Words MARK TOWNSEND
On the face of it, Ray Nyabola is your traditional golfer with a very typical start in the game. He first played golf in 2004, in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, when he was walking past a driving range and curiosity got the better of him. The pro lent him a 7-iron and he joined a group of beginners for lessons. He’s dipped in and out of the game since – he’s more than capable of breaking 90 on a good day and he now plays off 24.
These days he lives in Edinburgh, where he takes advantage of the local council courses, and during the pandemic, golf was a particular saviour for him in terms of getting his family out of the house for a few hours, as it was for many of us.
But Nyabola’s very much in the golfing minority in that he’s black and
