School kids from all over Dubai are heading to The Track golf course for the Dubai Schools League competition.
Children from 12 to 18-years-old from 10 schools around the city plus junior players from the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) programme are battling it out at Meydan Golf to be crowned the League Champions.
Over 50 children play in each round of the League and competition between them is stiff - many of the kids have EGF handicaps with some close to scratch.
The League is growing rapidly and demand is such that it may have to split into two separate leagues to cope with the number of school children wanting to play. The focus is on inclusion and having fun, as well as competitiveness, says organiser Mark Needs from the American School of Dubai:
"We want kids to have fun and we want to encourage the game to be played in schools," he said. "The ages and abilities vary quite markedly and we encourage peer leadership by grouping the older, more experienced children with the younger ones to help them - not just their game but their confidence also.”
"Moving to The Track has enabled us to grow the League and, looking to the future, we will be able to bring more kids along with a view to making two Leagues," he added. "Ideally, we'd like to get it into a formal schools' programmes and maybe expand to bring in schools from Abu Dhabi."
On the facilities, he said: "The Track is perfect for us because it's 9 holes and it is a very testing course, so it really challenges the kids. You can also walk the course fairly easily which is important when dealing with kids who can't drive carts. We receive concessions for the children’s Green fees which helps tremendously. It was a big catalyst for us moving and we have to thank the guys at The Track for that. We also enjoy great support from Jason Froggatt of the EGF who are key sponsors and advisors for the league"
James Leeman, Marketing Manager at The Track said: "The Schools League is great to be a part of. It fits perfectly with our mandate to bring the sport to as many people as possible. We run initiatives for Kids Training Courses and participate with Troon Family golf which lets kids play for free with an adult. The Schools League is another step in the right direction for us."
The League is played over four rounds - all at The Track - and each school has up to six players per round. A stableford format is used and each team's best four individual stableford scores are counted for the schools total. The scores are added after the fourth round to give an overall winner.
The second round takes place on December 9th, with the fourth and final round planned for March 3rd, 2014 ahead of an awards ceremony at The Track.
Stay up to date on news from The Track at www.facebook.com/thetrackmeydangolfclub .
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