By Sports Reporter/Doha


Qatar International Golf Club (QIGC), Doha’s revolutionary new golf project that aims to grow the game of golf in Qatar, has launched its Pearl Coaching Programme to encourage more juniors to take up the sport. The initiative will give more than 2,000 pupils the opportunity to try golf for the first time.
The Pearl Coaching Programme focuses on the ‘teach the teacher’ premise. Since October, Qatar International Golf Club, has been working with PE teachers across Qatar to give them the skills and equipment needed to run their own sessions which introduce the game of golf to youngsters. It is the exciting first steps of the new facility’s community engagement programme which aims to provide a complete golfing journey. The landmark project for Qatar and the World of Golf will support beginners in schools all the way through to professionals playing the Jose Maria Olazabal-designed championship courses when the facility opens.
The Pearl Programme is already up and running at Qatar Academy as well as the Al Markhyia Independent School for Girls where golf educational programmes have been integrated into the schools’ offering. In early 2016, the Pearl Coaching Programme will be expanded into a number of additional schools with the aim of bringing golf clubs into the hands of more than 2,000 6-12 year olds across Qatar.
The programme is headed by QIGC’s Director of Instruction, PGA-certified, Rhys Beecher. With vast experience across Europe and the Middle East, Beecher will be responsible for overseeing and delivering this world-class development programme. Beecher represented both his home country of Wales and his University as an amateur before turning professional at the age of 21. He has also completed leading courses specialising in psychology, fitness and nutrition and is accredited by the Hank Haney Pro Coaching Program, with Haney best known for his work coaching the legendary Tiger Woods.

Make golf fun...
Speaking on his new role as Director of Instruction, Beecher commented: “I’ve been an instructor for many years and worked at some of the world’s best courses, but having the chance to be part of Qatar International Golf Club’s vision for the future of the game is one of the most exciting prospects in golf worldwide. The entire facility and initiatives like the Pearl Coaching Programme has been designed to support players of every ability and background and most importantly, to make golf fun and accessible for everyone. This is without doubt the biggest challenge and opportunity of my career as the project could truly change the way golf is taught, and I am proud to be a part of that journey. The designer of our golf courses, Jose Maria Olazabal believes that long-term growth of golf can only happen if we make the game easily accessible and fun for kids. We share that belief with the Pearl Coaching Programme.” he added.
Qatar International Golf Club’s Pearl Coaching Programme covers five levels of teaching, from supporting youngsters picking up their very first club, right through to learning to play a course and to the elite end of the game. Levels one to three are designed to be taught in schools themselves and focus on promoting the sport’s key values including health and wellbeing, concentration, socialisation and team learning.
Mohammed al-Naimi, Deputy General Manager – Qatar International Golf Club, said: “Qatar International Golf Club’s vision and mission is clear: to grow the game of golf in Qatar. That starts by giving young people the opportunity to experience golf through initiatives like our Pearl Coaching Programme.
“Having been amongst the very first to go through the teacher concept of the Pearl Coaching Programme to become an accredited coach, I know from direct experience what can be achieved if golf is taught in a fun and engaging way. Golf is a wonderful sport as my own family has been finding out. Beyond being fun it has a strong focus on respect, honesty and perseverance – all important values for any society – and we hope that through our programme, young people across Doha will embrace these values even more.
“At Qatar International Golf Club, we believe it’s vital to inspire today’s youth and give them a chance to grow and develop their own golf game alongside the development of the project itself. However we want to go beyond golf and getting golf clubs in hands. We are all learning from this unique project which is constantly evolving, whether it’s on sustainability or technology so we see a real opportunity to educate the next generation in Qatar. We want to go into classrooms and share the process of constructing this revolutionary facility with students. So the Pearl Coaching Programme is only the first of a number of important community initiatives to be announced.”      
The unrivalled combination of a premium golfing, leisure and sports education facility in one location, Qatar International Golf Club (QIGC) is truly unique to the region and the world. The project proudly embodies the Qatar 2030 vision for human, social, environmental and economic development by providing a framework to grow the game of golf in Qatar with a focus on making the sport fun and accessible for all. With demand for additional golf facilities in Doha soaring, the destination is also expected to make a valuable economic contribution to Qatar’s luxury leisure and hospitality industry as a major draw for residents as well as inbound golf travel, and will offer an exciting addition to Qatar’s blossoming tourist attractions.