A group of Canadian-based Guyanese golfers have collaborated and thrown their support behind the remarkably fast-developing golf programme being undertaken by the Nexgen Golf Academy in association with the Ministry of Education Unit of the Allied Arts Priority Programme.
Head of the MoE Unit of Allied Arts, Nicholas Fraser, thanked donors Joe Marrast, Subhas Chandar, Nigel Chee A Tow, Kris Nancoo, Pradeep Parboji, Samuel Bagot, Madras Pillay, Carl Persaud, Feroze Barakat, and several other golfers from Winnipeg, Canada, who were at the Nexgen Golf Academy on Woolford Avenue yesterday to donate dozens of clubs and balls.
The group said they were impressed by the remarkable progress being made by Nexgen Golf Academy and the Guyana Golf Association and wanted to contribute towards the success of the programme.
“Aleem and I initiated this programme during COVID-19, and I’m extremely satisfied to see the results to date. This equipment will aid the teaching of young golfers in schools all over the country under the mandate of Honourable Minister Priya Manikchand, whose goal is to ensure that all learners have access to a sport during their formative years,” said Mr. Fraser.
“Guyana now has the fastest-growing and largest golf programme in the entire region due to the efforts of the Guyana Golf Association, Nexgen Golf Academy, and the support from the Ministry of Education Unit of Allied Arts.
The programme, which commenced only in January 2022, has had over 400 students take and pass golf as a PE elective at the CSEC examinations, with over 90% at Grade I, despite not having access to a golf course for training.”
Now, with the addition of the Westside Golf Course in Vreed-en-Hoop, which was recently featured in Golf Architecture Magazine, young players in the programme will finally have access to a facility that will prepare them to excel in competition.
There are plans underway to develop similar facilities around the country so that kids are not required to travel long distances.
In less than two years, due to the dedication of the GGA and Nexgen Golf Academy team and with the assistance of their sponsors and donors, over 8,000 people in 8/10 regions in Guyana have been exposed to the sport, and with a projected 12,000 learners to be added to the programme in the next few months, Guyana is set to become a powerful force in golf around the region.
According to GGA President Aleem Hussain, “Our goal is to dominate the junior golf category in the region as we build an Olympic team and produce young golfers who will be able to access scholarships at top universities overseas due to our partnerships with the LPGA Foundation, the Texas Golf Association, and the Barbados Golf Association.”
