Golf had success in 2020 despite Covid 19
Aleem Hussain during a recent sponsorship event.
Kaiteur News – 2020 was probably the strangest year for Guyana and the world and sports were struggling because of the covid-19 pandemic and our confusion in the elections.
Yet one sport discipline seems to have flourished during the worst year in recent history and that is the game of Golf.
The Guyana Golf Association and NexGen Golf Academy continued to push the envelope for innovative ways to increase public awareness of the sport, seizing the opportunity that allowed golf, a socially distant sport, to thrive under difficult conditions .
When asked about the year in retrospect, GGA President Aleem Hussain said it was remarkable, a word not used by any of the heads of other sports organizations in Guyana. “Despite the challenges we faced in 2020, we were able to do things that were planned and exceeded our goals set for the year. And only in 2021. will it improve. ”
Hussain successfully removed a list of plans and goals for the sport. “Guyana will be home to no fewer than five golf courses over the next few years and will become the destination of Golf Tourism, one of the top sports tourism revenue generators. Maraiko Bay Golf and Country Club in Mahaica is expected to lead the way and have the first full-length 18-hole PGA golf course in the region (a 7,800 yard course is under construction).
Additional courses are planned for the Soesdyke, Linden, Essequibo and West Coast Demerara regions and will be available to play as early as August 2021.
In addition, after years of pushing for golf to be an official sport on the CSEC / CAPE syllabus, we are now starting to teach at 8 Pilot High Schools – Georgetown, Berbice, Essequibo, Linden and East Coast, a program brought to life by the the hard work of Nicholas Fraser, head of the Allied Arts department at the Ministry of Education and Al Junior Wilson, PE teacher on the East Coast.
This project will expand in 2021 and we expect 6,000 students to be exposed to the game in one year. ”
NexGen Golf Academy is expected to improve its facilities with a green space, sand bunkers and short games practice area ready by early 2021 and continues to be a catalyst for new player development due to its central location in Georgetown.
Hussain said there were no plans to increase fees for players (as low as G $ 500 / hour) and more teaching professionals will be added to support the growth.
“When you consider that we have over 450 new players in less than six months, most of them women, one has to be extremely happy with our current position.”
The Guyana Golf Association was formed in February 2020 and has led the way in promoting the sport as a healthy activity that complies with all-age remembrance but more importantly, it has brought new energy and direction to the use sport as a fundraising route for a variety of charities and organizations, from cancer awareness to orphans.
The GGA president felt that there was still work to be done but was extremely grateful to the golf community and his incredible large list of supporters who were always willing to help out with just a phone call.
NexGen Golf Academy recently signed a major marketing agreement with Copa Airlines, the region’s largest airline and one of the largest airlines in the world to brand and promote the sport in Guyana, especially for women and children.
This will take the form of tournaments, competitions and gift giveaways throughout the year and the first promotion is expected to be a Hole-in-One Challenge which will give the winner a round trip ticket to any Copa Airlines destination (restrictions apply) relevant).
Hussain thanked the sponsors, players and staff who worked hard to achieve the offensive goals in 2020 and vowed that 2021 would bring much more excitement, fun and players to the sport than ever before. front. “The attention the sport attracts worldwide allows us to plan for events and tournaments that, if televised, can help market Guyana, its opportunities and resources to a spending audience most in terms of travel, so it will boost tourism in ways beyond. our imagination. ”
For more information on trying the sport, registering for lessons, or holding an event at the Academy, contact them on Facebook or call 645-0944.