In recent weeks, the Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach has been the setting for a young, ambitious Nigerian-born golf professional from England whose goal is to make it to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
The golfer is Georgia Oboh, who hails from Manchester, England. She is currently playing on the Epson Tour, the proving ground for the LPGA Tour, but during a break in the tournament calendar, she and her father/caddie decided to stay with family friends from Royal Palm Beach. Every day while in the area, Oboh spent countless hours working on her driving, putting, pitching, chipping and bunker play at the Village Golf Club.
“My father and I were blessed to be hosted by the Johnsons, family friends for the past 10 years,” Oboh said. “They invited my father and I to the area. They took great care of us. My father and I are blessed to know them, and we are very appreciative of their hospitality.”
According to Oboh, spending time with the Johnson family made sense after the first few events on this year’s calendar.
“After the first three Epson Tour events, all of which took place in Florida, and with this year’s schedule, there was a break in the season, leaving over a month in between the Florida events and the West Coast swing,” Oboh explained.
The Village Golf Club offered her a great deal on club access that she couldn’t refuse.
“The staff were very gracious in allowing me to play the golf course and use the practice facilities without restriction, and then I paid for range balls when I wished to use the driving range,” said Oboh, now 24.
Every practice session was long and detailed. She practiced a minimum of four hours, but no more than seven hours, each day. Throughout each practice session, every shot was calculated and executed as if she was playing a competitive round in a pro event.
“Being intentional with every shot, so I can best replicate that on the golf course, allowing my skills to reach the challenges that I will encounter on the golf course,” added Oboh, who has been playing golf since the age of six.
Even though Oboh is a fully exempt player competing this year on the Epson Tour, with the goal of earning a LPGA Tour card for next year, it has helped that she has played in five LPGA Tour events since 2020, three of which were last year’s Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Dow Championship in Midland, Michigan; and the Portland Classic in Portland, Oregon.
Her performance in last summer’s Dow Championship, which is a team event, was a highlight of her professional career. There, she and partner Lakareber Abe finished in a tie for eighth place.
Even though Oboh is enjoying the chance of making a living by playing golf at some first-class golf courses around North America, she never forgets her family back home in England. She also feels blessed to have a chance to play golf on the Epson Tour.
“I’m the oldest child of three, so spending time with my siblings is what I miss most,” Oboh said. “Overall, I am just grateful to God for the opportunity to compete and showcase the great gifts God has bestowed on me for the growth of his kingdom.”
Her next Epson Tour event is the IOA Championship, which will be held April 25-27 at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon in Beaumont, California.
And, if Georgia Oboh earns her LPGA Tour card later this year, she will always remember the many professional practice courtesies extended to her by the staff at the Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach.
