Majed Al Sorour, the dual Saudi Golf Federation (SGF) and Golf Saudi CEO, delivers his opening address at the Golf Saudi Summit in KAEC on Monday.
By Kent Gray
If there were any lingering misgivings about the seriousness of Saudi Arabia’s vision for golf in the Kingdom and beyond they were unequivocally allayed by Majed Al Sorour on Monday.
The dual Saudi Golf Federation (SGF) and Golf Saudi CEO left attendees at the inaugural Golf Saudi Summit with no doubts about Saudi’s ambition to pioneer “new benchmarks” in mass participation, design and management following his keynote address to open the conference.
“Saudi Arabia will become golf’s most dynamic market within a decade,” Al Sorour said.
Aligned to Saudi’s ‘Vision 2030’ socio-economic development programme, the Golf Saudi Summit has brought together golf business leaders from around the world to King Abdullah Economic City, including major champions and course design heavyweights Gary Player and Greg Norman.
Golf Saudi and the SGF have already mapped out a new ecosystem for the game in the Kingdom, focused around five key development pillars: Access and Infrastructure, Events, National Team and Academies, Mass Participation and Tourism.
Among Golf Saudi’s targets over the next decade are to build a grassroots foundation of between 13-27,000 registered players, to ensure more than one million Saudi nationals have actively tried golf, as well as establishing golfing camps for children with a minimum of one camp per week at each golf course, with each camp consisting of roughly 30 children.
Al Sorour said he was determined to ensure the “great game of golf” becomes “part of the fabric of modern-day Saudi Arabia.”
“Under the vision of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, the nation has taken the boldest steps in its history,” Al Sorour said.
“We have laid out major plans for the socio-economic growth and development of the Kingdom; in tourism, commerce, investment and the entertainment sectors. The nation has taken its boldest step and is very much open for business. These are hugely exciting times.
“I have a number of over-arching aspirations for golf in the Kingdom, but fundamentally I want golf to help develop the leaders of tomorrow, in government, in business and in all walks of life.”
“During this week’s inaugural Golf Saudi Summit, we are hoping we that our conversations can play a significant role in shaping our collective vision for golf in Saudi Arabia. We want to debate how we drive true golfing success in Saudi Arabia. How we introduce the game at every level. To children and to adults. To men and to women. Right across the Kingdom.”
During the Golf Saudi Summit, businesses will be given a unique opportunity to tap into this progress, as the Kingdom showcases numerous lucrative opportunities and its ability to drive real estate, corporate, tourism and business-to-business benefits.
Other headline names speaking at this week’s Golf Saudi Summit include Player, Norman, award-winning golf course architects Robert Trent Jones Jnr; and Tim Schantz, CEO of Troon. Saudi stakeholders attending notably include Qiddiya CEO Mike Reininger and John Pagano, the CEO of Red Sea Development Company.
