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tobago
plantations
Ihave
often been very critical of the Trinidad and Tobago Golf
Association for failing to be sufficiently pro-active in
matters relating to the development of golf in Trinidad
and Tobago.
I have expressed the view that the divide between the Executive
of the Association and the Executives of the various clubs
has tended to be far too wide, a fact which inevitably creates
mistrust and suspicion.
We all know that in Trinidad and Tobago that is almost a
national pastime and that, as a people, we are always quick
to attribute improper motives to anything we don’t
fully understand.
And so the role of the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association
has always tended to be misunderstood and those persons
who sit on its Executive have been constantly maligned and
accused of seeking their own self-interests instead of those
of the clubs which make up that august body.
The same accusations, I must add, also tend to be levied
at those persons who sit on the Executives of the various
clubs.
Let me say that in both cases these accusations are grossly
unfair since the administration of golf in Trinidad and
Tobago, both at Club and Association level, remains a voluntary
occupation and that, over the years, I have seen the amount
of time and effort put in by persons whose only interest
is seeing our beloved sport move forward while the majority
of players go along on their merry ways blissfully unaware
of how much work is involved in keeping a Club or an Association
operating.
Since the late 1980s when I served as President of the National
Golf Club at Chaguaramas, I have remained out of the mainstream
of golf administration in Trinidad and Tobago.
However, in 2007, at the request of Trinidad and Tobago
Golf Association President, Asraph Ali and Director of Golf,
Chris Harries, I agreed to take up the position of Public
Relations Officer of the Association, a position I held
for a number of months until my resignation towards the
end of the year.
Let me hasten to add, before anyone comes to any incorrect
conclusion, that my resignation was purely for personal
reasons.
During the few months I served on the Executive, I must
admit that I was quite impressed by the dedication and commitment
of Mr. Ali and his team and their recognition of the fact
that gone are the days when volunteerism could suffice in
the management of golf if the sport is to progress.
That is why when I received correspondence recently from
the Association outlining its major achievements in 2007
as well as some of the positions it has adopted in its bid
to professionalise the administration of golf, I felt it
important that I share some of these achievements with my
readers and the golfing community in general.
The Association now has a fully-paid staff comprising Director
of Golf, Chris Harries, Operations Manager, Richard Lara,
Event Co-Ordinator, Pauline Raynor and Golf Professional,
Chris Richards.
It has also invested in new offices located at the St. Andrew’s
Golf Club in Maraval to facilitate its administrative activities.
As far as its achievements in 2007 are concerned, let me
point out, lest like Barack Obama I am accused of plagiarism,
that the sections that follow are what I consider to be
the highlights of the Association’s document and are
the words of the T & TGA Executive and not mine.
n GOLF IN SCHOOLS
The Association met with the Ministry of Education and sought
and obtained permission to conduct a pilot project "Golf
in Schools." The programme came into effect in September
2007 with 102 children from four schools.
85 children from Trinity, Bishop Anstey East and Atwell
Educational took part in the programme which was conducted
at Millennium Lakes from September 26th to November 21st.
17 children from the Maraval R.C. School participated in
the programme at the St. Andrew’s Golf Course from
September 26th to November 14th.
n BEGINNERS’ TEACHING GUIDE
A Guide for Teaching Beginners was prepared and distributed
to all professionals, coaches and clubs for use in their
golf development programmes.
n ASSISTANCE FOR COACHES
The Association made representation to the Sports Company
of Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of three local professionals
and was successful in obtaining financial assistance for
them to attend the Leadbetter Academy in the United States.
n R & A ASSISTANCE… P.G.A. MASTER PROFESSIONAL
Based on discussions with Executives of the Association,
the R & A, the international body which governs golf
in all countries except the United States and Mexico, sent
a P.G.A. Master Professional to conduct a "Coach the
Coaches" programme from December 9th to 17th, 2007.
n RULES SEMINARS
A series of Rules Seminars were conducted at various clubs
in Trinidad. They were facilitated by Amoy Chang Fong who
attended an R & A Rules Seminar in Guatemala earlier
in the year.
n EQUIPMENT
The Association received 100 junior golf sets from the R
& A and 30 junior and 20 adult sets from the Stephen
Ames Foundation. These were distributed to the member clubs
for use in their development programmes.
n OPPORTUNITIES FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION THROUGH GOLF
The Association has been looking at avenues for developing
the sport from an academic and professional standpoint.
In this regard, several young players have been able to
secure scholarships at foreign universities and other institutions.
In addition, the T & TGA held discussions with the University
of Trinidad and Tobago and was able to secure a full scholarship
for a young golfer. This was the first-ever golf scholarship
awarded at a local university and will pave the way for
increased co-operation between the University and the sport
of golf.
n COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Several community project were initiated in 2007 and are
ongoing:
They include:
n Usine Ste. Madeleine
29 children and 21 adults were involved in an "Introduction
to Golf" programme which ran from January to September.
n Brechin Castle
26 children and 12 adults were involved in a similar programme
that ran from September to December.
These then are some of the achievements of the Trinidad
and Tobago Golf Association during 2007.
I want to encourage the Association to continue its work,
particularly among the school population, since it is from
that pool that future players like Stephen Ames will emerge.
Now let’s head for the 19th Hole.
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