Nigeria’s 'Queen of Golf' Helps Others Learn the Game

Nigeria’s 'Queen of Golf' Helps Others Learn the Game

About 30 young people gathered on a golf course in the Nigerian capital Abuja recently on a hot Saturday morning to practice their swing.

The students were as young as three and as old as 16. For almost a year they have gathered every Saturday at the IBB International Golf and Country Club to learn the rules of the sport.

Their teacher is Uloma Mbuko. “Princess, I want to see you hold your swing,” she said to one of them.

Mbuko is the top female¹ golfer in Nigeria. She has competed across Africa. She has won about 200 awards. Some people call her the Queen of Golf in Africa. She has played at the highest level of the sport in Africa for 17 years. Few women golfers in Nigeria have reached the Class A level.

Chinyere Mbuko is Uloma’s sister. She says Uloma was always ambitious².

“She’s always been a sports lady. She started with football, then handball. So when she said she was starting, you know, playing golf, I was like ‘Ah! Serious?”

Uloma Mbuko’s family was not wealthy, and golf can be a costly³ sport to play.

“We all know that golf is expensive, even though we try to shy away from it. But it is expensive,” Uloma Mbuko said. “Now, to be a member of a golf club in Nigeria, definitely⁴ you’re talking about nothing less than 500,000” naira. That is about $1,640.

Mbuko notes that the amount pays only for membership⁵ in a golf club. At the IBB club where Mbuko spends most of her time, the membership costs as much as $2,622.

And a golfer must pay more money for training, a caddy, clothing, equipment, and to use the club.

Some professional Nigerian golfers, like Mbuko, are trying to help young people pay for the cost of playing the sport.

Emeka Okatta is the president and founder⁶ of the West Africa Golf Tour. He said the government should help make golf more affordable⁷.

“For you to walk in here just to have green(s) fees is 10,000 naira (or $32). That’s a lot of money. That’s probably some peoples’ salary in a month,” Okatta said. “But in other parts of the world, the government provides public golf courses, public drive ranges; but here there’s none and so a common man cannot play. That’s why it’s called a rich man’s game.”

Okatta founded the West Africa Golf Tour to give young people more chances to play. He said he is looking forward to working with Mbuko’s Ladies Professional Golfers Association⁸ of Nigeria to organize tournaments.

Mbuko has decided⁹ to play in fewer tournaments so that she can help train other Nigerian women to become good golfers. She and the women she trains meet several days a week.

Stella Kadiri and Obiageli Ayodele are being trained by Mbuko. They said they hope to become professionals.

“I’m here Monday to Friday. I’ve been playing golf since 2011,” the 25-year-old Kadiri said. “I’ve been going to Ladies’ Open, different places, and I’ve been winning. When I see my medal, it inspires me to play more.”

The 29-year-old Obiageli Ayodele is one of the few female players whose husband supports her golf training.

“In our country, Nigeria, they find it difficult for the ladies to get into sports because of their husbands -- I mean the ones that are married. They don’t want their wives to be out there. They don’t want them to be in the midst¹⁰ of other men. They feel they will not properly take care of their home,” Ayodele said.

Mbuko said she wanted to see her students playing internationally in the next three years.

“Yes, we are ladies, yes, we are African, but we have what it takes, we have the talent. I want to sit down and watch television and see Nigerian ladies competing in ladies’ Masters and like, ‘Oh yeah, this is my girl, this is my girl.’”

I’m John Russell.

Words in This Story

swing – n. an act of moving something with a quick, sweeping¹¹ motion¹²; an act of swinging a bat, fist, etc.

expensive – adj. costing a lot of money

caddy – n. a person who carries a golfer’s clubs on the golf course

afford – v. to be able to pay for (something)

greens fees – n. a cost golfers pay to play on a golf course

salary – n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year

range – n. a place where people can practice hitting golf balls

medal – n. a piece of metal, often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor¹³ of a special event, a person or an achievement

inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something; to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create

1 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

2 ambitious   

adj.有雄心的，劲头十足的，有野心的

参考例句：

• One may be poor but never ceases to be ambitious.人穷志不穷。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

5 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

8 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 midst   

n.中部，中间，当中

参考例句：

• The hut is in the midst of the forest.小屋在森林深处。
• There is a thief in our midst.我们当中有小偷。

11 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

12 motion   

n.打手势，示意，移动，动作，提议，大便；v.运动，向...打手势，示意

参考例句：

• She could feel the rolling motion of the ship under her feet.她能感觉到脚下船在晃动。
• Don't open the door while the train is in motion.列车运行时，请勿打开车门。

13 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。