In late December, the Costa Rica Golf Federation held a special event at the Cariari Country Club. More than 30 golf instructors received special training to achieve the standards of the United States Kids’ Golf Certified Instructor Seminar. The ultimate goal of this training is to grow the sport at the junior level in Costa Rica and eventually become an official destination of the U.S. Kids’ Golf Tour.

According to a press release recently published by World Golf, a website managed by the Golf Channel, the Costa Rica Golf Federation is looking to strengthen the sport in the country by making it more appealing to young people. Until now, wealthy parents who wished to improve the potential of their children to grow into the next Tiger Woods only had the option of sending their progeny to prestigious golf academies in Florida at a steep price. Now their children can stay in Costa Rica and be coached by a U.S. Kids’ Golf Certified Instructor.

Alejandro Duque is the director of the Junior Program at the Costa Rica Golf Federation. He told World Golf that he hopes to see golf training for children to be more than just driving and putting techniques:

“We hope to use golf to teach kids life values and life lessons and to unite families in a healthy and fun environment.”

In the U.S., Mr. Duque is a top-rated golf instructor for children. In Costa Rica, he wishes to replicate some aspects of the world of kids’ golf in the U.S., including forward tees at national courses and a more competitive landscape:

“I’d like to take the steps necessary to turn our local ranking tour into a U.S. Kids Local Tour, and then organize a big international event in Costa Rica so all our kids have an event to look forward to throughout the year,” Duque said. “I see great commitment to youth golf from a lot of people, so I see great results coming soon.”

As recently reported by the Costa Rica Star, this country is becoming one of the top international destinations for golf enthusiasts, surpassing Panama and quickly catching up to the Caribbean. Several golf courses are located in the luxurious resorts of Guanacaste, which is a bit ironic considering the ongoing water shortages and other issues in that province.