Saudi Arabia is a country that offers a lot of things to visitors and to it’s citizens alike. One of the main attraction of Saudi Arabia in terms of leisure activities are it’s wide array of places to play Golf. Golf is also a popular sport in Saudi Arabia and more and more people are playing it and is considered to be a future destination of a lot of PGA Golf tour events.
The history of Golf in Saudi Arabia goes back a long way to the time the Americans discovered oil in the vast peninsula of this great Arabian nation. They brought the sport of Golf in the country by eagerly converting parts of the desert in make shift golf courses, since then golf courses are built around the country of Saudi Arabia especially along its three main cities. The most spectacular of these golf courses can be found in Riyadh in the Dirab valley. Just a 30 minute drive away from Riyadh’s diplomatic locations, the Dirab Golf Course is among the best in the world.
It is Saudi Arabia’s first ever 18 hole championship quality golf course on grass, the Dirab Golf Course is situated in the scenic valley near the Mountain Escarpment of Tuwaiq. Playing in this golf course brings a memorable experience worthy of sharing with golf friends back in your own country. It has since been voted as one of the best golf courses in the world. Truly is, the Dirab Golf Course is a mecca for golf players around the world.
The interest shown by the Saudi Arabian people in the sport of golf has since reached a majestic high ever since the Americans introduced this sport to them about twenty years back, they started by playing the roles of caddies from golfers around the world and in the process learned to play the game by themselves and now more and more Saudi Arabians are loving the sport of golf and embracing it as a major sport and hobby.
Prominent Saudi golfers like Mohammed Fahad Al Khaldi and Ali Hamad Bin Harith both served as caddies for the employees of Aramco and during that period they learned the sport and right now are both members of the National Golf team of Saudi Arabia, participating in golf tournaments all over the world.
In order to promote the sport of Golf in the country, the Saudi Golf Committee was founded in 1999, under the direct supervision and authority of the Presidency of the Youth Welfare, it’s main objective is to expand Golf all over the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Currently the goal is to produce young golfers who will become talented enough to participate and compete in golfing tournaments around the world. In 2007 the Riyadh Golf Course and the Dirab Golf Course will host the Golf Federation Tournament of the Arab world, organizers hope that this kind of event will help generate more interest in the sport of Golf and hopefully make golf among the leading sport in the nation as well.