Saudi Arabia’s Haya hopes to inspires more females to take up golf in UAE

Gulf  Today, Staff Reporter

Saudi national Haya Ghassan Alsulaiman is hoping to inspire more females to take up golf after bringing one of the USA’s most popular golf coaching institutions to Dubai by opening the Middle East’s first GOLFTEC center.

The indoor golf instruction and club fitting operation, which uses state-of-the-art technology to provide feedback-and fact-based learning.

Although a household name in the US and many other countries, the brand had yet to gain a foothold in the Middle East. That is, until now. Thanks to the bold vision of Haya, Dubai’s golfing community now has the opportunity to access the same smart-teaching methodology that has taken America by storm with the opening of an impressive venue on City Walk.

In the process, the 31 year old has become the UAE’s first and only female golf business owner and she’s intent on growing the game among her fellow ladies.

“I’m quite used to being the only woman in a male dominated arena,” says Haya.

“I worked for my father’s automotive dealership in Saudi where I was the only female employee among 200 men.

“I fell in love with golf after visiting a GOLFTEC facility in California while on vacation. As well as the clear instruction which utilises motion technology and video feedback making it very easy to follow, I really liked the fact that it was away from the intimidating environment of a golf club and I was able to learn at my own pace in a relaxed and fun space. I want to encourage more girls to try this amazing sport and believe that GOLFTEC is the perfect place for them to do so.”

Three years ago, Haya, took the brave decision to leave her native Saudi, where she had lived her whole life, and move to Dubai, following in her father’s entrepreneurial footsteps by opening her own business.

“Golf is a very popular sport in the UAE but there’s nothing like GOLFTEC here,” says Haya. “The teaching methodology and advanced AI technology the coaches use to identify key areas for improvement and create a clear roadmap for game improvement are unique and they’ve got a proven track record of great success.”

Under Haya’s guidance, GOLFTEC has already made an impact with the UAE’s golf community and recently entered into a partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation, which will see the facility used as a training base to develop homegrown talent.