Toolit holes out for good with legacy of a lifetime

But it was under a one, Mzee Balaba, in the late 90s that Toolit became drawn to golf. His golf story would start from there and soon, his remarkable ball-striking ability to draw the attention of the wider golfing community.

Teenager 

In September 2000, the 13-year-old Toolit made headlines when he was drawn to play in the Lugazi Golf Club 36-hole Open alongside another teenager called Denis Anguyo. The other members of that four-ball group were Shaban Lwanga and David Okullo.

Then, he was a lanky, tiny teenager but his swing and ball-striking evidently stood out. It was apparent he was destined for a career in golf. Toolit would go on to mature and win several tournaments in Jinja before making the decision to head to the capital to broaden his sea of competition.

Toolit’s story of becoming a member of Uganda Golf Club is quite a tale. It is one he recited many times with glee, and it involves an avid golfer called Allan Mugisha. “I was having a round with Allan and he was impressed with how I was driving the ball,” Toolit narrated to me.

“When we got to hole 14, Allan promised that if I successfully drove the green, he would pay my membership to join Uganda Golf Club.”

The par-4 no.14 is 374 yards and while it can be driven by a select few long hitters, sitting on for one requires the highest degree of precision.

“I had always wanted to become a UGC member but I didn’t have the money, but now that I had been given this opportunity, I was not going to put it to waste,” Toolit recalled.

“I placed the ball on the tee, took one glance to the green and hit what I will always call my most perfect drive ever given what it meant. The following day, Allan paid for my membership and I became a member of the club.”

First meeting 

Mugisha, an engineer currently based in Ghana, had had a long relationship with Toolit having grown in Jinja. “I first met Brian in Jinja while swimming in 2004. Eight years later in 2012, I joined UGC as a golfer and met Brian. Instantly we reconnected,” Mugisha reminisced.

“Brian took it upon himself to make me a good golfer and from then on became one of my best friends. I introduced him to my family and many new golfers. We treated each other as brothers and my home was always open to him.

“He had many attributes as a person but the one that stood out was his humility,” a heartbroken Mugisha recollected. “We have lost a brother who we shall miss forever.”

When I started playing golf just over six years ago, many friends in the game advised me to engage Toolit. “If you want to correct your issues with the irons, go and make an appointment with Toolit,” Silver Rugambwa, a lifelong friend who was already playing the game, advised. “He will fix you; he is patient and affordable.”

Rugambwa’s reference was one of the many that came my way. Toolit’s coaching talent turned him into the most-sought teaching pro, and naturally that affected his ability to ably compete on the professional golf calendar in Uganda and beyond.

“No one strikes an iron like Toolit,” former Uganda Golf Union President Moses Matsiko once told me. “Toolit and Anguyo hit irons with precision, finesse and style.” Matsiko’s assertion is not one that would be disputed by anyone who saw Toolit in action.

But he mostly had a passion for teaching others. More importantly, Toolit also understood how to enable beginners to learn the sometimes-torturous art of hitting the golf ball for beginners.

A lot has been said about his conduct, which endeared him to many. Toolit, and his only sibling Rino Kitimbo, were raised by a single mother, Connie Lajara. Life was not always easy growing up in Jinja, but she moulded both her sons into wonderful human beings.

Toolit was a respectful person who was humble to a fault. Once, I advised him to tee off with a 5-iron on the par-5 no.1 at UGC during the Uganda Open and he duly nodded his head, like he had listened. Back then, I was a hc28 and I felt like I was helping my friend manage his tournament better.

Bogus advice 

Looking back, it was bogus advice from a novice. But Toolit neither disparaged nor mocked my suggestion. When his tee time arrived, Toolit hit a fine drive and holed out for eagle.  

When he was diagnosed with cancer last year, members of the golf community supported him from far and wide which was testament to the way he was loved. A fundraising drive to raise Shs7m generated in excess of Shs40m.

On January 24 this year, I visited Toolit at his home in Kitintale. I hadn’t seen him in months but despite his ailing health, he was happy to see me together with his student Raymond Mugabe. We chatted about golf, life, his health and the state of Kampala roads. It was a jovial meeting and he even cooked us a meal.

He was on the last leg of his chemo cycle and was looking forward to full recovery to swing the game he so much loved. Little did I know that that would be my final meeting with Toolit.

He walked us to our car, which is a bit of a distance from his home, against my insistence that he stays and rests. The drugs had taken their toll on him. But he was enthused by our visit and wanted to do what hosts typically do, which is walk visitors to the gate or the car. I will always hold that memory dear.

Rest in peace Brian Toolit.

Mark Namanya is a UGC member and Head of UGU Communications