Dubai: More accessible golf courses like The Track at Meydan are key to improving the local talent pool, according to the UAE’s first professional player, Ahmad Al Musharrakh.
Speaking on the sidelines of the only pay-and-play facility in the country, Al Musharrakh said: “Golf is a popular global game, but it is still finding its feet in this part of the world,
“In order to grow the game and develop more professional Emirati and Arab golfers for the future, we must have more facilities like The Track.
“There are no membership fees and green fees are great value so it has all the hallmarks of a good breeding ground for the future of golf here at all levels.”
Despite the growing number of high-profile international golf tournaments taking place in the UAE there are few facilities that cater for people who are completely new to the sport.
The Track also recently launched an initiative with the Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, introducing golf to their curriculum for the first time. More than 20 boys from the school train for an hour a week at the course under the guidance of UAE National Golf Coach Jason Froggatt and The Track golf professional William Bruce.
The Track recently launched its golf academy, Academy by Troon, offering a wide range of junior classes and starter packages.
“In other parts of the world, facilities like this and school initiatives are common,” Al Musharrakh said. “But that is not the case yet in the UAE. If we are to catch up and start to regularly produce Arab golfers, we need more courses like this.”
