By Victor Okoye
Bonny Island (Rivers State), Dec. 17, 2023 (NAN) Participants at this year’s edition of the NLNG Golf Classic Invitational have described the course at the Bonny Island Golf Club (BIGC) as very challenging, but yet interesting to play.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tournament which began on Friday ended on Saturday with a blissful and colourful award night ceremony at BIGC.
A cross section of golfers who spoke to NAN on the sidelines of the event expressed delight at the organisation of the tournament, adding however that the course was difficult to beat due to its numerous challenges.
Celestine Omehia, former governor of Rivers State from Port Harcourt Golf Club said he had a great time and a one-of-a-kind experience at the BIGC.
“I came in on Friday to BIGC and it has been exciting to play in different courses.
“I play in IBB, Phyton golf club, I play in Port Harcourt I’ve been on this one now which is extraordinarily different.
“All the golfers here are excited to play. The course is maintained, the caddies are friendly.
“The NLNG workers who are also players are friendly and the culture of cleanliness of the fairway is perfect.
“So, the Bonny Island Golf Club is a very good one. I can assure you I will come back again,” he said.
Omehia said that the hospitality of the club was superb.
He noted that the management of the club were very effective, adding that everything was well organised.
“They will give you whatever you want to eat or drink.
“I also played with the captain particularly, and he is a very good player, very friendly and looks very humble.
“I think he’s living up to expectation as a staff of NLNG and a good golfer.
“The golfers here are indeed very friendly, humble and very loyal people,” he said.
On the challenges of the BIGC, he described the course as a very “wicked” one.
“There are places where you see water, you must cross the water and places where the grasses can eat up the head of your club, you must play it as it lies.
“Everything about this place is different from other places I have played golf.
“As a golfer, you must face every situation as you meet it and that’s what we have done.
“Whether it is good or bad, you are a golfer and you must play it and play according to the rules and we have played according to the rules,” he said.
Faridah Wada from IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja said she had a beautiful and swell time on the golf course.
“It’s indeed a beautiful course. When I got here, they were like ‘oh it’s a small course with only nine holes’.
“But I tell you, it was as good as if one was playing a full stretch of 18 holes.
“So, it is a nice and difficult course, but it is beautiful. The centre is awesome and unique with all all sorts of water hazards
“It’s a beautiful place and I surely be back to play,” she said.
On the hospitality of the club, Wada said it was awesome and top notch.
“I spoke to the captain of the club and I was telling him that I feel like I’m on holidays and I’ve only been here for just 24 hours.
“Everything is so nice, so beautiful. People are pampering you here and there, it’s just awesome.
“The hospitality is top notch and I can’t wait to be back” she said.
Angel Isabella Ajuzie from TYB Golf Club, Abuja said the trip to BIGC was rewarding and worthwhile.
“It has been a beautiful journey from the airport to Bonny Island, then to the lovely guest house.
“Everything is beautiful from the accommodation, the meal, the golf club itself and the range.
“It is indeed a beautiful place to be. I encourage people to have a taste of Bonny Island golf course,” she said.
She however noted that the course was quite challenging and would test the patience and endurance of any golfer.
“The course is very nice but quite challenging.
“There are a lot of water hazards everywhere, but these challenges are quite surmountable,”she said.
Umar-Farouk Suleiman from Kaduna Golf club said reiterated that the course was quite challenging, adding however that he had a bad day and failed to meet his expectation.
“Well actually this is not my first time here. It’s quite a challenging course, like everybody knows.
“There are lots of challenges. You have the hard land, the condition of play, the loose soil.
“You hit a very fantastic shot and the grass pulls it back. The wind condition also plays a vital role.
“However, it just depends on whether it’s your day or not. So we try our best,” he said.
The former champion admitted however that he made a few mistakes which proved very costly at the end.
“We had one or two few mistakes and that’s why we are amateurs.
“I never wanted to see a double bogey on my card. Unfortunately, I made a triple bogey somewhere down the line on eight and on nine, I made a nine, which is very bad for my handicap.
“Right there, I knew there was nothing for me, even though I tried to fight back at the back nine and actually played very well.
“Yeah, it’s just golf. It is what it is. That’s golf for you,” he said.
Suleiman assured that he would go back to the drawing board and correct all his mistakes so as put up a better performance in the next edition.
“There’s always a next time.
“So we will come back again and hope to conquer the course the next time.
“Go back to the range, do the needful, come back. I mean, I am sure I will surmount the challenges in the next classic,” he said.
Okuns Ohiosimuan, the immediate past BIGC captain who now plays at RCG Port Harcourt said coming back to play at the BIGC was quite interesting and a dream come true for him.
“It’s been some time since I played here. So, coming for the classic was a great opportunity.
“First of all, I am quite pleased to see that we’ve maintained the golf classic. There was a risk. This may have been stopped at one time during the period of COVID.
“But we persisted and said the classic is here to stay,” he said.
He also noted that the course was beautiful and thanked the greenkeepers for doing a great job.
“I played in the company of great men, decent very pleasurable game to play.
“I don’t know if my own game was as decent as the company I kept, but I certainly enjoyed myself.
“But you know what we love about golf? No matter how you feel no matter what you play everybody wins,” he said.
Abubakar Hussaini, the BIGC captain said he was delighted and grateful to everyone who accepted and honoured the club’s invitation.
“It’s a pleasure to always have guests come and join us.
“It’s one thing to organise an event and another thing for people to show up.
“We are sincerely pleased that our guests this year have come from across the country to attend another wonderful edition of the NLNG Classic Invitational.
“As you can see, it’s a full house and the golfers played very well with fantastic and some interesting scores submitted,” he said.
Hussaini admitted that the BIGC course was very challenging.
He however noted that there was more to the golf classic than just the competition itself.
“The course indeed was really challenging because it was fast thanks to the fantastic weather.
“It was really fun. Golf is not just about competition, but also about networking, meeting people and I can tell you, it was quite an interesting game and we enjoyed ourselves.
“We thank everyone for accepting our invitation and showing up,” he said.
Hussaini noted that over 100 golfers participated in this year’s event, adding that it was indeed a full house packed with so much fun.
“So, because a golf course and it’s an invitational, the numbers are kind of controlled.
“Nevertheless, we had a full house. I think on Day one, we had close to 50 golfers playing and today also a similar number.
“So, in total we had over 100 plus cards on the system,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
