After a professional soccer career that lasted 18 years, Peter Odemwingie could have happily sat back and reminisced about a journey that saw him play in the top flight in Belgium, France, Russia and England.
He could have dined out on tales of his exploits for Nigeria, from helping them win an Olympic silver medal in Beijing Olympics to scoring the winner against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Brazil in 2014, giving the Super Eagles their first win at a FIFA World Cup since 1998.
Having pushed himself every day on the pitch and in the gym, Odenwingie could now settle into the comfortable life of an ex-footballer. A fluent speaker of French, English and Russian, he was inundated with offers to work as a pundit and was even handed an ambassadorial role at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.
However, there was another passion that Odemwingie was keen to explore: golf. Some four years after starting the course with the PGA at the University of Birmingham, Odemwingie has now qualified as a PGA professional.
The journey started during his playing days at West Brom when he was first introduced to the game of golf.
“A lot of the boys would go and play on a Tuesday after training but I was never that interested. Then on one of the pre-season training trips we went to America and Roy Hodgson took us to a golf resort. A few people were on the putting green and they were buzzing so I decided I wanted to try. I was wearing slippers but I hit one with the driver and it sounded really good. I immediately thought, ‘Wow, there’s something here’,” explains Odemwingie, who retired from football in 2018 after a short stint in Indonesia.
A new chapter
“It took me another year to hit a ball but I truly fell in love with golf during a trip to Turkey. The holiday package we chose came with one golf lesson so I went down in the early morning and hit a few putts and did okay. It was really exciting for me, not just hitting a few balls but walking into the club shop and seeing all the golf gear.
“Once I came home I had a meeting with the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) and it was at The Mere Hotel. I didn’t even know there was a golf course there but I popped into the shop and bought my first set of clubs. Then I drove to a nearby American Golf driving range and just pounded balls.
“People would tell me I could get a lesson, but I would hit 500 balls a day as I was just so keen. It was pretty ridiculous, people even started calling me the new Moe Norman.”
Those clubs would get plenty of use in the years ahead as Odemwingie continued to play. His first official round would come at The Belfry where he played alongside his then-neighbour, Jamie O’Hara. The two soon realised this wasn’t a course for beginners, but they had been bitten by the golf bug.
After moving to Stoke, Odemwingie would find himself on the course more regularly, playing with the likes of Peter Crouch, Charlie Adam and Jack Butland. They would regularly play at Royal Birkdale and even found time during a pre-season trip to Dubai to test out courses in the emirate.
Taking the plunge
It was around this time that Odemwingie joined Aston Wood Golf Club and began regularly playing on the course designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark. His handicap soon started to come down and he became obsessed with consuming golf content, whether it was watching coaching videos on YouTube or rewatching Ryder Cups of yesteryear.
“I was watching old footage of The Open, videos of Gary Player and Moe Norman, I just fell in love with the game,” he explains. “Then I started to play in a few Pro-Am tournaments and every now and again I would hit these great shots and I knew there was some talent there.”
Odemwingie continued to play but could never fully commit until he hung up his boots in 2018. Once he was able to dedicate his time to golf, he soon found success. He began to win a few Pro-Am tournaments and achieved a handicap that brought him within the threshold to undertake the Playing Ability Test.
Fewer than 20% of those taking the playing test return a passing score, but Odemwingie kept his cool to shoot 15-over par across 36 holes and pass at the first opportunity. Now there was a choice to make, should he pursue a career as a pundit or continue his golf journey?
“There were lots of opportunities for me in football, whether it was on the media side or doing my coaching badges. But I had a genuine love for golf so as soon as I heard about the PGA Training Programme I put in an application,” he recalls.
“I knew that there would be a lot of hard work but I was used to that from my footballing days. I knew that there were no shortcuts to success so I made sure I was disciplined when it came to studying and I continued to persevere. That helped me get over the line and I’m sure I will not be the only footballer who will go on to complete this course.”
After four years of studying at the University of Birmingham, Odemwingie now has a new lease of life and at the age of 43 is excited about the next stage of his career. He hopes to launch his own golf channel where he can provide coaching tips and play rounds with some of his former teammates.
Growing the game
He also plans to spend more time with coaches to continue his golf education. But perhaps one of his most exciting plans is to help grow the game in two countries that are extremely close to his heart: Russia and Nigeria.
Odemwingie was born in Tashkent – now the capital of Uzbekistan – when it was part of the Soviet Union, before moving to his father’s home country of Nigeria at the age of two. He then moved to a secondary school in Russia, where his mother hails from, and was initially on the books of CSKA Moscow as a youngster.
He later returned as a professional to play for CSKA’s rivals Lokomotiv Moscow and also had a short spell at Nigerian club Bendell Insurance when he was a teenager. Both countries have excelled in producing talented footballers, but golf is still very much in its infancy.
“During my studies, I was writing reports on the growth of golf in Russia and in the former USSR territories. Kazakhstan is beginning to host Challenge Tour events, so I’d like to speak with people about opportunities to grow the game in that part of the world, especially as my mum is from Russia,” explains Odemwingie.
“I also have plans to help grow the game in Nigeria. Hopefully, with my status as a PGA Professional, it will open doors. Nigerians are excelling in sports around the world and there is so much talent within the country; they just need an opportunity as they have the drive and motivation.
“There are some golf clinics taking place at Ikoyi Golf Club, which is the most famous club in Nigeria, but I would like to speak to the government about making the game accessible to everyone.
“My hope is that I can inspire young people in Nigeria, Russia, or somewhere else, to start playing golf and see where it can take them. Whether that is through my own golf channel or by putting on coaching clinics, I would love to help in any way I can.”
