Airtel Ghana’s enterprise business solutions unit, Airtel Business, has forayed into golf with a three year partnership agreement with the Ghana Golf Association to sponsor the annual event.

The first phase of the partnership was the 82^nd Airtel Ghana Open which came off at the Royal Golf Club at Kumasi.

Director of Airtel Business, Maxwell Dodd, explained that the health benefits of golf to players are enormous and well documented. “We know how healthy it is to our hearts and lungs when we workout especially when one does a full 18 holes; we know also that playing a nine-hole course can burn up to 721 calories by walking; playing golf also helps reduce stress in addition to having a low risk of injury”. Also Golf is a game with integrity and helps corporate executives develop their minds to focus on achieving their goals successively, he said.

He however adds that, “to us when you add these health benefits to the strategic importance of golf to those of us in the business of providing telecommunication based solutions to our clients, then we kill two birds with one stone with our association with one of Ghana’s oldest golf events, the Ghana Open”, he said. Mr. Dodd, a golfer himself, explains that through the partnership with what will now be called the Airtel Ghana Open, Airtel Business finds the event a congenial one to relate with Airtel’s high valued, premier customers as well as the growing list of corporate clients.

“The golf course and serenity of the club house provides a perfect atmosphere to interact with our customers and potential ones away from our offices and out of our suits and ties. This sort of interactions also makes it possible for us to gain a deeper understanding of the various communication solutions we offer our clients”, Maxwell Dodd said.

Among the business solutions from Airtel Business Solutions are a wide range of Communication Solutions (i.e. Mobile, Fixed, and satellite), Connectivity Solutions (via Microwave Radio, Fiber, and Satellite) and Collaboration Solutions (Managed and hosted Services, cloud services, and Machine to Machine solutions).

“We are going to be involved with the Ghana Golf Association over the next few years and potentially beyond it; the corporate clients and our high value clients and the new ones we have made over the three days we spent here encourages us to do more going into the future”, Maxwell Dodd said.

The Ghana Open Golf Championship has been the flagship and the most prestigious Championship of the golfing calendar since 1920. This year’s Championship attracted about 170 players ranging from 16 of Ghana’s Golf Clubs including Kumasi, Achimota, Celebrity, Tema, Bok Nam Kim, Tafo, Beige Village, Takoradi, Tarkwa, Damang, Benso, Awaso, Nsuta, Obuasi, Bogoso and Elmina.

This year’s competition was given a royal flavor when the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, an avid golfer, teed off for the 82^nd Airtel Ghana Open at the Royal Golf Club in Kumasi, a course the Asantehene regular plays on.

After three days of excellent weather and great golfing, Felicity Kyei Gyeabour emerged the overall Ladies winner with Kwabena Poku emerging the Men’s overall winner.

President of the Ghana Golf Association, Dr. Felix Frempong was happy with the interest shown in the competition by sponsors and players alike. 

He was particularly excited by the enthusiasm shown by the golfers and the spirit of healthy competition within which they competed.

He announced that the 83^rd Airtel Ghana Open will also come off in September 2015 and will be hosted again by the Royal Golf Club in Kumasi.