstone OkelloOkello, Paul Byoma, Hon. AgardDidi and Hon. Maj. Gen. Moses Ali among others strived to keep the club intact when everyone else wanted to take the land for construction of houses and other selfish interests.

With stability becoming certain in 1980s, a special project to expand the clubhouse and create a new parking yard was successfully initiated and given full backing by the club members, an initiative that yielded more space to accommodate the raising membership. In the mid-90s, corporate firms began sponsoring events hence making the club busy throughout the year. Uganda started attracting regional and international tournaments.
Today, there is a massive plan to expand the club further with a modern hotel to equip it with social amenities for members and their families. The club currently boasts of over 100 caddies, 1,200 active golfers, over 2000 members and the reigning captain acts as the Chief Executive Officer.

No other club has a collection of memorable moments like UGC, partly because of its strategic location and the future looks brighter because of the water-tight administration and the new crop of enterprising young golfers.