The R&A

Broadened appeal and accessibility growing golf in Paraguay

The R&A

15 Jan 25

3 mins

Paraguay Golf Association President Alexander Kent is filled with optimism when he looks at the future of the sport in his South American country.

Through its Junior and Public School programmes, the national governing body has provided a catalyst for growth and the numbers provide ample proof that it is working. For example, four players from Paraguay competed in the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship in Peru in November. Here, Kent explains what his association has been doing and the results being seen on the ground…

How many golf courses and players are there in Paraguay and how would you describe the strength of the game there?

AK: We currently have five member courses in Paraguay in our association. There are two more that are undergoing administrative restructuring and another scheduled to open by the end of 2024. In addition, we have a 15-hole par-3 lighted public course that is part of our association's facilities. We currently have 1,100 registered players with handicap indexes and another 400 to 500 casual players. We believe our strength is the number of juniors joining the game as well as a growing interest of women in playing the sport.

How is golf perceived in Paraguay?

AK: Golf was introduced by British and American immigrants and railroad workers in the late 1920s and for decades it was perceived by the population as a niche sport for a limited number of people who practised the game in the only golf course in the country. However, in the late 1970s, the construction of two more golf courses and the inclusion of local players allowed for the creation of the Paraguay Golf Association and the first national teams. Within a few years, the remarkable international success of players coming from all socioeconomic backgrounds increased the interest in the game, and the number of players multiplied from a few dozen to hundreds.

Is it growing?

AK: Yes, and at a quite impressive pace. In 2021, we had just over 650 registered players with handicap indexes and an estimated 1,000 players in total. By the end of this year, we expect to almost double those numbers. The most interesting indicator is that growth is especially strong amongst women and children, followed by young adults between 25 and 30 years old.

What message are you spreading about the game of golf in Paraguay?

AK: Our association is promoting golf as a pathway to personal excellence through a challenging sport. In that respect, we put special emphasis on values such as sportsmanship, hard work and self-control as a means to develop everyone's maximum potential. We also promote the practice of the sport as a healthy recreational activity and as an effective way to foster new social networks. Our association organises over 50 events every year, ranging from professional golf tournaments to local tours for golfers of all levels, ages and genders. Some of the new efforts starting in 2024 are the Initiation Tour (aimed at children from five to 12 years old), the Ladies Tour and the National Par 3 Night Golf Tour. We are delighted with great reviews from new players and unparalleled success with record numbers.

Benjamin Fernandez is one of four players from Paraguay competing in the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship at Pilar Golf Club, Argentina this month.

What can you tell us about the Junior Golf Programme?

AK: The process starts in the academies of our association's member clubs and our public course facilities. The Initiation Tour is the first stage of national level competition, starting at ages five to seven. This tour's objective is mainly recreational, helping kids grow interest and love for the game. Once they decide they will pursue a career in golf, young players from eight to 12 years old move on to the APG National Tour, which hosts ten events each year. At this stage, we promote healthy competition and the development of values that characterise our sport such as sportsmanship and work ethics. In our High-Performance Programme, our goal is to mentor young players to become competent student athletes. Starting in 2024, we launched a programme that focuses on preparing youngsters in their path to collegiate golf. We emphasise the need to combine excellence in academics and sports. In that respect, we have partnered with our National Olympic Committee and organisations such as Athletes USA to counsel players in preparing a well-planned career guiding them in the multidisciplinary tasks a high-performance student athlete needs to address. In total, the Junior Golf Programme involves more than 150 juniors.

How successful has it been?

AK: It has been quite successful in qualitative and quantitative terms. We have increased the number of participants in our programme by over 30 per cent in the past three years, and we have obtained international individual and team titles in the main junior categories in the under-15 and under-18 South American Championship in the past two years. The number of student athletes obtaining scholarships in prestigious universities has also increased exponentially, with an even greater number of young players preparing for collegiate golf.

What do you hope to achieve with this programme?

AK: We are aware that only an exceedingly small percentage of players can make a living as professional players. In that respect, our efforts are centred at counselling parents on the importance of developing the full athletic potential of young players without neglecting a proper academic grounding. Our goal is to reach 30 to 40 players regularly competing at collegiate level. Our hope is to guide our juniors to the gates of collegiate golf where they can discover their athletic potential while obtaining a world-class education in the process.

What is the Public School Golf initiative?

AK: The initiative is an effort to expand the reach and knowledge of golf in non-traditional settings. We have been supporting activities in public schools and communities that otherwise have no interaction with the game. Our aim is to increase awareness and hopefully transform into engagement with golf. We have also financed free clinics in public and private spaces provided by local municipalities and local businesses in cities that have no golf courses yet but have the socio-economic potential to host a golf course soon. This initiative enables kids to have contact with our game, learn about the basic general rules, and it provides a foundational understanding that could trigger interest in a percentage of participants.

How has The R&A helped with the Junior Golf and Public School Golf programmes?

AK: The R&A's support has been crucial for our association, providing a much-needed financial support to our junior programmes in general and the public school initiative in particular. The R&A has been a great benefactor throughout the years to our association. On top of the financial assistance, The R&A's contribution to the development of junior programmes ranges from machinery equipment used in our public course maintenance, to golf equipment used in many academies that allows the attraction of new golfers. Read The R&A’s Developing Golf magazine, targeted at national federations, for more on golf in Paraguay and other features. The latest version is available to view here.

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