Nexgen Golf Academy plans unveiled for updated golf course

“Question everything, change some things,” says Aleem Hussain, President of the Guyana Golf Association and Nexgen Golf Academy, as he outlined an alternative to the normal design and layout of golf courses that have shaped golf worldwide.
Hussain has said that two things have always made golf expensive – the size and cost of land close to populated areas, and the high maintenance of 100-200 acres of land, leading to exclusion from the game by the majority of the population, due to affordability.

“The fact that we are accustomed to playing golf courses with 9 or 18 fairways doesn’t mean that is the only way we should design a course. This innovative approach allows us to use as little as 10 acres, which will drastically reduce development and maintenance costs, allowing us to pass those savings on to players, especially new ones,” Hussain has said.
Strategically placed elevated tee boxes and challenging greens would allow players to experience a different course every time they play, effectively giving players more of a challenge than a traditional course. The greens, which would be as much as 8 feet above the fairways, would be well guarded by bunkers, and would pose challenging approach shots across water hazards which would test the skill of every Tiger Woods wannabe!

Already one of the few COVID- compliant sports, Golf has the added advantage of providing great scholarship and excellent networking opportunities for young players, who can use the sport to meet and mingle with top managers and executives of the burgeoning oil & gas industry.
Boldly predicting that golf would become one of the most recognised sports in Guyana, Hussain has said that partnerships with many organisations and companies would help to realise this dream. He declared, “The Scouts Association of Guyana and the Guyana Teachers Union grounds in Georgetown on Woolford Avenue have allowed several hundred new players to be exposed to the game in just a few short months.”
The rush is on to make the game accessible and affordable now that the demand and interest is there because the sport has been introduced into the school system and golf can be chosen as a sport option for CXC/CAPE examinations.
Even though Nexgen Global expects to complete 3 new courses in 2021, with the volume of new players and influx of remigrants and expats, the demand for as many as 10 courses will be created by the end of 2022, since courses can only accommodate 300-500 players per week.

Hussain emphasised that the role played by the media and support of longtime sponsors such as Giftland Mall, Macorp, Assuria General Insurance, Guyana Beverages, AR Printery, Banks DIH, Vivaanta Spa, Trophy Stall, Nesha’s Flowerland and Copa Airlines, among others who have been firmly behind the development of the sport for many years, are among the reasons the GGA is confident it would be able to deliver on its promises.
Hussain explained that because of generous donations of equipment and services by overseas-based Guyanese, including Bill & Aleena Knight, The Shafura Hussain Foundation, Anwar Shaffie, Danny Ramnarain, and locally by Colin Ming, it currently costs only $500/hour for children to learn the game at the Academy, but with the fantastic response from the schools so far, there would be need for as many as 3,000 golf clubs and 50,000 balls to support the school programme.
For more information about Golf, the Academy, or lessons, interested persons are warmly invited to visit Facebook: Nexgen Golf Academy, or call 645-0944.