The golfing way of Prince Aghatise Erediauwa

Breakfasts are perceived to be a matter of great importance. Breakfasts are serious especially to the rich who Hemmingway succinctly claimed just have more money.

Really this was my thinking when I was to honour an interview date with the second son of the last revered Oba of Benin, and presently the Captain of the Benin Golf Club, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa. The Prince suggested a very early morning chat before he could hit the course for his round of golf. Within me I asked if such a personality could skip some hours of sleep – and indeed his breakfast for an early game. I was wrong. The Prince.was right. As early as 7.30am, he was already approaching the second tee of the Benin Golf Club.

Call it a chance meeting and you are indeed right. The truth is I never knew any sibling of the great Oba of Benin was involved in the game of golf. Not even thinking of meeting one.

When I met him, he looked directly in my face and I could immediately see that behind his love for solitude is an innate shyness. Then he spoke – and this he did at the rate of almost one word per minute. The words were clear enough. He said he was not granting an interview. This he said with such conviction of a man who needn’t go anywhere. The conviction of a man who was already in paradise.

But with an assurance that we were going to restrict our talks to only the game of golf, he bulged a bit. But then he added, the shyness back to his face, “What do I know about golf? What do you want me to talk about? I’m not even playing very well. My handicap is huge, you know. And, I don’t even play always. I play about twice every week. I can even add that my eight year old son, Idumoba, could soon be playing better than I do. My son has such great swings, very natural. And he loves the game…I think better than I do”.

But there are other things. Like how does the less mortals feel if they walk the same fairway with him in a game? Do they get the jitters? Do they concentrate on their own game? Don’t they go off the butt and lapse in a dream world…playing on same turf with son of the Oba of Benin? This evoked a short bark of laughter from the Prince.

“Why should that happen?” he asked. “Well, I don’t take notice of such things and I don’t have to. I mean this is a game and everyone has the right to be himself. If anyone is going to feel somehow unnatural just because we are on same course, I could feel embarrassed and I might not want to play with that fellow again. I’m simple enough and I want to be myself at all times”.

In the game of golf, everyone has someone to run to when the swings are going awry and the putting horrendous. For the Prince, a pro golfer, Frank Isuku is the one who fixes his game and put it back on track anytime the swings are not smooth enough.

“I do hit the ball well often”, the Prince said with a smile. “I mean my tee shots are usually okay. Well, every golfer can hit well from the tee-box. The problem with golf has to do with the short game and putting and I am doing my best in this direction. But I must tell you that am great when it comes to bunker shots. Most golfers are scared when faced with sand shots. I don’t”.