A commitment to golf development for women and girls was very apparent at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open where over a dozen players took time away from their practice to inspire groups of women and girls from the local area and further afield through a series of clinics and Q&A sessions.
The development activities that took place throughout the tournament week aimed to support the efforts being made by the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Golf Federation, to grow the game in the region.
Early in the week, Gemma Dryburgh and Vikki Laing visited the hospitality unit to meet a group of women who had travelled over from Dubai, which was followed by a short game clinic hosted by Justine Dreher. Even on the final day of the event, Valdis Thora Jondottir and Inci Mehmet were leading clinics on the practice ground, whilst other players were meeting youngsters taking part in HSBC Future Falcons activity.
HSBC Future Falcons is a junior golf programme that aims to educate, engage and inspire Emirati and expatriate youngsters in a bid to unearth the next generation of UAE golfing talent. The HSBC Future Falcons activity at the event included a skills competition for over 50 children from a number of local schools, a girls’ only clinic supported by Stacey Bregman and Meghan MacLaren, and concluded with a visit by the 2016 champion Beth Allen to a skills challenge on the final day of the tournament.
Commenting on the week, HSBC Future Falcons Head PGA Coach Tom Wraight said: “This is a great opportunity for the children to experience a professional tournament and be inspired by the LET players.”
LET Director of Development, Mike Round, commented on the week’s activities, saying: “We’re keen to ensure that our events contribute to the development of golf and this has been one of the best examples of what can be achieved. I’m grateful to all the players who took part in all the clinics and Q&As. We applaud the work being done by the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Golf Federation and we hope that a legacy of this tournament will be more women and girls taking up the sport.”
