Golf is a beliefs system – a universal language, a sort of code with a wink and nod among those hopelessly infatuated to the game.
The language of the game isn’t limited to geopolitical borders or the English-speaking world. Consider courses in the remotest corners of the globe: Bhutan’s Royal Thimphu Golf Club high up in the Himalayas next to a 17th century palace or Maritius’s Iles aux Cerfs Golf Club, designed around volcanic outcrops and tropical beaches in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Kawuki “Roger” Sali is on a mission to grow golf’s footprint in his home country of Uganda. He isn’t a household name in the world of golf (yet), but his mission is noble enough that it should make him one.
Sali got into the game after looking for work as a caddy after losing his father. He picked up the game the same way any of us learn a new skill this days: Autodidactically, by watching videos on YouTube and Instagram.
His popularity and presence grew on Instagram, with others in the golf community championing his cause and commitment to growing the game of golf.
Australian golf apparel brand Birds of Condor stumbled upon his digital presence and dug his vibe, offering Sali a brand ambassadorship and tons of colorful threads.
“You can’t help but smile when you watch Roger’s style. He has the most pure – self-taught swing, and is changing what is possible and accepted in golf, by doing it his own way”, says Frankie Kimpton Birds of Condor Founder & Creative Director in a statement on the Birds Of Condor website.
A little while back, I had a chance to send Sali some questions about his personal aspirations and goals for growing the game of golf in Uganda and across the African continent.
Here’s what he sent us:
Pictured wearing clothes from Birds of Condor’s collab with iconic Australian fashion house, COOGI. Check it out here.
What attracted you to the game of golf? Tell us a little bit about what it’s like to play golf in Uganda and being a golfer in Uganda.
What attracted me to the game of golf was my friends who were better players than me but the main reason I got into golf was to find a job as a caddy. When I lost my dad, I had to look for greener pastures.
Talking about golf in Uganda, the game is growing and that’s what I am also trying to do – to grow the game through schools and communities.
Being a golfer in Uganda you are thought of as a rich person… and that’s also something that we need to change.
How did you start learning how to play? Mind talking us through it?
I started to learn how to play by myself through YouTube and Instagram. Then on the way I met a good friend from the USA, Nick Schiavi of Slo Mo Swing Library.
I have now played for two and a half years.
How is playing competitively going?
Playing is so competitive here, but we lack more training both physically and mentally.
Caddying is not so competitive at the course where I work because it’s so expensive, but at the rest of the courses it’s good and they have many competitive players.
What have you learned from watching other professional golfers? Any favorites?
What I have learned from other professional players in Uganda is being calm on the course. My favorite pro in Uganda is Ronald Rugumayo, but what I learn from professional players from abroad is consistency and their strength.
Have any professional players reached out?
No professional players have reached out yet! But a few good golf players who are not pros have…
What are some of the unique challenges that come with growing the game of golf in Africa?
There are some challenges that come with growing the game here. First of all, funds because I need to travel to different places.
Secondly, people ask me, “why do I have to introduce a rich man’s game?” Their mindset is not that good, but after I explain how golf is for everyone, they usually change and they are much happier to be introduced to golf.
Any particularly favorite courses?
I want to play a course in Australia called Byron Bay Golf Club – this is where my sponsor Birds of Condor is from, and this course looks very special. And then St Andrews, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst and the Bandon Dunes golf courses.
There are so many amazing places I wish to visit.
Tell us a little bit about being an ambassador for Birds Of Condor.
Being an ambassador of Birds of Condor has been good because they believed in me and the work I am doing to share golf with communities that have never seen golf before.
I hope I can even visit them in Australia one day and I look forward to working with them more.
What stands out about their clothing?
What stands out about their clothing is the uniqueness. The fact that they have a variety of gear is also something that I like, and any other person can like.
Their gear is different from most other golf brands and I like that.
I am working with their designers to create a Roger Sali-inspired collection. I am drawing inspiration for my own designs from my country Uganda, so it’s gonna be a good one I believe.
As your fame online continues to grow in the golf world, do you have anyone you’d like to play with?
As my fame grows, I would like to play with Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Max Homa , Cameron Smith, and Jordan Spieth.
Any bucket list courses or tournaments?
I want to play in the masters, Ryder Cup, and also in Dubai one day