The President of the Nigeria Golf Federation, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, over the weekend hosted Africa’s first-ever indoor golf championship in Abuja.
No fewer than 150 lady golfers from various golf clubs in Abuja attended the championship at the Golf and Health Signature.
Speaking at the event, Runsewe said hosting the championship, the first ever in Africa, was a thing of joy and pride for Nigeria.
“I am so delighted to see that Nigeria is making another first. Indoor golf and short games are the first of their kind in Africa.
“As the giants of Africa, we must take the lead. We cannot wait for other African countries to show us the way.
“What we have succeeded in doing here is the beginning of greater things to come in terms of the growth and development of golf in the country.
“This is the way other advanced countries grew the game in their part of the world. They started well and early, and that’s exactly what we are also trying to achieve here at the Golf and Health Signature.”
The NGF President added that the course would be a hub for the growth and development of young talents who would represent Nigeria in different circuits around the world.
“Ideally, one is not supposed to carry a child of 10 to 12 years straight to play on the 18-hole golf course. They need to start from somewhere to understand that a short game is a first and sure way to grow and hone their skills.
“Under my leadership as the NGF President, we’ve been able to showcase the best of Nigeria in terms of golf, and I can tell you that even the ladies—over 90 per cent of them—are playing indoor golf and short games for the first time.
“So, it’s a beginning. However, we have embraced it before other African countries, and it is a historic and monumental achievement,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the tournament, Ekanem Ekwueme, former President of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria and the AACT Trustee for West & Central Africa, said the championship and facility were second to none.
“You can play golf all year round in a facility like this, and it also helps you have first-hand knowledge of different courses around the world even before you travel to play in them.
“For instance, a contingent of our lady golfers will soon be travelling to Morocco to represent Nigeria in the All Africa Challenge Trophy in November.
“With a facility such as this, we can camp our players here because when you go into this indoor golf course, you can pull off a simulation of the exact golf course we will be playing in Morocco.”
