Abu Dhabi move to tap young golfers

Sports council, HSBC join hands in unique initiative More than 2,000 local schoolchildren will be introduced to the game ahead of this season’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championships that will feature the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler next

Kids clad in white and blue swamped the greens of the Abu Dhabi Golf Course yesterday to get their first tips on how to get the arc right.

This was part of a Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and HSBC Bank Middle East Limited initiative to launch a grassroots programme. More than 2,000 local schoolchildren will be introduced to the game ahead of this season’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championships that will feature the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler next month.

Students from eight local schools will receive more than 400 hours of coaching at world-class facilities in the emirate’s leading clubs including: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Golf Club.

Four modules

The Abu Dhabi Junior Programme will engage youngsters through four modules, teeing off with ‘Discover Golf Month’ where the four golf clubs will offer free taster sessions for one hour per day across seven days in December. Then in January 2016, groups of students will enjoy unique hour-long guided tours on the Thursday and Sunday of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Saif Omar Thabet, who is part of the individual sport technical team of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, felt that the junior programme would end UAE’s search for world-class golfer.

“It is a fantastic initiative as the percentage of UAE national golfers is less. We feel through this programme there will be an increase in the number of UAE golfers. There is so much happening in golf in Abu Dhabi and we have around four top class courses here which gives everyone a world-class platform,” said Thabet.