By Joe Apu
May 13, 2023 will remain a special day in the annals of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH Golf Club especially for the new Lady Captain, Mrs. Peace Irabor given that the day marked her inaugural golf tournament.
Irabor, who spoke to Sunday Sun Sports shared her excitement in this interview stating that her major goal is to attract more lady golfers to the UBTH Golf Course in Benin, the Edo State capital.
Enjoy the chat.
Congratulations on your inaugural championship. How would you describe it generally?
Thank you. It was an amazing experience, the fact that golfers came from different parts of the country just to honour me, made me feel fulfilled.
In terms of the turnout, how impressive was it and how many clubs were in attendance?
The turnout is the joy giver for me, the clubs present will be understatement, I would use the word states present because we have a lot of clubs in each state. I got golfers from about six states excluding Benin (UBTH and Benin Club Golf Section).
Players came from the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GEJ Golf Club, Abuja; Ikela Golf Club, Lagos; Cross Creek Golf Club, Ondo; Abeokuta Golf Club, Ogun; IGCC, Ibori Golf and Country Club Asaba, Sapele Golf Club and Warri Golf Club, Delta.
The Edo State government was present at the championship by virtue of the governor’s presence, how does that make you feel?
I felt so honoured having the Edo State governor himself and his friends present on that day.
In terms of competitions, how busy are the Ladies of UBTH?
UBTH Ladies are very supportive of each other when it comes to competitions and I will tell you we have done well for ourselves. We have promoted the club by having some of us representing the state at the National Sports Festival and one of us is currently among the executive at the national body of Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN). Any lady that segregates doesn’t stay long in UBTH because of the love and support amongst us; you’ll either leave us or join us.
You’re the third Lady Captain of the Club, what are your goals for the period you are the Lady Captain?
Point of correction here please, I’m not the third Lady Captain. I’m the third Lady Captain that did an Inaugural Tournament which is the right thing to do. The tournament is in order to create awareness about my position as the Lady Captain of a Club to the Golfing world, especially to the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria (LGAN). I am the 5th lady captain of the club
One of my major goal is to bring golfers from the four corners of the world to experience golfing in UBTH Golf Club. I’m hoping on creating awareness about UBTH Golf Club to the extent that Golfers from all over the world will be coming for Golfing Tours in UBTH Golf Club, Benin.
How cooperative was the UBTH in the organisation of the inaugural championship?
They have been very supportive in the aspect of making sure the course remains playable for golfers.
With the inaugural championship out of the way, what next in your line up of programmes are golf followers to expect?
First on my list is creating more awareness about the game to ladies out there and also encouraging them to play, I’m already working towards making the club subsidize payment for incoming ladies.
My tenure is more about creating awareness about the game and the UBTH Club itself. The last of it all will be The Ladies Open Championship sometime next year.
What attracted you to golf and how do you cope with work and family?
Golf is a game of honesty and integrity. These attributes attracted me to the game. Another interesting one is the ambience of the Course. I love nature and almost everything about Golf is nature. That’s why there’s a saying that Golf is life.
In the aspect of work and family, it is actually not easy but you know life is all about priorities. When you set them right, there’s hardly a clash in your activities and if there happens to be a clash, as human that I am, I always find a way to balance it all.
It is said that golf is expensive, how best do you think younger talents can be encouraged?
It’s true that Golf is expensive and that’s why I’m working towards the Club subsidizing payment for younger and female talents. I hope to work on a proposal to UBTH itself towards owning a Golf Academy where young talents can be taken care of too.
Do you still look forward to graduate to being a full time professional player?
Of course! However, graduating means to be a full time professional player and that’s why creating awareness about the game is one of my major priorities.
Which would you describe as the most difficult course you have played on?
Smoking Hills Golf Course, Akure.
What are the health benefits of golf and why not any other sports?
Golf has a whole lot of health benefits. It regulates the body system physically and mentally. You need to start playing Golf, then you’ll understand.