Bruster’s Real Ice Cream and QualiTea Café Junior Golf Program off to a fantastic start at the Lusignan Golf Club

…Haynes emerges victorious

Saturday afternoon was the launch of free junior golf at Guyana’s famous Lusignan Golf Club. The sponsors began by donating an assortment of kids’ golf clubs, bags, and gloves to the Lusignan Golf Club. This generous donation of equipment was handed over to the club so that kids would be able to play free of charge. Any child 15 years of age and under would have access to play golf, but a parent or guardian must first call the club manager at 220-5660 to arrange an appropriate time slot.

On Saturday, the kids arrived just after the conclusion of the morning Bruster’s and QualiTea Café Cup Annual Golf Classic. A meal was offered to all attendees, followed by coaching sessions from the Lusignan golfers and caddies, who were pleased to lend support to the 50 kids participating in competition.
After about an hour of practice, in which the kids were free to hit hundreds of practice shots, the competition commenced.
All kids between the ages of 6 and 15 were entered into the Drive, Chip and Putt competition. The competitors were grouped by age, and began by chipping the golf ball to the flag on the putting surface. The kids then went on to the putting green to compete in the second and final leg of the competition. After two exciting rounds of competition, all the points were tallied, and awards were given to the top 12-point earners.
Shane Haynes was the leading points getter with a total of 345 points, winning the overall cup along with the first-place medal in his category. All other winners received medals.
* Gold Medalists: 1st Shane, Haynes; 2nd, DeMarco Dalgetti; 3rd, Darren Todd; and 4th, Angel London
* Silver Medalist: 1st, Chris Lillah; 2nd, Seth DeSilva; 3rd, Jalon Eastman; and 4th, Treyon Gordon
* Bronze Medalist: 1st, Akira Bazilio; 2nd, Eva Bowling; 3rd, Nickette King; and 4th Tanya Taylor.
Kids of all ages, from as far away as Hopetown in West Berbice and Linden in Upper Demerara, and from Georgetown and around the Lusignan area attended the tournament. This was an afternoon of learning and fun competition, complemented with ice cream and other treats provided by the co-sponsors, QualiTea Café and Bruster’s Real Ice Cream. The sponsors, in partnership with the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), have committed to having Easter Saturdays as the day for the annual kids’ golf Fun Day and Drive, Chip and Putt competition.
With the inaugural kids’ fun afternoon being such a smashing success, the groups are encouraged, and have already begun, to plan road trips to Hopetown Berbice and Linden for later in the summer. The goal is to provide golf equipment to kids in some of the far away areas, to enable them to practice the game and learn valuable life lessons in the process, as explained by Bruster’s Guyana Director Paton George, who currently serves as the VP of the LGC.
“Golf is…the only sport discipline where players must police themselves. There is no referee walking behind a player to make a foul call. The players call penalties on themselves. This is a great foundational lesson we hope to imprint in the psyche of our next generation of golfers and leaders. In addition to learning this great game, the kids will also learn the value of the honour system, which polices all golfers” George explained.
The competition was run by LGC Club Secretary Chet Bowling, who had a big hand in the successful running of the competition. Bowling spoke on behalf of the executive committee in expressing thanks to the sponsors for their commitment to youth development and corporate social responsibility. He also thanked all the attendees and volunteers, including caddies and players who assisted the parents and kids.