BARING any last minute change of mind, the construction of a befitting golf academy at the Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Club, Lekki, Lagos, will get underway this year.

This is one of the programmes that ranks top on the agenda of the club, which early this month celebrated its first year anniversary with aplomb as shown by a historic field in its Nigeria independence/club anniversary tourney.

Managing Director, ARM Properties Plc, owners of the facility, Wale Odutola, in an interview with The Guardian said: “The academy is one of the things we are planning to do in our second year of operation. It was very important for us to get the club running properly first before venturing into the academy. But we have very good plans for the academy, because with the infrastructure we have there like the driving range, a nine-hole par three marshy course, several putting greens, which are perfect for an academy setting and for teaching purposes, we really want to make the best use of these facilities.”

According to Odutola: “We will develop the academy to the point that it would have primary and secondary schools participating in the several programmes we intend to put up towards developing golf at the grassroots. These programmes will also help us grow our membership base in the future when they are matured enough to take up the membership. So I can say that we have great aspirations for the academy.”

On the gradual emergence of the facility as the golf club of choice for golfers residing around that flank of the state, Odutola noted that a lot of efforts were going in to ultimately raise the club’s profile and increase its acceptability.

“One of the things we have done to get to this stage has been to put together a team of professionals that understand the business of golf and indeed the vision that we have for Lakowe Lakes Golf Club. This culminated into the appointment of International Management Group IMG as operators of the facility as well as the recruitment of tested pros like Femi Olagbenro and Bashir Bakare and a host of others to help drive the process forward.

He continued: “For us, we wanted to do it properly because we knew we are 35 to 45 kilometers outside of central Lagos, so it was important for us to ensure that the products we were offering were superior to what was available in Lagos and its environs, and what could be compared to what obtains anywhere in the world. That is what we have worked towards in the last 12 months and we are happy that with the sort of direction we are taking, we are getting closer to these objectives.”

On how the club’s location hampered its membership drive, he said: “It hasn’t really hampered it to the extent because it is unlikely that you would find another golf course closer to Lagos on this flank than we are, unless you are going towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway axis.

“From that point of view, it has not hampered it. Over here, there are no cars honking, the serenity is second to none and you are almost one with nature and can hear yourself think. And for the people that have taken time out to come and play on this course, it is quite an experience, and it is that experience that brings back people to the club, week in, week out. We have structured the settings here in such a way that when guests come in, they have a totally different experience than what they are used to. Above all, we try to do all things the right way.”

2013-10-20