Auta: Only Lalong can save Rayfield Golf Club
Four years ago, the Rayfield Golf Club in Jos celebrated its Centenary. Along those many years, the Club has little or nothing to show for its many years in existence. Its structures are dilapidated since they still remain the way the white settlers left it. The sad thing is the Course, after 100 years in existence the Course still plays on sand putting areas. The almost hopeless trend is breaking several hearts, especially that of the sitting Captain, Retired Commissioner of Police, DD Auta.
Auta, a super cop who picked up the game of golf during the era of the likes of the late Apagun Oluwole Olumide in the late 70s confessed that anytime he looked at the befitting history of the Rayfield Golf Club and the present situation the Club now finds itself he feels like shedding tears.
“The white people no doubt left a big legacy here”, Auta stated. “The sad thing is we have refused to add to those things they left for us. You can imagine that the Clubhouse is still the way they left it and the course still remains the way they left it. Is it not a shame that after 100 years, we cannot afford green putting surfaces. It is shameful.
“The whole thing boils down to several areas. For instance, yearly subscription here comes as low as N25,000. Even at that, you see some members paying this in three tranches. We cannot think of any developmental programmes. All we get can’t even pay Staff salaries. We are bleeding bad here”.
May be they won’t have to bleed for too long. Auta, for the first time during the hour length of this interview offered a slow smile when he mentioned that the Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong has promised to help the Club develop Its Green Putting surfaces.
Auta said, “We all know the history of Lamingo Golf Club. Even our Governor Lalong served there as Captain twice before he became Governor. Definitely, he, the Governor knows the difficulty underfunded Clubs go through. I mean in those years, Lamingo was nothing. But when the Governor came into power, he beckoned on his friends to raise money so Lamingo could be overhauled. This is a Governor who has total passion for the game of golf and he ensured things worked the way he wanted it. Go to Lamingo today and you will see that course is adorned with Green Putting surfaces. I mean all the 18 holes of the course. Well, the Governor has promised he would look at our own case. He promised he would help us develop our Greens. I believe him. He is the only one who can help us now. I mean he is the only one who can really save us. As far as I know, if he can give us the Greens, we can pick it from there”.