Photos by Chris Mabus

By Kent Gray
A group of female students and budding young golfers weaned unique golfing insights from some of the sport’s biggest international names during a special workshop arranged by the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF).

Representing a mix of Dubai-based schools, the youngsters toured Emirates Golf Club and took part in tutorial sessions at Topgolf Dubai, led by English LET legend Dame Laura Davies, Solheim Cup-winning captain Catriona Matthew, and English star Bronte Law, to promote the sport among Emirati and Arab students.

Samir Wallani, coach of the UAE Golf National Team, was thrilled with the students’ response to the workshop. “First of all, we have to get more girls into the game. There is a lot of fun within this game but players need to master many aspects – the technical, mental and physical parts, which include ability and the strategy. The students got a lot out of these sessions with the generous and inspiring professionals.”

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On the growth of the game among young Emiratis and Arab world youth, Wallani added: “When I started with the UAE national team in 2017 only a few girls were playing. Now, Emirates Golf Federation is doing a very good job bringing youngsters from schools to the golf course and giving them lessons, selecting the best and adding them to junior national development programme. From there, we find members for the UAE National Team.”

Davies welcomed the opportunity to spread the word about golf to the next generation of Emirati and Arab girl.: “First and foremost, it’s all about enjoying golf, that’s the main thing. It is important to find a level of fun and then if it gets serious, it is all about practice.”

Matthew agreed. “Coming here is great, I was just playing the Angry Birds game which is great fun when you’re young. It’s about keeping it fun; you don’t want to make it too serious. Make it fun to get the girls into the game and they will naturally want to take it further and maybe get a bit more serious…”