Ugonwa Uzor-Umeaku
At just 23 years old, Georgia Oboh has transformed golf from a little-known pursuit into a beacon of possibility for young Nigerians. When she secured a top-10 finish at the 2025 Magical Kenya Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour, she wasn’t only making headlines for herself: she was shining a spotlight on a sport that, until recently, few in Nigeria thought they could ever play.
Born in Manchester in 2000 to Nigerian parents, Georgia first held a golf club at age six. She spent early childhood weekends on British links with her father, learning the fundamentals of swing and stance. By twelve she was ranked among Britain’s top junior golfers, but when her family moved to Abuja, she discovered a very different reality.
The golf courses around Nigeria’s capital were green and immaculate, yet they felt exclusive. Membership fees at the International Golf Club of Nigeria and the prestigious IBB Golf Club put the game out of reach for most families. Female members were rarer still. Undeterred, Georgia practised early mornings and late afternoons, forging her path through passionate dedication.
At seventeen, she became the first Nigerian female golfer to earn a Ladies European Tour card. It was a breakthrough moment that rippled through social media feeds and sports pages back home. This spring’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open result confirmed it was no fluke. Georgia’s precision off the tee and calm under pressure earned her the respect of a seasoned professional.
Behind the scenes, she juggles a punishing schedule. Early-morning gym sessions, coach-led swing clinics, travel between Lagos and London, academic studies in sports management—her days begin before dawn and often end well past midnight. Through it all, she keeps a simple mantra in mind “I’m here to prove that Nigerians belong on these leaderboards.
”Golf arrived in Nigeria during colonial times when British officials and expatriates laid out fairways in Lagos and Ibadan. For decades the sport remained an elite pastime. Members of clubs like Ikoyi, Renaissance, and Port Harcourt Golf Club were drawn from government, oil executives, and diplomatic circles. Women were welcome but few took it seriously.
The Nigeria Golf Federation was formed in the 1970s to coordinate competitions, but junior development was minimal. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the first structured youth camps appeared in Lagos and still fewer programs targeted girls. Today only a handful of clubs run junior clinics. In contrast to South Africa’s booming women’s tours, West African golf has only begun to find its footing.Georgia is not alone in challenging old assumptions. Ada Gboyega, 19, recently won the 2024 Nigerian Open amateur title, becoming the tournament’s first female champion. Sarah Adenike, a banker by day, claimed back-to-back Lagos Ladies Championships in 2023 and 2024. Their successes suggest a budding community of Nigerian women who see golf as more than a weekend hobby.
These emerging players often come from middle-class families willing to invest in their ambitions. They train at privately run academies in Lagos and Abuja, alongside boys and young men. As word spreads, a handful of state governments have begun sponsoring youth tournaments, hoping to unearth the next national champion.
Obstacles run deep. Corporate sponsors favor football and athletics, leaving golf stars to seek smaller deals or self-fund their careers. Equipment costs are high. A single set of quality clubs can run to hundreds of thousands of naira. Coaching expertise is scarce outside Lagos. Travel expenses for international qualifiers can exceed several million naira per event.
“When you think of sports funding in Nigeria, golf is not even on the radar,” Georgia explains with wry humor. “For women, it is even harder. I’ve had to rely on family support and fundraising events to cover entry fees.
”A lack of regular competitive events means many talented players struggle for match practice. Golfers like Ada and Sarah juggle full-time jobs or studies alongside weekend tournaments. Without a steady calendar of national and regional events, progress can stall before it begins.Recognizing the need for change, Georgia partnered in late 2024 with the Nigeria Golf Federation to launch “Golf for Girls,” a pilot program in Lagos and Abuja. The initiative introduced 120 public school students—60 girls and 60 boys—to the basics of driving, chipping, and putting. Early feedback has been enthusiastic. Participating girls who had never held a club now allude to college scholarships and pro-tour dreams.
Beyond lessons, the program provides clubs on loan and arranges transportation to local courses. Junior-level competitions are scheduled quarterly, giving young players a taste of competitive pressure. Plans are underway to expand to Kaduna and Enugu later this year, pending funding.Golf’s image in Nigeria has long been tied to privilege. For many families, taking up the sport feels like opting out of more traditional pursuits. However, as women like Georgia, Ada, and Sarah claim titles, perceptions are shifting. Local media outlets are running profiles on their journeys. Sports talk shows invite them to discuss everything from swing techniques to financial planning for athletes.
“When a little girl sees someone who looks like her on television swinging a club, it changes everything,” says veteran sports journalist Jumoke Salami. “These women are giving Nigerians permission to dream differently.
”Georgia’s ambitions reach far beyond leaderboards. She aspires to represent Nigeria at the 2028 Olympics and to win a Ladies European Tour event in the next two years. She dreams of a homegrown women’s tour, with sponsors, regular prize money, and live broadcasts.
Her long-term goal is to establish a fully equipped golf academy for girls in Lagos, offering scholarship pathways from junior levels to professional ranks. “I want to create the infrastructure I never had,” she says. “So no one else has to struggle alone.
”In a country that craves sporting heroes, Georgia Oboh is teeing up something transformational. She reminds us that sports can break stereotypes, build confidence, and open doors. As the sun sets on another tournament day—and another generation of girls steps onto the practice range—Nigeria’s golfing story looks poised for a new chapter.
Whether on the lush fairways of Lagos, the challenging links of Europe, or the front pages of sports pages nationwide, Georgia Oboh is proving that when talent meets tenacity, even the most exclusive of arenas can become a place of belonging.