What can your PGA pro do for you?

I listened to an extremely interesting radio interview earlier this week, with someone in the financial services sector within the UAE.

It is fascinating to hear how other industries perceive the impact of the current economic downturn and how it affects the way they do business. What really intrigues me is how it takes a substantial crisis to stop, stand still for a while and to take stock of the situation at hand.

I have seen Dubai and the business environment change quite dramatically over the past 12 years. We all seem to be so busy all the time, that often we haven't time to stop and lift our heads above the parapet to see what is going on. In many ways, we now all have a tremendous opportunity to take stock of our lives, careers and businesses and to plan ahead – this is something that the UAE Professional Golfers' Association is taking advantage of.

I have been involved with running the UAE PGA for the past seven years or so and have been a member for 12. The UAE PGA has grown exponentially in line with the boom of the golf/real estate market and the development of the private sector. We now have more than 80 members, with this expected to grow to more than 100 by the end of 2009.

The UAE PGA is made up of fully qualified professionals from first-class operators, instructors and retailers to general managers, developers and consultants – all of whom work within the golf industry.

The PGA is a worldwide brand and we are proud to say that through many years of innovation, initiatives and support to the growth of golf our association is recognised as a leader in the industry and a custodian of the game. Here, we “the UAE PGA'' represent only a small percentage of the global golf industry but we are extremely fortunate to be at the leading edge of golf development.

The UAE PGA is proud to boast some of the most talented, passionate, experienced and qualified professionals in the world within our membership and, more importantly, they want to make a difference. Although essentially the association exists for the benefit of our members, we are also extremely committed to the development of the game, which means encouraging non-golfers to take up the sport and supporting junior coaching and development.

As the industry as a whole has slowed it has proven to be of tremendous benefit for us to stop, review and plan for the future.

We have a number of announcements in the coming weeks which will see the UAE PGA establish firm roots within the UAE, create new opportunities and provide affordable access to golf facilities for the youth. The downturn is a challenge, but the silver lining is where the real opportunity lies. The UAE PGA certainly won't miss it – will you?