Staff WriterThe Arab Golf Federation (AGF) has taken its most ambitious swing yet toward building a future Arab golf champion, wrapping up the debut edition of its Elite Sports Scholarship Program Camp at Riyadh Golf Club.
The four-day bootcamp, part talent showcase, part mental bootcamp, saw 16 of the region’s most promising young players — all under the age of 18 — put through their paces with the kind of intensity that could make even seasoned tour pros sweat through their visors.
The goal? Not just birdies and better backswings, but a full-throttle roadmap to produce an Arab golfing champion by 2035. Yes, it’s bold. Yes, it’s overdue. And yes, The Arab Golf Federation isn’t mucking about.
“This camp represents a turning point in our journey to establish a clear competitive pathway for Arab golfers,” said Noah Alireza, Secretary-General of the Federation.
“By combining world-class training, international exposure, and meticulous evaluation, we are laying a strong foundation for young Arab talents to rise to the top levels of the sport.”
And if you thought this was just another swing camp with a few putting drills and pep talks, think again.
Delivered in partnership with the heavyweight champs of high-performance youth development, IMG Academy, the camp featured a no-nonsense schedule of technical, physical, and psychological assessments.
Trackman stations blinked with data, while coaches dissected swings like surgeons with slow-motion replays.
Structured indoor sessions merged with on-course training, culminating in two 18-hole championship rounds on Riyadh Golf Club’s immaculately manicured turf. Yes, there were winners.
But more importantly, the Federation is using the pressure-cooker performances to help determine who will receive full scholarships to the Elite Academy — a comprehensive package of elite coaching, academic mentoring, strength training, and mental conditioning beginning August 2025.
“The Elite Sports Scholarship Camp is a genuine launchpad toward realising the Arab Golf Federation’s vision of producing a new generation of Arab champions capable of competing globally,” Alireza added.
“Through comprehensive assessment programs and strategic partnerships with leading institutions, the Federation is laying the groundwork for a promising future for golf in the Arab world, built on planning, professionalism, and investment in youth potential.”
As part of the camp’s off-course programming, Kevin Craggs, Executive Director at IMG Academy, led a powerful session for families and coaches titled “Mastering the Margin: Coaching for Clarity and Competitive Edge.”
In it, he tackled the murkier aspects of elite sport — mental resilience, leadership under fire, and what it takes to build not just good golfers, but good humans.
The atmosphere at Riyadh Golf Club was electric — not in the crowd-roaring sense of a Sunday major finish — but with a quieter, more powerful charge: the feeling that something foundational was being built, swing by swing, lesson by lesson.
With final selection decisions for the Academy set to be revealed in the coming weeks, these 16 trailblazers now stand at the edge of a pathway rarely paved in Arab golf.
But thanks to The Arab Golf Federation’s vision — and a serious investment in time, expertise, and talent — the journey from promise to podium feels, for the first time, truly possible.
And who knows? That elusive Arab major winner might just be out there already, tightening their grip, squaring their shoulders, and dreaming just a little bigger after this week in Riyadh.
