Golf Association announces scholarship for youths

Tiger Woods is the most popular face associated with golf, which is not a sport popular to most of Belize. But the sport is actually making the fairway into a classroom.  If you didn’t already know, there is a Belize Golf Association and it is currently combining the sport with education for the benefit of primary school children. The association announced its new project, the Belize First Tee opportunity today. It’s a free golf school to introduce the sport to kids from the Belize and Cayo Districts and it also gives them the opportunity to earn a scholarship. Gabriela Batres, the President’s assistant, told us via phone that the project is their way of showing children importance of education and sports.

Via Phone: Gabriela Batres, President’s Assistant, Belize Golf Assn

“They’re opening a free school of golf for young children from ten to twelve years old. They do a course for them to learn the sport and after that they are going to have a tournament and the winner of the tournament will receive a full scholarship from the grade that he/she is right now until sixth form.”

Delahnie Bain

“Why did the association decide to do this for the kids and for free at that?”

Via Phone: Gabriela Batres

“Because we think the kids need a good education and we want to show the country the sport because it’s not that famous or not everybody is able to play because they don’t know it. So maybe we can find in these kids, talent and they can discover that this sport is not boring, like everybody thinks; it something fun. And also we can provide them with education so they can have both things.”

Delahnie Bain

“What are the qualifications for the kids to join?”

Via Phone: Gabriela Batres

“They have to be ten to twelve years old, they have to live in the cities of San Ignacio, Santa Elena, Belmopan, Benque Viejo and Belize City and they can be able to practice when the classes are.”

Delahnie Bain

“Is there a set number of students that you all are trying to reach?”

Via Phone: Gabriela Batres

“Not really, we are going to accept every kids that wants to participate in this opportunity of wining the scholarship.”

The Belize First Tee course will run from March to June and the top ten students will compete for the scholarship in the July tournament.