The year 2022 for the Guyana Golf Association (GGA), Nexgen Golf Academy the sport of golf overall was nothing short of exceptional.
According to founder, Aleem Hussain, partnerships were engineered with the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit, the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority to catapult the sport into the national spotlight.
As a result, despite the failure of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) to provide requested affiliation since March 2020, major milestones were accomplished as the fledgling organization was able to rack up an impressive list of successes in 2022, as 112 students from Anna Regina, Rosignol, Linden, and Friendship became the first in the country’s history to take golf at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC) and achieve an incredibly high pass rate.
The sum of 132 Secondary School Physical Education Teachers were trained under a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit and Nexgen Golf Academy resulting in the sport becoming accessible to more than 8000 students in seven regions. Partnership programmes with the Cyril Potter College of Education, Nations School and Texila American University added strength to the growth of the sport in various learning institutions, Hussain stated.
The (GGA) continued its summer camp programmes with over 150 kids from disadvantaged households and orphanages being given the opportunity to play a sport that was once considered just for the elite. Additionally, the organization maintained its commitment and hosted several charity activities for orphanages and non-profit groups in 2022.
To close off the year in style, as a promotion for national tourism month 2022, Nexgen Golf Academy and the Guyana Tourism Authority teamed up to create a golf putting contest around the country and results were absolutely fantastic in so much that it will become an annual activity for promotion of sports tourism, declared Hussain. Over $1,000,000 in cash and other prizes were given away as a part of the event.
The Nexgen Golf Academy also achieved great successes in tournament play as Aleem Hussain, playing in the Championship Category came in third in Suriname’s national tournament and second best net in the GTT Guyana Open tournament in Guyana. According to Hussain, “It was a good year for the academy and for me to perform well on the big stage shows that what is taught at the academy can be translated into performance in the field. And to top it off, we were nominated by the GTA for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award.”
Asked what’s on the horizon for 2023, Hussain said “Now that our partnership with the Texas Golf Association is entering its second year, we seek to affiliate with the LPGA and the USGA Women’s Programme which will open opportunities for our young female players to be recognized on the world stage. We will host several inter-school, inter-region and a national tournament this year and plan to create fun tournaments that will allow thousands of participants to experience the joy of winning at golf.
And the expectation is that we will see more than 200 students taking golf at CSEC, a number that dominates the Caribbean region.”
Hussain said with the support of the media, the large number of new sponsors and the unwavering support of the various government organizations, there is no doubt in his mind that golf will become a major attention getter in the sports arena in Guyana.
