Golf in the Emirates…a qualitative leap and unlimited ambitions

Since its establishment in 1995, the Emirates Golf Federation has continued to work on developing its programmes, activities and events, until the UAE has become an important destination for holding various international tournaments and tours of the game, most notably the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the DB World Tour, and others..

The Federation plays a prominent role in qualifying a large base of emerging players, to support the national teams, at their various stages, and to represent the country in the best way in international forums..

Throughout the year, the UAE has become a major destination for game stars and champions from all over the world, in a step that has confirmed the country’s attractiveness in attracting these stars, due to its qualified facilities and infrastructure at all levels..

The recent period witnessed the national teams, including the junior sector, achieving distinguished results in several foreign participations, most notably in the Arab Championship in Tunisia, where they achieved seven colorful medals. Before that, at the end of last year, the Emirates Junior Golf Team won the team and individual golds in the Gulf Championship in Muscat..

The DB Weld Golf Tour represents one of the most prominent international tournaments hosted by the UAE, during which seven international tournaments are held this year, including three in the elite category of the Rolex Series, with the final qualifiers being held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, amid a prominent global presence of the game’s stars..

Next January, the UAE will host three tournaments in a row: the Team Cup Championship, at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the Hero Dubai Classic Championship at the Emirates Golf Club, and then the Ras Al Khaimah Championship..

The UAE will host the final qualifiers, which include two tournaments, both of which are in the elite category of the Rolex Series, which are the Abu Dhabi Championship, which will be held at the Yas Links Club from November 6 to 9 of next year, and the DB World Championship, which will be held at the Jumeirah Estates Golf Club during the period from 6 to 9 November next year. November 13 to 16 of the same year.

In terms of the remarkable development of the game, especially with regard to the junior sector, the organizing committee of the “Hero Dubai Desert Classic” golf tournament, which will be held from January 10 to 12, 2025, announced that the Dubai Desert Classic Junior Championship, in its third edition, has received accreditation from the World Classification of Amateur Golfers..

His Excellency Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Emirates Golf Federation, confirmed that the Federation is making efforts to spread the game and expand the base of its practitioners from different age groups and nationalities, as the recent period has witnessed exponential growth through the “Future Falcons” program, through which several monthly tournaments are held..

He explained that one of the things that contributes to spreading the game is the qualified infrastructure in the Emirates through the presence of several stadiums in the various emirates of the country, the number of which reaches more than 26 stadiums, and the great support that the game enjoys, whether through holding international tournaments, with the participation of elite stars, or Through local tournaments organized by the Federation for various categories.

His Excellency pointed out that eight different national golf teams represent the country at different age levels for both genders, namely the under-13, 15, and 18-year-old teams, the youth team, and the men’s team, which contributes to giving the opportunity to represent the UAE at the world level in various tournaments..

His Excellency noted that the number of registered players in the federation’s records exceeded 9,000 players, in addition to more than 40,000 practitioners of the game in general in the country, pointing out that the federation is currently working on a program to qualify players to participate in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States of America..

For his part, Major General Pilot “M” Abdullah Al Sayed Al Hashemi, Vice President of the Emirates Golf Federation, confirmed that focusing on juniors is the federation’s most prominent plan at the present time, to attract more talented players to have an important role in the future with the national teams with the aim of climbing the podiums..

He added, “We have a large fan base in the Emirates, most of which are present in numbers exceeding 80,000 spectators in the major tournaments hosted by the country in various emirates, which confirms the extent of the spread of the game among all individuals and groups of society, as well as the extent of the significant shift in the increase in the participant base from All nationalities to follow world stars and champions“.

He pointed out that the strategic partnerships between the Emirates Golf Association and government and private entities represent the cornerstone of supporting the federation’s strategic visions and plans, both in terms of holding local tournaments and hosting international tournaments, as well as supporting talented players at all levels..