Golfer Destiny Donald, nine, has big dreams

DESTINY Donald may be small, but she has big dreams.

Destiny was one of many children from the Diego Martin Girls' RC School who participated in the 2023 Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) Junior Golf programme on March 22.

Destiny, nine, is in standard three. She was one of the students who showed Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles-Robinson what she learned during the programme at the Chaguaramas Golf Course.

“Yes I like golf,” Destiny told Newsday Kids.

Speaking about what she was taught during the programme, she said, “I learned how to putt and to chip and how to drive.”

Destiny said, “I like the putting and I like when you have to hit it far. Since I was in standard two I started playing golf.”

She plays at home and shows her family what she has learnt. “I got four balls to go home with.”

But, in addition to being a golfer when she grows up, she wants to follow other career paths.

“We were doing a project and they were asking what we want to be when we grow up? I put a dancer, a teacher and a coach. I want to teach children how to play golf.”

During the closing ceremony, Professor Frank Fraley from Worker Bee Foundation told the students that the game of golf has given him the chance to see the world.

“The game has given me opportunities to visit many parts of the world, to meet different people and it has all been because of the game of golf.”

Destiny wants to play golf all over the world.

One of her coaches, Stephen Bishop, believes in her talent.

“She is smaller than everybody, but golf has no special age. It is a skilled game,” Bishop said.

Bishop said Destiny has potential and the right attitude.

“Even when we have the class going on and we tell them to take a water break, when everybody is running to drink water she will go get water and come back to hit balls.”

Golf is an expensive sport, so the CDA and the Worker Bee Foundation collaborated to give children like Destiny the opportunity to play the game.

The Worker Bee Foundation, a New York-based organisation, donated golf equipment for the programme. The children learned the basics of golf with help from local coaches.