GGA / Nexgen GA is expected to provide more opportunities for young people
The EIG has attracted a number of new entrants
Aleem Hussain gives valuable advice to a beginner
Kaieteur News – Golf was always a sport for a certain sector of the population, and until recently it was a sport that many Guyanese did not know existed in their own country but that has all changed during the past last few years.
Aleem Hussain, current president of the Guyana Golf Association (GGA) and NexGen Golf Academy, noted that golf has the potential to be one of the top sports in the country and in a short time has created opportunities for those far and wide to play . by providing a platform where everyone interested could access the game, regardless of their social status.
Through NexGen Global, as well as improving the facilities at its Academy on Woolford Avenue, Hussain has acquired land to open another course on the West Coast of Demerara and is already negotiating for a location on the Essequibo Coast; this shows that golf is a growing local and more young people will be exposed to the sport.
“Nexgen Global is building the sport from the ground up with an eye to future generations, starting with the school system and planning major competitions between schools, regions and neighboring countries with the aim of establishing an Olympic team in the ultimate. Golf can also help promote Sport Tourism, ”said Hussain.
“When countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE with little access to arable land develop dozens of new courses to boost its tourism industry, they must open their eyes to the potential of golf. With hundreds of millions of golfers worldwide and with Maraiko Bay Golf and Country club and at least three other courses in the development phase, sooner rather than later Guyana will have courses at the same level as other countries, he added.
The leading market for golf as a sport is the United States – believed to contribute over $ 60 billion to the economy. Golf is more than just a game; it is a thriving business growing the economies of the advancing countries.
“One of the most important benefits of golf tourism is that game lovers do not think twice about spending money on the travel and hospitality services involved in the game. In developing countries like India, golf tourism boosts revenue generation, generating economic growth through hotels, restaurants and retail establishments. ”
Golf tourism also attracts high-end visitors, especially repeaters and this enhances the organizational, marketing and bidding capabilities of a country seeking to host major television events. With Covid 19 creating a sport with contact sports, golf is one sport that meets all of the Covid 19 guidelines criteria.
The GGA and Nexgen Golf Academy are off to a flying start in trying to develop the sport across Guyana.