South clubs on a mission to develop junior golfers

TWO golf clubs in Trinidad are on a mission to develop the sport in South. Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Club and St Madeleine Golf Club are focusing on their junior programmes in an effort to produce quality golfers, build strong characters and contribute to the success of the national golf programme.

Both Ste Madeleine and Pointe-a-Pierre are hoping to introduce more youngsters to golf.

President of St Madeleine Kennedy Lord said a junior programme is one of the club’s initiatives.

The club makes golf accessible to children.

“Juniors will get free membership and free access to the golf course. Juniors will be 17 years and younger…they can come any day and play golf, they don’t have to pay a fee, ” Lord said.

The Ste Madeleine programme will cater for golfers from age five to 17.

Two certified coaches work at Ste Madeleine including Faud Ramjohn and Sherizz Rampersad.

Ste Madeleine Golf Course is busy with activities with weekly weekend games and monthly medals.

Head coach at Pointe-a-Pierre Anthony Benny is aiming to provide an avenue for junior golfers.

Benny said, “We have started a junior programme in Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Club that is about one year old…we do have a vibrant junior programme. The programme is well put together by having the amount of coaches necessary to walk the children through a process and thereby develop a golfer.”

The junior programme at Pointe-a-Pierre has about 30-40 children.

Benny has five other coaches working alongside him who he believes in.

“They are doing a fabulous job. Everybody is holding their end and doing well,” Benny said.

He made special mention of the club’s coordinator Gail Ramdeen.

“We have the best coordinator that TT ever had. She does a fabulous job.”

Pointe-a-Pierre and Ste Madeleine plan to have a programme for the July/August holidays.

Benny said, “For the July/August what I am doing in Pointe-a-Pierre is putting on a camp for the young people. It is going to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It is going to be running from three to five in the afternoon.”

Benny said the more advanced children will attend the clinic on Monday and Wednesday.

During the July/August Pointe-a-Pierre Kiddies programme, the participants will be engaging in “golf tours” where every Wednesday the children are introduced to a different golf course in Trinidad. The club wants to allow the juniors to experience different putting greens, different course layouts, different fairways and different driving ranges which will enhance their development and not limit them.

Benny said the ability shown by the children is impressive.

He said, "You would be surprised to see these little kids with their parents standing back and watching their kids perform and they are all smiles looking at the kids."

The July/August Kiddies programme at Pointe-a-Pierre starts on Monday.

Lord said, “We know that during July and August that the kids are going to be away from school…and parents want to do a number of things.

“We think that parents could give the kids a reward by introducing them to a new sport and the new sport, in this case, is golf.”

The Ste Madeleine programme will tee off on July 11 with Ramjohn in charge. The classes will be held five days per week.

“The children are going to be in a safe, secure environment. There are going to be assistants who are going to be working alongside coach (Ramjohn),” Lord said.

Two clinics will be held at Ste Madeleine – one in July and one in August. It will only cost $300 for each clinic.

Children are allowed to participate in both programmes.

Both Benny and Lord know the value of golf and how it benefits children.

Benny said life skills are developed through the programme.

“The programme is not only about teaching young people golf. It is about teaching young people responsibility, about handling matters on their own because when you are on the golf course and you are playing golf there is no parent with you to hit the ball.”

Benny said there is a knowledgeable team of coaches with various strengths.

“In the programme, we have coaches like an assembly plant where we have a putting coach, we have a coach to show you how to hold the club, we have a coach to show you how to chip.”

The bulk of the participants at Pointe-a-Pierre are 12 and Under, but they do plan to get older children involved in the programme.

Lord said participants will learn the basic rules of golf, the history of the sport, appropriate golf attire and social skills.

Ste Madeleine has contacted many of the Primary schools in the community to encourage students to play golf.

“What we have done is that we have reached out to all the Primary schools in and around the area. This was just when they were opening back up after covid. As you could well imagine that did not get a lot of traction because covid is still prevalent and parents are still cautious, but as soon as things ease back up that is the intention to go back to the Primary schools.”

Encouraging children to play golf is an initiative being pursued by the TT Golf Association (TTGA) that Ste Madeleine is supporting. The TTGA programme Starting New at Golf introduces people in schools and communities to golf.

Benny also believes that it must be a collaborative effort between clubs and the TTGA to develop golf in this country.

"I have been involved in junior golf almost all my life and I can tell you if the junior programmes are not going anywhere it is because of the way that the clubs do their business. Focus should be on the sport, focus should be on the development of the sport, the focus should be on the improvement or the development of the child because the kids are the future members and golfers of TT."

The golf clubs in Central and South are joining forces to build the sport, said Lord.

“The Ste Madeleine Golf Club is part of a tri-club arrangement with Pointe-a-Pierre and with BC (Brechin Castle) and that tri-club arrangement was formed in late 2021 and the objective is the three clubs are going to support each other by having interclub games.”

Women and girls are a priority at Ste Madeleine and Pointe-a-Pierre. Lord said, “We are indeed trying to get young girls (involved)…we would love them to come join the club, become members, get interested in the sport.

“It is not a male-dominated sport by any means, but there is room for young ladies taking part. We want to welcome young ladies to our club and invite them to come and be a part of the training programme as well.”

At Pointe-a-Pierre, girls are also an integral part of the club with girls playing alongside boys.

Benny and Lord believe their clubs will produce national golfers soon.

“I spoke to Stephen Ames's mom…and her comment is that we need new Stephen Ames," Lord said.

Ames is one of the best golfers TT has ever developed.

“The goal in Ste Madeleine with the assistance of coach (Faud) and Sherizz and so on is to churn out players who are at the junior national level and senior national level with time," Lord said.

Benny said, “They are going to be coming out, don’t worry.” Benny highlighted a couple of players who he already sees with the potential to represent TT.

Golf is often thought to be an expensive sport, but the clubs are making it affordable.

Lord said, “We are trying to make golf accessible to the ordinary citizen.”

For further information on Pointe-a-Pierre contact 733-1070/315-5592 or email ramdeengail@gmail.com and golfproanthonybenny@gmail.com.

For Ste Madeleine contact 369-8619 or 720-1988, email stemadeleinegolfclub@gmail.com or check Ste Madeleine Golf Club on Facebook.