Bigger & Better: How Saudi Arabia is expanding golf throughout the Kingdom

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 07:21:03 +0000

Saudi Arabia is entering golf in 2026 with a unique focus on growing the sport from the roots up. The Kingdom has set an ambitious goal: to expand the number of registered golfers from 5,000 to 46,000 by 2030.

Achieving this requires more than just hosting high-profile tournaments—you have to invest in infrastructure, grassroots programs, and opportunities for new Saudi nationals to learn, compete, and stay engaged with the game. And the Kingdom is very much doing that.

Mark Runnacles / LET

Golf Saudi’s efforts are to integrate the sport into local communities, schools, and youth programs across the country.

Central to participation growth is their “Go Golf” program. The initiative offers 12 free lessons for any Saudi national, introducing beginners to the fundamentals of the game in a structured, supportive environment. Participants will then earn a digital golf passport upon completing the lessons, providing discounts on equipment, memberships, green fees, and even restaurants—all designed to encourage long-term engagement.

Infrastructure growth is just as important. Currently, Saudi Arabia has seven publicly accessible golf courses, but Golf Saudi plans to increase that number to more than 20 within the next five years. Driving ranges will be introduced across all 13 regions, and multi-purpose, Topgolf-style venues are planned for Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province. In addition, the partnership with Five Iron Golf will bring cutting-edge indoor golf facilities to Riyadh starting in early 2026, blending simulation technology, hospitality, and instruction to attract beginners, families, and casual players.

Golf Saudi

For example, courses like the new Wadi Safar Golf Course, designed by Greg Norman, combine world-class infrastructure with sustainable operations. These types of venues will serve both professional competitions and community programs, offering golfers a place to learn and grow while also positioning Saudi Arabia as a global golf destination.

High-profile tournaments also play a role in inspiring participation. Events in the past 12 months include LIV Golf Riyadh, the PIF Saudi Ladies International, and the Saudi Open presented by PIF all showcase elite talent while giving Saudis a chance to experience world-class golf firsthand. Attendance figures highlight the growing interest that there is in the Kingdom. More than 72,000 people registered for the 2025 Saudi International, a dramatic increase from just 8,000 the previous year across the four tournament days.

Golf Saudi

The tournaments staged by Golf Saudi are integrated with weighty initiatives like Riyadh Season and entertainment events, combining sport with tourism, hospitality, and business. Showing that golf is a driving economic growth, thanks to partnerships with entities such as the Public Investment Fund and Riyadh Season.

Golf Saudi has focused a vast amount of its time on creating pathways for local talent. Programs for juniors, women, and emerging professionals provide coaching, competitive opportunities, and mentorship from Golf Saudi ambassadors, including both global stars and Saudi Arabian professionals like Othman Almulla, Saud Al Sharif, Faisal Salhab, Khalid Attieh, and Shergo Al Kurdi. This combination of elite access and grassroots development ensures that the sport is inclusive and that talent can be on display at every level.

The Kingdom’s development efforts are also complemented by regional initiatives. The Arab Golf Federation (AGF) launched the Arab Golf Series (AGS), a unified schedule of tournaments across 17 member nations, complete with an official ranking system for amateur and professional players.

Five Iron Golf

This now provides a clear pathway for emerging Arab golfing talent, enabling them to measure themselves against the best in the region and gain international exposure. By participating in AGS events, local players can track progress, earn ranking points, and qualify for higher-level competitions, creating a structured ecosystem that bridges grassroots development and elite performance across the Arab world.

Looking into the crystal ball for 2026, the Kingdom’s strategy is to further nurture and grow the sport through infrastructure, community programs, elite competition, and national initiatives like Go Golf. The combination of world-class venues, strategic partnerships, and structured development programs is designed to ensure that golf is not only played but embraced as part of Saudi Arabia’s cultural and sporting fabric.

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The post Bigger & Better: How Saudi Arabia is expanding golf throughout the Kingdom appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Building the next generation of Arab golf

Harry Grimshaw — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 07:04:03 +0000

The Arab Golf Federation continues to place a real emphasis on developing homegrown talent by creating pathways that help young players move confidently from the amateur ranks into the professional game.

That commitment was reflected clearly this past season, with over 20 Arab players earning spots in the 2025 Saudi Open, a US$1 million event on the Asian Tour, offering them valuable experience at a world-class level.

2025 Saudi Amateur Open

The progress on display began well before tournament week. The Saudi Amateur Open again showed how Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation are building a complete structure that gives emerging players the opportunities they need.

The event sits within the Arab Golf Series, sanctioned by the Arab Golf Federation, and awards official regional ranking points. Those points carry real weight as they raise a player’s standing and strengthen their chances of qualifying for stronger fields across the region and beyond.

Othman Almulla – Saudi Open

The 2025 Saudi Open highlighted the speed at which the sport is evolving in the Arab world and Saudi Arabia’s influence as a host of international golf.

This year’s field brought together standout players from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, joined by a strong Saudi lineup that included professionals Othman Almulla, Saud Al Sharif, Faisal Salhab, Khalid Attieh and Shergo Al Kurdi.

A promising group of Saudi amateurs also competed, highlighting the work underway and reinforcing the wider effort to create an integrated ecosystem that prepares Arab players for the professional stage.

Adam Bresnu – Saudi Open

Al Kurdi and Moroccan amateur Bresnu were amongst five regional competitors to make the cut alongside the UAE’s Joshua Grenville-Wood, Qatar’s Daniil Sokolov and El Mehdi Fakori, also of Morocco.