A former Lady Captain of the IBB Golf and Country Club, Chief Grace Ihonvbere, is the Olohijere of luleha Kingdom in Owan West LGA of Edo State. She is equally the wife of Professor Julius Ihonvbere, a former Special Senior Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Secretary to the Edo State Government and presently a member of the House of Representatives. And yes, she smiles a lot. And yes, she can belt the golf ball some yards close to that of the world’s greatest hitter of the golf ball, the American John Daily. This is not altogether an exaggeration.
This interview was booked for a whole of four times, but each time the Olohijere would decline. When she eventually agreed to talk, she requested we limit ourselves to golf and nothing of politics.
From the game of volleyball which she picked up in Effurun, Delta State, where she grew up, she embraced golf, starting as a 36-Handicapp player. Her hubby loved her playing to that point where he pushed her to play 28 Handicap. She now plays in the single digit Handicap. To this day, the hubby still pushes her. He wants her to play a single handicap within a short period of time.
This equally prompted her to push the hubby to play but she did not succeed. The husband would not just play. Too much politics, of course.
“I know my husband loves the game of golf greatly”, she said. “I even bought a new set of equipment for him but he still refused to play. Even when he turned 50, I organised this huge golf event for him and about 500 players turned up to play. He was thrilled. I even used that opportunity to teach him how to grip the club. That was interesting. Really, he could have started playing from that moment but politics is taking him away from a whole lot of things.”
Grace Ihonvbere plays golf three times a week. When in Abuja, Musa Ayuba is his Pro and in Benin, Francis Isuku is the coach.
Now, Grace Ihonvbere is thoroughly engaged with the game and usually she adorns the latest trends in golf wear.
Ihonvbere still wonders why it took her so much time before she took up the game. “When I was playing volleyball, I was looking at golf as a game of lazy people or those who desire to waste precious time”, she said. “I thank God a bosom friend, Sade Lawal, pushed tirelessly so I could take up the game.”
Even though Grace Ihonvbere would not force her four kids to play, she is always eager to assist those who want to play. She is equally ever prepared to donate towards the development of the IBB Golf Club as she has been donating to tournaments across the nation.
