London: Greg Norman says the UAE should copy the Swedish model of the 1970s and 1980s of focusing on the grassroots of golf if it wants to grow the game and produce champions.
“I love the UAE,” said Norman. “We are building courses in Dubai, Oman, Qatar and presently in Jordan. I think that part of the world is really embracing the game. But in order for it to trickle down to the mainstream and make it accessible to everybody, one needs to take a look at what happened in Sweden in the late 1970s and early 80s. There was a gentleman called Sven Tumba, who loved the game of golf and he went about creating golf courses and promoting the game at grassroots level. Now that was way back: but take a look at Swedish golf today. It is in a pretty healthy state and producing champions.
“As far as the UAE is concerned, golf is pretty much in its infancy as far as growth is concerned. But they have to think about the future right now. This is the same with China and India. It takes a period of time, at least a generation, before things begin to kick in. The UAE has the climate, the sporting prowess and the financial ability to grant grassroots access for people to play the game.”
