Our Professionals

Meet Our Experts

Jacky Walter

Jacky Walter

PGA Assistant Professional

Saleem Haji

Saleem Haji

Co-Founder, PGA Teaching Professional & MyTPI Specialist

Ross Valentine

Co-Founder, PGA Teaching Professional & Custom Fitting Specialist

Data Driven Golf was formed by Saleem Haji and Ross Valentine in early 2024 to elevate golf within East Africa! Utilising the latest in cutting-edge technology we are bringing high performance golf to East Africa.

We offer a range of options, from club/shaft fittings, club repairs to lessons and personalised fitness programmes designed by PGA accredited professionals.

Through our combined expertise across all these fields, we aim to provide golfers with the opportunity to build upon their game and expand the potential of golf within Kenya.

Jacky Walter

PGA Assistant Professional

Jacky started taking an interest in Golf in late 2017 while working for Rainbow Projects as an administrator. She was allowed to use the range at Vipingo Ridge and got some tips and advice on how to hold the club, and address the ball and then started practicing on her own when time allowed.

In May 2019, we took over the pro shop at Vipingo Ridge and that’s when Jacky started to play. She had great technique and most of all she had power.

She took a lot more interest in playing golf once she saw the Ladies who came to play in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open and how athletic they were and how far they hit the ball and she vowed to get a chance to play in the event in the future.

She did finally get an invite to play in both the 2023 & 2024 events and had a good round 1 this year where she was lying 30th, however, a bout of food poisoning overnight made it impossible to follow that up and sadly she missed the cut, but her ability was now clear to see.

Jacky applied to the PGA to join their Foundation Degree program in January 2024 and has now received her unconditional offer to start her training on 1st October 2024. She is the first female Kenyan to be enrolled in the full PGA Program and we feel she will be a tremendous role model for other young Kenyans to follow.

Jacky currently plays off an index of 0.1 and is a US Kids Level 2 coach and is looking forward to helping the Juniors at Karen learn to play golf and is very happy to play with them so that they may enter cards to earn their handicaps.

If you would like to know more about Jacky’s interesting journey, please follow the link and read her Blog done by Vipingo Ridge and an article written by Golf Business Quarterly.

Golf Business Quarterly

https://www.vipingoridge.com/blog/the-inspiring-jacquelyne-walter

Saleem Haji

Co-founder & PGA Professional

Started my professional career as AssistantPro to Gary Cullen at Karen Country Club in 1985.

I left Karen in 1989 to be Head Professional at Nyali Golf & Country Club where I set up the first Pro Shop at the Coast, I stayed there until 1996.

1994: I took 6 months out to travel to Northern Ireland and work at a prominent Centre of Excellence, to gain a better knowledge of commercial golf facilities and modern coaching methods.

1996: I was appointed Director of Golf at The National Golf Club, the first Golf Course to be built on the Mediterranean Coast in Turkey. I helped to develop the profile of National, as the pioneer course of a new era. There are now 18 world-class courses on this stretch of coastline and it is one of the most popular golf destinations in Europe.

1998: I went to Great Rift to helpcomplete the construction of the 18-hole golf course there.

2000: I started working with TORO designing, supplying, and installing irrigation systems.

2002: I was contracted to construct the golf course at the Jockey Club, now known as Golf Park. I supervised the entire construction and installed the first computer-controlled automatic irrigation system for a golf course in Kenya.

2003. I installed the automated irrigation system for fairways at Sigona Golf Club

2004. I found the land and carried out all preliminary feasibility studies for what is now called Vipingo Ridge. I am a founder shareholder and oversaw the construction of the course, designed, supplied and installed the automated irrigation system as well as master planning phase 1.

2007- 2019: I carried out several construction projects, some for golf and others of mainly earthworks and drainage contracts. My company constructed the new 4th & 5th holes at Karen Country Club during this period.

2019 – March 2024. Although I was the Director in charge of golf at Vipingo Ridge I took a much more proactive role by taking over the Pro Shop and setting up the PGA Academy. During Covid, I purchased a Foresight GCQuad launch monitor and invested in demo shafts and heads to start custom fitting and be able to train golfers to a much higher level than was possible without this technology. In 2022 we opened the Academy where I set up the full testing facility for custom fitting and installed Swing Catalyst pressure plates so that I could train golfers on movement patterns and how to initiate the golf swing from the ground up.

It soon became very clear to me that for this technology and my experience to benefit the most golfers I needed to move to Nairobi. I held discussions with several clubs and I was very happy that Karen and myself found a way to cooperate that will be of benefit to both of us. I am extremely grateful to the Club to have the opportunity to now raise the standard of golf in the Country and further my career where it all started for me all those years ago.

Qualifications & Certifications:

Class AA PGA Professional, Certified Club Fitter, Certified Club Builder.

TPI Level 1, Swing Catalyst Certified, Boditrak Ground Mechanics Certified, K-Vest Certified, Titleist Golf Ball Aerodynamics Certified, TORO Lynx certified, Trackman certified, Foresight PEAK Certified.

Ross Valentine

Co-founder & PGA Professional

My introduction to the world of golf came in early 2015 leading up to the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club. I understudied the superintendent where I learned a lot about the maintenance/upkeep of a golf course preparing for an international event.

2015 – This experience encouraged me to further my golf qualifications and I moved to Cupar, Scotland to do a 1-year Higher National Certificate in Professional Golf at SRUC Elmwood. Here I graduated with a diploma in professional golf (distinction) and my experience included volunteer coaching at the St Andrews Links Golf Academy, as well as experiencing playing golf at a collegiate level in the ICT League UK and the College HND team against other universities. These tournaments were all played as professional tournaments. With this new respect and insight into players at the elite level I was motivated to pursue golf as a qualified professional.

2016 – 2023 – After an initial internship with AB Golf from Elmswood I started work full time at the AB Golf High-Performance Center for owner and senior professional Adam Bishop. AB Golf is one of the busiest custom fitting, coaching and club-building outfits in the UK and is located Just outside of Oxford. Whilst here I enrolled in the University of Birmingham Professional Golf Studies FdSc Undergraduate Degree Course. I qualified in May 2020 and earned my full Class A PGA Membership. (PGA Professional)

At AB Golf, I was involved in many aspects of golf business but primarily Custom Fitting using GC Quad, Trackman and SAM Putt LAB, Coaching with Blast Motion and BodiTrack Golf Systems, Club building and repairs using a state of the art tour truck. I also gained first hand experience in running an ever expanding enterprise with 4 busy outlets (1 high performance center and 3 golf courses). A lot of experience was gained at Whiteleaf Golf Club whilst assisting the General Manager/Head professional in the day-to-day running of this golf club.

Part of my responsibilities for AB Golf was to set up and run their stand at the Annual British Golf Show. AB Golf represents most of the main brands within the golf industry here. It was here that I first met Saleem.

2023 – After 7 years with AB Golf in the UK I decided to return to Kenya to set up my own golf business. Incandescently this was at the same time that Saleem was looking to relocate to Nairobi and this led to an opportunity for both of us to jointly set up Data Driven Golf.

We intend to combine our skills, knowledge and passion for golf to create something that is a one-of-a-kind facility in Kenya based at Karen Country Club.

Certificates and Qualifications:

PGA Foundation Degree

HNC in Professional Golf

Certified Club Fitter

Certified Club Builder

KBS Certified

ASQ Level 2 Golf Coaching

Swing Catalyst Level 2 Certified