(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) With golf having taken off in the Sultanate of Oman through several success stories in recent times H E Mohammed al Rumhy the Oil & Gas Minister of Oman and the Patron of the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) has outlined a number of grand plans that could forever change the country's golfing landscape for good.
From launching an integrated golf scholarship programme just like in the golf-mad western countries to exploring the possibility of packaging golf as a key component of tourism in Oman H E Rumhy spoke at length about various ways in which the sport can rise to new heights.
Introduction of integrated golf scholarship
H E Rumhy who is himself an avid golfer and a keen follower of the sport has mooted the idea of launching an integrated golf scholarship program that would 'link the sport with education' and hence provide the parents of upcoming golfers in Oman with the incentive to encourage their kids in pursuing the sport in the long run.
'Launching golf scholarships is the way forward' H E Rumhy said. 'For parents who want to choose between sports and education there would be models to pursue both of them. And the way to do it is to link the two.'
He is keen on the idea and wants OGC to 'take the lead' and create golf scholarships. 'If anybody does well in golf and does well in high school as well OGC can offer two or three of them partial or full scholarships for colleges or universities here so that they can continue playing golf' H E Rumhy said. 'If members of our junior team choose to study abroad OGC can guide them to a suitable place where they can continue to pursue golf along with studies. We can convince their parents that they can be sent to say US. And if they want stay here too we can have the same arrangement. This link has to be established.'
H E Rumhy said he has discussed the idea with 'a couple of reputed colleges and a few corporate bodies' in Oman who are keen to take part in this scheme. 'In Oman there's not much competition in this sport as compared to many other countries. It's not like in places like India US or say UK where you need to be at least a zero-handicap player to be awarded a golf scholarship.'
Catch them young
H E Rumhy believes there are two prominent ways of attracting Omani youngsters to golf - firstly by roping in the schools and secondly by setting up a transportation service that would facilitate Omani kids' access to golf courses.
'We need to take golf to the youth instead of trying to take youth to the golf' he said. 'We need to have two or three golfers from every school in Muscat. If we do that we can have at least 200 golfers to work with.'
He said 'My dream is to create a transportation system. In the past we used to have a transportation system in place for young footballers to reach the clubs. Three or four years ago I remember when we were about 50 golfers here we asked each other if each one of us could bring in a golfer. The idea was to have 50 new golfers. Basically we need golfers to recruit golfers.'
H E Rumhy called upon parents to realise how golf can help groom their kids. 'It will be wonderful if parents get to know what golf can do to their kids' he said. 'We will have to make parents understand that if you send your kids to the golf course they will learn good manners apart from learning golfing skills. Take the example of my sons they literally grew up on the golf course. Globally 99 per cent of golfers are good-mannered people.'
Welcoming corporates
H E Rumhy has called upon Oman's business community to participate in the development of golf.
'I welcome all big medium and small corporate houses to come up to sponsor OGC's golfing events' he said. 'There are two ways for OGC. One is to approach companies and banks for sponsorships. The other way is to tell corporate bodies - let's see how you can help yourself by helping us.'
H E Rumhy said 'Corporates can benefit from golf. In many counties hosting a golf event is a competitive business. And then of course golf can promote business interactions. Interestingly on a visit to Australia I even saw weddings taking place at a golf club.'
Developing golf tourism
Stressing on the need for 'golf tourism' in Oman His Excellency Dr. Al Rumhy said 'Golf contributes to tourism. People think golf is about building a nice park and having some greenery it's not so.'
'We have beautiful golf courses in Oman' he said. 'We have the Royal Opera House historical sites beaches and golf clubs. We need to connect them and bring in the hotels airlines and convention centre. We need to co-mingle and combine them as a destination. We need to package them.'
Arrange conventions
Pointing out on the need for conventions H E Rumhy said 'If we can pull 2020 events to 2015 it will be our success. OGC should have a convention for all golfers annually and it should invite others in the industry talk about the benefit of golf; have an action plan a road map. Oman Air Royal Opera House Oman Sail and a convention centre can be invited to it. We can ask them to form a package and sell it to tourists.'
Infrastructure development
H E Rumhy said he has witnessed a remarkable change in golfing landscape in Oman. 'I started playing golf in the 1990s. Back then we used to play on sand. It was dusty and dirty. You had to be a golf addict to play in those courses. But now you can see four green courses in Muscat. What has happened is extremely encouraging. Also I have seen the youth getting interested in golf. Golf has begun to be appreciated in Oman that's one of our biggest achievements.'
Let's go beyond Muscat
H E Rumhy has dreams of taking golf beyond Muscat. He said 'So far golf is concentrated in Muscat. If I have a wish list I would like to see golf in other areas like Salalah Sohar Sur and Duqm. Golf will attract people if we build courses. You build a golf course you create an interest in the area. That will serve as a catalyst for golf development. Golf courses are part of tourism projects in Salalah and Duqm.'
Hosting an Asian Tour event
H E Rumhy is also hoping that Oman soon hosts an Asian Tour event. 'We are now thinking about hosting an Asian tour event' he said. 'Maybe one day we can even have a PGA or a European Tour event. We will benefit from such events as a host country.'
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.