Twenty-seven-year-old Catherine Mosimanekwena is an enthusiastic golf player. She says that for the past nine years, playing golf has been her passion. She admits that golf will always remain her passion and she will pursue it with vigour. But before the passion, there was an accident.

The accident occurred when she was looking for a job. Through pure chance, she landed at Jwaneng golf course, where her brief was to sell golf balls. From the accidental encounter with the game, she transformed into a formidable golf player, respected in and outside Botswana. "When I was selling the balls, I also had time to watch the players. I saw it as a wonderful and entertaining sport. It can be a very relaxing sport. I then joined with a colleague of mine, who later pulled out," she says.

Despite the stereotypic views that golf is an elitist sport for the rich, Mosimanekwena has dared and taken to the game naturally, like a newborn child does to its mother's breast. Already the Jwaneng-based golfer is making a name for herself, as an able player of international repute. "I recently played in Zimbabwe at Chapman's Club. The Zimbabwean course is one of the best facilities I ever played in.

I think my good play was also due to the fact that I liked it (the course). In the singles, I beat a Zambian player and failed to beat the Zimbabwean, who was a little too good." She says a lot of groundwork needs to be done to encourage women to participate in the sport and debunk notions that golf is for the rich. She says it is a sport that has no restrictions, just like any other.

"We have books which we read about golf, like Golf Digest, but there is nowhere, where it is said that women should not play or for that matter, it is not for the poor people," she says.

At the moment, she is working on a project to mobilise women across the country to participate in golf. She says that in Jwaneng, where she is based, she is making great strides in the project.

"A lot of women have joined us in Jwaneng. We also have six women who are so good that they even play in competitions. I am working on running training clinics for women in all the districts. At the moment, I am working with Gaborone golfers, to help bring women to the game. With a lot of support from the media and corporate bodies, I am sure this ambitious dream will come true," she says.

She goes to schools and other institutions to recruit women and sensitise them about the role they will be playing in women sports development, especially golf, which is lagging behind.

"You will be shocked to learn that in the north and central part of Botswana, we have only two women golfers. Generally, there are a few women golfers in the country and it is not good.

If we are going to compete with other countries and we can only have men playing, will this be representative of our country? Would that imply we have no women to play? I don't think so. That is why I encourage all women who are interested to come forward and join us," she pleaded.