Runsewe: Golf’s Game Changer with GGWF

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Golf has always remained an alluring passion for Otunba Olusegun Runsewe. For years, he remained committed to the sport with Catholic zeal. Wether in the country or out of this shore, golf destinations are his places of his first call. It therefore was no surprise that he opted to go further than being mere player. Those familiar with his interests in the game were not surprised that he has actualized his dream of having his own course where skills to play the game can be honed. Welcome to Otunba Runsewe’s posh Golf Garden Waterfront Golf Club (GGWF) in Wuse, Abuja!

Penultimate Saturday, a week-long digital golf training for selected Nigerian golf professionals ended on high with lots of praises for the club.

Most golfers who attended the programme admitted that this novel addition to the game in the country was capable of taking Nigerian golf to the world stage in five years time.

Interestingly, one of South Africa’s top golf teachers, Mpoh Kelosiwaag, was flown into the country as an instructor in the first golf training Nigerian golf professionals would be opened to since the late sage, Chief Anthony Enahoro, as Information Minister in Chief Obafemi Awolowo Western Region sent the country’s first five golf professionals for training in London.

Mpoh, who is equally an eminent member of the Botswana Professional Golf Association, said he was amazed at the hi-tech golf facilities he met on ground at the Golf Garden.

He further disclosed that apart from South Africa, no other African nation could boast of such facilities that are in tandem with modern day digital golfing.

“This is reason I make bold to say this man, Otunba Runsewe, is a blessing to your country”, said Mpoh, a man of uncommon insight, patience and gentle humour combined with an unsurpassed knowledge golf.

“Otunba had a dream years back and he is living it right now. I remember 10 years ago, he came to South Africa to search for a top golf teacher who could help impact modern golfing knowledge to Nigeria professionals. I never met him before but I was recommended to him. He invited me to Nigeria to see what he had on ground and the directions of his dreams.

“When I came around I met nothing but just this site of the Golf Garden. Then he told me about his dreams of bringing digital golfing facilities to Nigeria and then build a model golf facility that would be the envy of other African nations. I could imagine the type of resources and commitment that would be needed. I had my doubts. The project was tasking and I didn’t believe it could happen. And here I am now and I can see all he said he would do on ground. This is simply awesome and unbelievable.

“With these facilities on ground, it is now clear Nigerian pros would be opened to electronic golfing. If I add this to the golfing talents that abound in your country, I could see pros here moving toward golf world big stages in, say, another five year’s time. Your country should de-emphasize taking all funds to football alone. Golf is the future and people are already seeing it. Even at the Olympics, the honour one man could bring you through golf would definitely surpass what a 23-man football team could give. Your country should start investing on golf since one man has blessed you with digital golfing facilities,” observed the top golf teacher.

After a fabulous ‘sent forth’ party for Mpoh which put a wrap on the week-long pro training, the Group Managing Director of the Golf Garden, Olori Adekunbi Runsewe, admitted that with the founding of the digital golf facility by her husband, it was evident that Otunba Runsewe was totally committed to the development of the game of golf in Nigeria.

“Even though I am not playing the game yet, I am indeed delighted that my husband agreed that I studied Golf Management and Administration so I could bring the experience back to Golf Garden”, Olori Runsewe said.

“ I am happy that I am here running things at the Garden. But I must tell you what is here is quite vast and so I still have to run to my husband most times for advice so I can run this place as smooth as I can.”

Otunba Runsewe who is equally the Director General of the National Council of Arts and Culture said he was never on a goose chase when he was developing Golf Garden for eight years now. He said he knew it a long time ago that come 2023, a stunning four billion dollars would circulate around golf in Africa and that he wanted Nigeria to be in prime position to partake from this windfall.

“This largesse would only go to nations which are prepared”, Runsewe revealed. “By preparation, I mean what we are going to have on ground before that time. Since the fund would revolve essentially around golf equipment, hotels and logistics, this is reason I am ensuring capacity building at the Golf Garden. I can tell you that before that time I must have created my own golf brand, the OSR brand, which will undertake manufacturing of golf equipment and golf apparels. I really want to create a healthy synergy, I mean digital golfing synergy, between our Pros and the ones in Europe and America. I have started with ten of our pros and I will take those ten to places across the world. I want us to really reap from goodies world golf would bring to Africa,” enthused the GGWF patron.

A former Nigeria’s No 1 golfer, Musa Ayuba, who was part of the training disclosed that in his two decades of professional golfing, it was the first time he would be exposed to digital training.

Hear Ayuba: “I and other Pros who were fortunate to be part of this training are really grateful to Otunba Runsewe for building such digital golfing facility in Nigeria. This is what other African Pro golfers pay so much to be opened to such facilities in Europe and America. And we have it here in Abuja. This is incredible. I only pray such facilities should be replicated across Nigerian states. We have big and passionate golfers like Otunba Runsewe in Nigeria. They should come and emulate him and do the needful for the sport to grown bigger,” concludes the country’s former number one pro golfer.

With such passionate golf enthusiast as Otunba Runsewe leading this project, it is just a matter of time for Nigerians to refocus their attentions to the sport awashed with so much money on the pro circuit. GGWF appears the answer to making that dream becoming real.