THE Guyana Golf Association (GGA)/Nexgen Golf Academy announced they will be promoting a number of new programmes aimed at getting more Guyanese playing golf and working in golf-related roles.

In 2020, Nexgen Golf launched an initiative to make golf available and accessible to players from all walks of life. Their latest programme, sponsored in part by Maraiko Bay Golf & Country Club, will offer 200 children from the recent NGSA graduating classes in Regions 4 & 5 ‘B Schools’, complimentary membership and lessons to begin playing golf at the Academy.

Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Maraiko Bay, Rudy Ramalingum, said, “We often overlook the hard work and achievement by those children who did not top their respective schools and this is our way of letting them know that they too are worthy of recognition and respect for their dedication.”

The Nexgen Golf programme is centred on the creation of education, employment and leisure activities, early social agenda programmes and an access programme for disabled people and children at their soon-to-be-constructed golf facilities around the country.

Leading the development of the sport in Guyana is president of the GGA/Nexgen Golf Academy, Aleem Hussain, who is also the coach/trainer for the hundreds of new players and creator of the ‘Train theTrainer’ programme which allows for PE teachers to be certified nationwide.

Hussain said: “I have been playing golf for most of my life and have been lucky enough to represent my country in Suriname and Barbados. From the first moment I picked up a club, I always wanted to be able to give back to new players.

“Working as a golf coach in my current role is something I love doing, as it gives me the chance to introduce the game to dozens of Guyanese every day.”

A countrywide mass participation programme is also being planned to provide men, women and children with the opportunity to learn golf through a number of events in parks and shopping malls around the country, with consumers being invited to register their interest in taking part at a later date.

A central component of the Nexgen Golf Academy plan is the continuing roll-out of the school programme which will see thousands of children given golf training as part of the physical education curriculum, with over 80 secondary schools being among the early adopters. The current programme has already achieved close to 8 000 participants.

Hussain commented: “We are delighted to turn our attention to the social component of our National Expansion Strategy after our successful launch with the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit.

“With the rollout of the School Programme, we have created an educational framework, including the internship programme to accommodate the formulation of a skilled domestic workforce, creating the pathway for Guyanese to embark on a range of careers in and around golf, with the aim to create an abundance of new job opportunities.”

According to Ms Barker-King of the Allied Arts Unit, “Alongside the introduction of the School programme, we are thrilled to be involved with the plans by Nexgen Golf Academy that will bring us one step closer to launching a full mass participation programme, which will see thousands of men, women and children being introduced to the game across the country.”