EXUMA, BAHAMAS — After a one-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 11th annual bi-weekly Nelson A Ranger Golf Program hosted by the Sandals Foundation and Sandals Emerald Bay Resort is back.
The program has grown as an invaluable personal development course for underserved youth on Exuma by providing free golf lessons and mentorship to young men and women aged seven to 17.
“Over the years we have seen participants develop into upstanding citizens, driven by the discipline that comes from the sport. Some are doing well in their private lives and study at various universities,” shared golf pro and Program Administrator Nelson Ranger.
The goal, Ranger explained, “is to expose local kids to different sports possibilities and to guide them in a positive direction while having clean fun”.
Sandals Emerald Bay Public Relations Manager and Sandals Foundation Ambassador Snovakia Watson was elated to see the resumption of the program in May, sharing: “It is wonderful seeing how students develop life skills, build their confidence and make new friends while learning the techniques of the sport.”
The PR manager encouraged parents to register their children for the program, which runs until December and has the capacity to accommodate up to 25 students.
Meantime, Heidi Clarke, executive director at the Sandals Foundation, said: “It’s great to be back. We are extremely proud of the partnership with Nelson A Ranger and seeing the transformations that it is effecting in the lives of our youth. We are committed to the holistic development of young people here in the Caribbean and sports is a great vehicle to engage them in a meaningful way while teaching unmatched life skills.”
The program is administered under the highest safety measures, with participants and instructors all following strict sanitation guidelines and wearing masks.
