The Nexgen Golf Academy hosted 30 students from Rosignol Secondary School on Thursday to prepare them for their historic venture in becoming a part of the first group of learners to take golf as a PE elective at the CSEC examinations this year.
Accompanied by teachers Rameshwari Dharamdat and Kevon Jawahir, the students spent 4 hours going through driving, chipping and putting drills, before engaging in fierce chipping and putting competition that produced the following results after multiple playoffs to determine a winner:
Chipping Boys
* 1st- Akadian Andrews
* 2nd- Veer Farhad
Girls
* 1st – Alecia Fraser
* 2nd Kayla Joseph
Putting
* 1st -Kieanna Mc Almont
* 2nd -Odel Fordyce
Coach Al Wilson took the time to work with each student individually, and ensured that each one had the opportunity to hit dozens of balls before the competition.
Kevon Jawahir spoke about his feeling when first invited to participate in the programme by Allied Arts Unit’s Barker-King and Braithwaite, “I never imagined that I would be hooked on a game so quickly, and immediately wanted to ensure that my school would be an active participant. With the response demonstrated here today, it is almost certain that this will be a main PE activity in our school and at CSEC level for many years to come.”
The students after they had participated in the golf challenge
Under the joint collaboration between Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit and Nexgen Golf Academy, the sport has acquired the keen interest of thousands of students and their families in just over a year, taking full advantage of its COVID-19-compliant status.
“The unique teaching methods guarantee that anyone can learn to hit the ball properly in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea!” according to Barker-King. Braithwaite added, “This has been demonstrated time and time again to the hundreds of new players who flock to the sport each time we do an outreach.”
According to estimates, the number of learners who will select golf as their CSEC examination PE elective this year would exceed expectations, and that number is expected to be in the thousands next year as more secondary schools join the programme.
Currently, 82 schools are participating, and 28 more from Georgetown district are set to come on board in March.
Government has allocated extraordinary resources to sport and education in the 2022 budget, and with emphasis on new golf courses such as Maraiko Bay Resorts, Ashmin’s Fun Park, and other golf facilities, it is almost certain that Guyana would become a golf destination in the near future.
