A new entity called Falcon Golf has been established to work with Dubai’s golf stakeholders locally and internationally to maximise long-term benefits for the emirate
Dubai’s commitment to golf has been underlined through the establishment of a new entity which will serve to optimise the benefits the sport brings to the emirate.
Falcon Golf will convene all relevant parties in the industry to enhance Dubai’s golf efforts – including driving greater golf tourism, using the sport as a platform to tell Dubai’s story in overseas markets, promoting grass roots participation and managing the successful hosting of tournaments. The organisation will be Chaired by Peter Dawson, former Chief Executive of The R&A and former Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. It will work to increase knowledge about Dubai through the lens of golf, as well as boost Dubai’s reputation as one of the world’s leading golf destinations.
Commenting on his appointment and the establishment of Falcon Golf, Mr Dawson said: “Dubai has a fantastic golf offering and, combined with the emirate’s forward-thinking approach, I believe there is a real opportunity to develop it further. It is a sporting partnership that, over the years, has not only contributed to the growth of Dubai, but also to the global growth and popularity of the game. I am delighted to have been chosen for this special role and motivated by the exciting challenge ahead. Dubai’s investment in its golfing credentials, including its relationship with the European Tour, has proved to be very successful and I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders as we look to the future.”
His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, said: “Dubai has long recognised the potential of both golf’s contribution to the sport economy and the platform it provides to tell our story to the world. The entity will bring together the emirate’s fantastic golf assets and ensure that these continue to deliver for Dubai. This is great news for the continued development of the game in this part of the world. With world-class facilities and courses, a number of professional golfers calling Dubai home, including Rory McIlroy and Rafael Cabrera Bello, as well as new courses coming to the market, we see a clear opportunity for future growth.”
Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation, said: “Golf has been played in the UAE for more than 40 years. In Dubai, as recently highlighted in a Deloitte report, it has grown into an industry worth $270 million. In Falcon Golf, we now have an entity that is responsible for the growth of the game.”
Falcon Golf will manage Dubai's involvement with the Race to Dubai, a season-long competition on the European Tour which celebrates both the diversity and shared passion for golf in 26 countries across the globe. The world’s best golfers accumulate Race to Dubai ranking points as they compete across four continents, earning a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in November 2017, when the European Tour’s Number One player will be crowned. This season’s Race to Dubai is well under way, showcasing a new ‘look’ that incorporates Dubai’s official brand logo.
Management of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic will transfer to Falcon Golf from April 1st 2017. Mohamed Juma Buamim will become Honorary President of the tournaments and continue to impart his knowledge and expertise that has led to the successful hosting of these two events, while golf in DUBAi – under a new name – will continue to oversee the MENA Golf Tour and tee-time booking platform Golf Citizen.
Commenting on Dubai’s renewed commitments to golf, Buamim said: “These are very energising times for Dubai and its golf offering and I am excited to see the industry being convened in this way. I am honoured to have been able to contribute to the success of Dubai’s growth through golf over the last two decades and look forward to my continued involvement, guiding the success of the two tournaments that are so close to my heart.”
Peter Dawson added: “Mohamed Juma Buamim and the team at golf in DUBAi have done an outstanding job and I look forward to building on the strong foundations they have laid.”
ENDS
Peter Dawson in conversation with Tiger Woods
Peter Dawson caught up with Tiger Woods for an in-depth interview in Dubai last week. In the interview, Woods reflects on the injury struggles he has faced over the past 18 months and his comeback, and also looks ahead to the Masters, shares his views on how to speed up the game and discusses his approach to course design.
About Falcon Golf Management Ltd (Falcon Golf):
Set up in late 2016, Falcon Golf is responsible for optimising the benefits brought to Dubai through its continuing involvement with the sport of golf. The entity promotes Dubai to an international audience and facilitates the coordination of the emirate’s wider golf assets, namely the clubs and associated stakeholders, to shape newly packaged offers that will attract golf tourists to the city. The body also promotes the European Tour’s The Race to Dubai rankings and optimises the promotion of Dubai’s professional golf events. Falcon Golf is an affiliate of Falcon and Associates FZ-LLC, a strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership to enhance the emirate’s position as a global hub for finance, business and tourism. Falcon partners with government and private entities to build on the emirate’s many successes to date, helping it fulfil its long-term potential.www.falconandassociates.ae
About the European Tour’s Race to Dubai
The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition on the European Tour which celebrates both the diversity and shared passion for golf across the globe. In 2017, the Race to Dubai traverses four continents and will feature a minimum of 48 tournaments in 26 countries before culminating in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai from 16-19 November at Jumeirah Golf Estates, when the European Tour’s Number One player will be crowned.
The 2016 Race to Dubai was won by Henrik Stenson, thanks chiefly to his victories in The Open Championship – where he claimed his first Major – and the BMW International Open. It was the second time the Swede had won the Race to Dubai, having first done so in 2013. www.europeantour.com
Golf’s economic contribution to Dubai
According to the Deloitte’s 2015 Economic Impact of Sport in Dubai report (available for download online here):
