Future Lions Roar in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s junior golf landscape has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis over the last decade, driven primarily by the HSBC Future Lions programme – an ambitious nationwide initiative by Sri Lanka Golf (SLG), the sport’s governing body in the island nation, with the backing of the financial giant.

The grassroots programme was inaugurated in 2017 to introduce golf to a broader spectrum of youngsters, many of whom would otherwise not have had the opportunity to try the sport. The first edition was conducted at multiple locations across the country, with over 700 participants.

Fast forward to present day and, despite a prolonged blip due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HSBC Future Lions resumed in 2023 and has set new benchmarks for grassroots golf development in the region. Participation figures have breached 2,000 at seven locations with the involvement of six golf clubs – Shangri-La Golf Resort Hambantota, Nuwara Eliya Golf Club in the central tea-growing highlands, Victoria Golf Resort in Kandy, Eagles’ Heritage Golf Club in Anuradhapura, Eagles’ Golf Links in Trincomalee and the crown jewel of Sri Lankan courses, Royal Colombo Golf Club. A ‘Girls on Par’ initiative was also introduced in 2023 to boost female participation.

SLG Council Member Tharanga Gunasekara,  who sits on the Junior Development & Coach Education Sub Committee, noted that building the base has significantly impacted the tip of the pyramid.

“We had 16 players representing Sri Lanka at the APGC Junior Championships, and 10 of them came from HSBC Future Lions programme. That demonstrates the significant impact that it has created,” noted Tharanga, who was the team manager for the Sri Lankan squad for the APGC Junior at Royal Colombo.

“What we did was we identified where there's a course in the country, and then we invited all the kids who were in close proximity to come and try golf. We went to seven locations in the first two years, 2017 and 2018, and we got about 2,000 kids to try the sport. We identified those who had basic hand-eye coordination and could hit a stationary ball, and selected about 250 juniors for a six-month advanced course with a professional coach,” he elaborated.

Tharanga stressed that it was crucial that the programme included access to play the game.

“Sri Lanka has nine golf courses, of which only five are 18-hole facilities. The majority of the nine-hole courses are owned by the military, so we had to get special permission to give the kids access. Anuradhapura is a fantastic example of how that worked. The nine-hole Eagles Heritage course in Anuradhapura is owned by the Air Force, and they were really supportive in allowing access. Now, Anuradhapura is the epicentre of junior golf talent, which is fantastic,” he explained.

Indeed, the Future Lions’ most compelling success story is that of 16-year-old Adhithya Weerasinghe from Anuradhapura, who was discovered during the first iteration of the programme. Adhithya quickly rose through the ranks and was the best local finisher in the boys’ category of the APGC Junior Championships, moving up to joint ninth position following a superb final round of four-under-par 66.

“We discovered Adhithya in 2017 in Anuradhapura, and I remember teaching him how to grip a club! So, we have put a structure together, from the grassroots level and then to advanced training and subsequently national level,” shared Tharanga.

At the peak of the Sri Lankan golf pyramid is 17-year-old Kaya Daluwatte, who made headlines in New Zealand earlier this year when she became the first player from her country to make the cut at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. A member of Royal Colombo, Kaya learnt the game there and finished joint fourth in the Girls’ category of the APGC Junior on her home course.

Tharanga noted that Royal Colombo also has its own junior programme, which includes a weekly clinic for non-members.

“Every Friday, Royal Colombo organises a junior clinic where any child from the community around the club, or who is specially connected to the club – it could be a caddy, it could be a course worker – can come to try the sport,” he said.

Asia-Pacific and the world, take heed – Sri Lankan golf is set to scale greater heights, and soon!