Adding Golf to Trinidad & Tobago’s Attractions’
The popular mental image conjured up by the words ‘Trinidad & Tobago’ is of palm trees fringing golden beaches, lapped by azure sea and matching sky.
Sport? That means cricket and Brian Lara, one of the all-time great batsmen…a passion for football (and some pretty tasty performers including Dwight Yorke)…fishing…snorkelling, that sort of thing.
As for golf? Stephen Ames, a few courses for visitors possibly, some Caribbean competitions, nothing too serious most would conclude… and they would be not too far off-track.
Or, more accurately, that’s how it’s been. But if the aims of the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association reach fruition in the years ahead, the sound of hot-faced drivers striking small white balls around exotic locations will become increasingly prevalent.
Trinidad and Tobago are one of the latest under-developed golfing countries to be embraced into the Golf Development Programme, a joint-initiative between The R&A and The PGAs of Europe, funded from Open Championship revenue surpluses.
As always, the process began with a request from the local Golf Association to The R&A for support in establishing a well-structured foundation of the sport upon which to build comprehensive development.
This led to The R&A asking The PGAs of Europe to nominate one of our Golf Development Consultant/Tutors to undertake a visit to the islands. The object was to meet with the relevant officials and coaches, view existing facilities, examine any development or education schemes already in place and to report on their findings to The R&A with recommendations on a way forward.
From this procedure, a programme of occasional visits by a suitable consultant/tutor over, say, a three-year period, is to be agreed with, and financed by, The R&A.
In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, it was Tony Bennett , the PGAs of Europe’s Director of Education, who made the exploratory visit and compiled a detailed Report & Recommendations.
The next step has been to nominate Education Committee member, Holland’s Jim van Heuvan van Staereling as the ideal person to make the next visit and begin the process of implementing a detailed step-by-step programme when all parties have agreed it.
One necessity, if the long-term aims are to succeed, is for the local PGA to holeheartedly give their support. Moves are in place to bring this about.
To summarise: The purpose of The R&A/PGAs of Europe Golf Development visits, and the task set for Jim van Heuvan van Staereling is to:
- Help TTGA expose the country’s golf teachers to coach education
- Teach the leading young players
- Conduct clinics at various clubs around the islands.
- Currently there are 20 professionals and 20 non-professionals teaching golf in Trinidad and Tobago, and the aim is to increase this in the years ahead.
