A wakeup call to Nigeria Golf Federation

The English aphorism says it all. An ill wind blows nobody any good. Ridiculously, this is what the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) has turned into. A body that is driving all sweet innovations of modern day golf in Nigeria into the abyss.

Once upon a time, even as close to some past ten years, the game of golf had witnessed certain depths of despair. There were hardly tournaments to play in. All you see were colorless kitties where all you have to play for week after week were some dining set and bread toasters. Some ‘infant’ tourneys that crawled a bit above kitties hardly offered more than lowly T-shirts. 

But golf could endure embarrassing moments. Lead them to Hole 19 and throw up a two-man band, then they would feel they had seen through a tourney akin to the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

It beats every imagination that golfers hardly spare a moment to look back at what golf tourneys were offering in the 80’s through the mid 90’s.  In those great years of yore, quality Pro-Am tournaments were available on a weekly basis. No golfer had time for “Owanbe” parties on the fairway in those great years. It was pure golf and nothing else. And the competition was fierce in a sense that every amateur who had a credible handicap could offer his right arm just to play alongside a professional golfer in a Pro-Am. These days, same amateurs use same professionals as some tools of convenience… something like a robot who would pick an amateur’s golf kits right from the boot of the car.  Don’t blame the pros.  They have so much been pauperized through a greedy system that affords no room for a credible tournament they could play in.  Yet we have the Nigeria Golf Federation [NGF] which is empowered by government to do same thing the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is doing to football.

But the question is clear enough… is the NGF really existing?

You cannot believe it but the NGF doesn’t have a clear relationship with any of over 100 golf clubs in Nigeria. Ask the people in the sorry federation and all they tell you is that the golf clubs are privately owned.  For God’s sake we have so many private football clubs in Nigeria and they still play by the rules of the NFF. This thing is simple enough.  You don’t have to play it by the Aristotle’s rule of tragedy where the hero must have a tragic flaw.  

The truth is nobody is asking the NGF to breathe down on golf clubs and kick them around like the EFCC would do to anyone who commits financial crime in Nigeria.  

But if the NGF can come up with genuine programs for the good of the game, it’s sure the golf clubs will play along. It’s time the NGF should go beyond featuring only the yearly President’s Cup.

At the moment, great things are coming the way of the nation’s golf.  Unlike in the best forgotten past where pros sweat to get a tourney to play in, tournaments are now flying in from every corner. But sad, again, the NGF is not poised to handle the situation effectively.

You won’t believe it, in the past weeks, about two or three quality tourneys clash on same weekend.  Public knowledge of this idiocy could be ruinous… especially when one considers the sponsors who churn out large sums to put golf on the course. Nigerians must appreciate the fact that no sponsor would spill millions of Naira on the table just for the sake of entertainment alone.  Every sponsor wants mileage and value for money. When the course is not packed with close to 350 golfers in one event, the aim of such event is dead on arrival.   

But one could arrive at a suitable conclusion without still beckoning on the NGF to reach out to its duties.  In the least, it won’t be a herculean task if NGF could work out a way of meeting with golf clubs’ committees across the country and work out a decent calendar that won’t see three or four tourneys clash in one week.  Or will this one be too much for NGF to handle?

And at the most, every sitting NGF President must be prepared to face certain responsibilities that must show total love for the game.

It is really appalling that great names go through great lengths to come on board as the President of the NGF. But when they get what they want, they just go to sleep. A good example is that of former Osun Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. This is a pure man who can give anything to the game of golf. When he came in as NGF President, golfers were relieved, believing a Messiah had come to the home of golf. Alas, almost a year on, golf still crawls while Oyinlola is giving quality time to politics. It is okay for Oyinlola to play his politics, but he should please spare our game from decay. This is clear enough… if Oyinlola cannot give his time to golf, he should step aside today.