Emirates Golf Federation aims to encourage junior golfers

One of the major highlights of the season is the return of the National Junior Championship on the domestic circuit. It will be played alongside the long-awaited UAE National Championship which will be held in the last week of October.

The National Day junior tournament at the par-3 course of the Yas Links Golf Club is the other addition to the National Junior Programme calendar this season. The field for this tournament, which will be held on December 1, will comprise 50 per cent Emiratis and the rest will be expatriates.

A Par-3 League, introduced last year to create awareness about the game among newcomers, will continue this season as well. The league’s opening event will be held on Friday, September 23, in two divisions – under-16 and under-12 – and the final fixture is scheduled for May next year.

Already 30 budding players have signed for the opening event, amply reflecting on the growing popularity of the league.

The National Pairs Tournaments where senior players will be paired with juniors will also be added to the calendar, providing another opportunity for the players to hone their competitive edge. Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, was quite upbeat about the success of the new initiatives which, he said, will help strengthen the base. “We are pleased to introduce some new events for our youngsters who are on the Junior National Programme,” he said.

“Exposure to these events and the ones already existing will provide an ideal springboard for young Emiratis to jump to greater things – hopefully, of course, to the UAE national teams,” he said.

“Creating a strong pool of junior players is paramount to producing a future generation of champions. We are really proud of Hassan Al Musharrekh who improved his game dramatically by regularly competing in these tournaments.

“His winning of the Gold Medal at the recent Arab Golf Championship held in Morocco will, hopefully, inspire and motivate fellow junior golfers to emulate his feat,” he said.

The National Junior Programme, started last year, is supported by Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Al Badia Golf Club, Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, Emirates Golf Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.

“We thank all the clubs for their support in promoting the game among national juniors. Without their backing it wouldn’t have been possible to put together the calendar of events.”