Game of equality and respect: Kyiv region develops golf industry in Ukraine

What is the problem?

Golf is one of those games surrounded by myths that are often harmful. It is often considered a sport for the rich, and sometimes, it is even doubted whether it is a sport. Despite the lack of a developed culture of the game and the not-too-strong popularity of golf in the USSR, it developed step by step in independent Ukraine and gained more and more admirers. Ukrainians actively built fields and infrastructure around them, and more and more people joined the competition and started playing professionally. The recognition of the game reached a new level.

The situation changed with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Anna Hrytsenko, a golf coach, worked at one of the largest GolfStream clubs in the village of Makarove, Kyiv region.

In 2022, the Russians occupied the village and were there for five months. During the occupation, the golf club was also damaged: houses were destroyed, and missiles exploded on the field. The Russians smashed golf carts with tanks.

The Kyiv region's club was not the only one targeted by the enemy—Russian troops also destroyed a club in Luhansk, damaged the Superior club in Kharkiv, and temporarily stopped the development of clubs throughout Ukraine. Oleksandr Deniskin, general director of the Lisnyky Golf Club complex in the village of Lisnyky, in the Kyiv region, says: "We built only a part of the courses, and, unfortunately, the Kyiv region got occupied."

What is the solution?

The Ukrainian community of golf players, who have invested in the development of this sport for years, sought to restore it. After all, in addition to the game's relevance, the development of courses and their maintenance requires significant funds. Deniskin adds:

"We calculated and realized that between stopping the project and continuing construction, it would be cheaper to continue. After all, the grass grows regardless of what happens on the street: it must be watered, mowed, and fertilized."

Already in 2024, the club opened a new course for all willing and even managed to hold a championship between professionals and coaches. Rubryka visited the Lisnyky Club's golf course and found out what is happening in the field of golf, why this game may be one of the most difficult you have ever played, and how people with disabilities can play this sport.

How does it work?

The courses cover a huge area with hills, ponds, and a small forest. Going around it all on foot in the summer heat is another challenge, so golf carts are a necessity.

This is where the first myth about the ease of this sport was debunked. A golf round lasts four to six hours, and a tournament lasts up to four days. The player is constantly in motion, walking, running, straining for a shot, and moving between courses. The game requires endurance. The maximum number of clubs that a participant can carry is 14. Fortunately, golfers usually have their assistants, caddies, who take the clubs and serve them during the game.

A large golf course is not a whim but a norm defined by the rules. "Each sport has its own standards. A tennis court or a football field has its own dimensions. Golf has them, too. It is impossible to have a professional field that will occupy an area of ​​less than 80 hectares," Deniskin says.

Courses are covered with special grass, depending on the area. The grass immediately next to the hole is called the green. It is cut short and smooth so that the ball moves smoothly. The director of Lisnyky Golf Club adds that special rollers and mowers are needed to take care of the grass, and any course is judged precisely by the quality of the green — the better the grass, the better the course.

The game of golf is like a certain quest, which has its own obstacles and levels of completion. It would seem that what is difficult in throwing the ball into the hole? In fact, even making the right shot requires skill, where the player needs to follow the technique, calculate the force of the blow, the swing, and the effect of additional obstacles, for example, the direction of the wind.

Additional water barriers, roughs (tall grass), and bunkers—pits with sand—are also placed on the courses. It is more difficult to hit the ball out of a bunker than on the flat surface of the green. All this makes golf not just a sport but an exciting game where, in addition to physical strength, players build a whole strategy in the space around them.

The rules of golf are such a huge, thick book where everything is written. It's not just a ball-and-club game. This is a game about people, respect, and culture. In some countries, playing golf with partners is a condition of the diplomatic service because it teaches you to do certain things. "For example, there are bunkers on the golf course with rakes next to them. When you hit the ball in the sand, according to the rules, you must take a rake and clean up the holes afterward. And it doesn't matter who you are: a cleaner or a member of the Forbes list with ten bodyguards. This is an obligation that equalizes the chances of winning," Deniskin explains.

Since the game is about respect, it teaches you to respect your opponents and the space around you.

"There is no garbage on the field, and there cannot be. It is not here because we clean up, but because if someone litters, we immediately kick them out of the club. These are the rules," the director adds.

Currently, Lisnyky has nine holes out of 18 possible. The number 18 is not accidental. It is said that 18 holes were created because golfers determined that a full bottle of whiskey contains 18 shots — one for each hole. However, this explanation gave birth to many myths that only millionaires can play golf while drinking alcohol — in large part thanks to Hollywood movies, which promoted the stereotype that golf is a game for the rich.

In fact, historically, golf was invented by Scottish shepherds, and now, in different countries, the game is available to everyone, from children to adults. "In Scotland, people just go out on their lawns and train. Just as it is normal for us to have children running to play football, people just play with a club there," Deniskin says about his impressions after his visit to Scotland.

There is a children's academy in Lisnyky, where the youngest player is three. Of course, the clubs' length and the learning approaches will differ in golf for children and adults, but the rules remain unchanged, teaching a culture of equality and respect from a very young age.

The game's rules provide for different starts, which are marked by colors. If a player is just starting, they hit from a closer start, and vice versa — the more skilled and experienced the player is, the further they start. Golf doesn't discriminate between older, younger, male, or female—all that matters is your skills. That is why everyone can participate in the game together: children, pensioners, beginners, and professionals. There is a division only in professional championships, where each group has its own scores.

"The course is level for everyone," Deniskin notes.

In June, Lisnyky Golf Club held a tournament for professional players on the new golf course. Ruslan Harkavenko won the men's competition, and Anna Avdeyeva won the women's competition.

Avdeyeva, a golf master and children's coach says she devoted a significant part of her career to developing children's golf because she believes it contributes to the future of the sport.

"Completely different people can play golf: with one arm or leg, congenital or acquired diseases. Handicap (the number of shots a player can make above the course passing standard — ed.) equalizes everything. And different starts cancel out any difference," Deniskin says.

He says some countries are already practicing golf for rehabilitation. For example, the US uses this sport in the military's mental rehabilitation program. There is also inclusive golf, which wheelchair users can play.

"This type of golf is developing and is not yet available in Ukraine, but it will definitely be. Because our defenders will return, and they will need to undergo rehabilitation," the club's director shared.

The first thing that stops people on the way to golf is the high cost and lack of infrastructure in their city. Deniskin answers this: the club has discounts for the children's academy and unlimited time on the course for players. After paying a certain amount, the participant can be on the course for the whole day.

Like any professional sport, professional golf classes require certain investments from the players: in uniforms, training, competitions, a training ground, etc.

Deniskin dreams that there will be more courses and interested participants in Ukraine. He cites statistics: almost 17,000 courses have been built in the USA, 2,200 in England, and more than 650 in Sweden. "A golf course is a symbolic sign of a country's quality, a certain label," he adds.

In addition, golf courses have significant benefits for the environment. They are mostly built on unusable land, such as former garbage dumps. They are demolished, and lawns are planted. One hectare of grass can provide oxygen to 64 people per day.

"My four-year-old son already looks at golf as a normal sport, like a conventional football in the yard. The more people will play, the more accessible this sport will become," says Deniskin.