EGF marks Women’s Golf Day with strides of development

As the world marked the Women’s Golf Day on Tuesday, the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) is using the platform to address the strides of development the UAE Golf Federation has seen over the past two years.

Over the past two years, the EGF’s National Ladies Programme has attracted over 100 female players, particularly young women, from different emirates of the country, as part of the game’s Women in Golf efforts.

“The National Ladies and Junior Development Programme, in collaboration with the country’s golf club academies and the Ministry of Education, has been behind the success over the past two years in attracting 100 players from different emirates, including 30 players between the ages of 7 and 13, said April Varney, coach of the UAE national ladies team.

“The goal of the federation is to build a strong foundation of different generations. We want to have a good mixture of talent in order to compete on all levels including the Arab and Gulf Championships as well as the Asia-Pacific Championships,” Varney added.

During the past spring break 30 players were selected to participate in local championships, this fun but competitive championship gave coach Varney and the EGF to see how much the programme has developed over the past two years.

The EGF saw some promising talents, most notably the 11-year-old twin sisters Salama and Latifa Al Jassmy. As well as Fatima Kalbat (9 years), Rawda Mohammed Al Hafiti and Sarah Ali, each aged 12 and Yasmin Mansour Al Amadi, 13, and Faye Mohammed Al Blooshi, 14.

“We look forward to continuing to work on the golf federation’s promising strategy. Under the guidance of Sheikh Fahem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of Emirates Golf Federation, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and golf clubs of the, the UAE National Golf Programme has worked to intensify training and has strong ambitions for success,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the EGF and the National Teams’ Manager.

Since 2019, Varney has been coaching the women’s and girls’ National Teams. She led the UAE Women’s Golf team to a silver in the Arab Championship, followed by a gold in the GCC Golf Championship, with a hopeful ambition of a top finish in the Asia-Pacific in the near future.

The Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) was formed in 1995 and is the governing body of golf in the UAE. The EGF administrates and provides the United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap System to all EGF members. The EGF sanctions all amateur and professional golfing events and activities in the UAE.

The EGF is a non-profit organization with the goals and responsibility of increasing awareness and participation in golf. The EGF actively conducts an Order of Merit Season, National Junior Development Programme, and senior, junior, and ladies national team programmes. The EGF and UAE golf clubs work closely together to help shape the future of golf in the UAE.

The National Junior Development Program is aimed at continually identifying and developing young UAE national players by providing them with the best possible opportunities to learn the finer points of the game.

The NJDP provides young UAE national players with an environment in which they can grow, express themselves both personally and professionally and realize their dream of representing the country one day.

The UAE boasts some of the finest golfing facilities in the world and the interest in the game has skyrocketed over the years.