Just ask the happy, 30-strong intake who recently completed a 10-week course at The Leadbetter Golf Academy Dubai at JA The Resort Golf Course under the tutelage of Yasin Ali.

As a former Asian and European Tour player and fully accredited Leadbetter Professional, Ali brings a unique blend of top-flight knowledge and junior coaching best practice to the Leadbetter Kids Programme.

The great news for aspiring UAE juniors is that Ali is set to deliver two new programmes: a 5-day “Kids Christmas Camp” from December 13-17 and another 10-week “Leadbetter Kids” Programme from January 8-9.

“The Leadbetter Kids Program we deliver at JA The Resort was devised by David himself to promote fun, high energy learning with a keen focus on team spirit, camaraderie, and etiquette,” said Stuart McMurdo, the Jebel Ali resort’s Director of Golf.

“The kids engage and play fun games to subconsciously learn the key golf fundamentals to build a solid skill base, whilst learning the finer points of the game.”

Registrations are now being taken for the two new Leadbetter Golf Academy programmes HERE!

The five-day Christmas Camp costs AED 650 per child while the Leadbetter Kids Programme cost is split: AED 1100 for 10x one hour sessions for level 1 and 2 players and AED 1500 per term for level 3 and 4 players who participate in 90-minute sessions each week.

Check out a sample of what’s on offer in this fun video:

Leadbetter has coached some of the game’s biggest names – Sir Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Nick Price, Lydia Ko and Michelle Wie among them – but is especially passionate nowadays about junior development.

The Leadbetter Golf Academy Dubai is the first academy in the Middle East to offer a holistic approach to premier golf instruction. At the junior level, kids learn physical, mental and social skills through combined activity stations of golf fundamentals, basic language skills, and other life skills training in a fun and safe environment.

“Leadbetter Kids Golf aims to develop healthy, self-motivated children with the skills necessary to become future champions in golf and in life.”

For more information and to sign up, email: golf.teetimes@jaresorts.com or phone 04 814 5023 or click here.

The post Registration open for Leadbetter Kids ‘Christmas Camp’ and next 10-week junior programme appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Promising youngsters come and go in golf, victims of a game with absolutely no guarantees, not even for the most talented of prodigies. Two things we do know for certain are that Mousa Shana’ah has serious game for a 13-year-old and won’t fade away for lack of opportunity on his own back doorstep.

It helps when your father runs a golf events company with bold ambitions for the junior game in the Middle East. Mousa is already a serial winner on the Junior Masters Open Tour organised by Abedallah Shana’ah and his father’s business partner, Ali Kalbat, the Managing Director and General Manager of Golf Events Management (GEM) respectively.

In December, Mousa will have a chance at yet more glory with GEM announcing a deal with the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) to host an annual ‘UAE World Amateur Junior Golf Championship’ at Al Hamra Golf Club. The event will be open to amateur boys and girls up to the age of 19 and will carry World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Global Junior Golf Ranking (GJGR) points.

Mousa is set to be one of the star acts if his recent performances are any indication. They include junior course records at JA The Resort Golf Course (68) and, encouragingly, Al Hamra (71) earlier this year.

The Jordanian is coached by former European and Asian Tour player, Yasin Ali, at the Leadbetter Academy at JA the Resort. Like Abedallah Shana’ah, Ali is working hard to ensure young Mousa keeps on developing. From almost first glance, Ali knew he was witnessing something special, a player with an attitude and work ethic that belie his years.

“I watched him hit some shots and what struck me was how he approached his practice. There was a real purpose behind each shot and that stayed with me,” said the Kenyan-born Briton. “As I’ve gotten to spend more time with him I’ve noticed that he’s a little different to most kids I’ve met at his age.  You notice how mature and grounded he is. The thing I love is when I set him a practice drill or give him a challenge it’s like a mission for him, he doesn’t stop till he gets it done, he doesn’t quit. That’s a great quality.”

Ali describes Mousa’s swing as “beautiful” in its simplicity. “It’s repeatable which is great.” But that’s only half the picture. “In terms of his mental game, he has a very positive outlook and a fantastic temperament which is essential for good golf.

Young contenders: 1) Mirwais Arghandiwal; 2) Fatiya Khalil; 3) Abdullah Kalbat; 4) Kate Bibby; 5) Hashem Shana’ah; 6) Lili Brecken; 7) Salwa Khalil

“For me his strengths are his temperament and his driving. When he’s out on the course, you’d be hard-pressed to figure how he’s doing as he keeps his emotions in check, he’s calm and collected. He drives the ball well and is pretty straight which naturally keeps him in play and with a chance to score.

“What do we need to improve? We need to gain some speed to hit it further, which will also increase as he develops and grows physically, and short game. For me, your short game can never be good enough. You can always hole more putts and chips.”

Ali says a 50-50 practice and competition balance is about right for juniors. He says juniors in the UAE are especially lucky to train on pristine practice surfaces and play and world-class courses.

So where does Mousa go from here?

“The short term goal would be to improve his game from a 150 yards and in. Medium goal, I would love for him to experience college golf in the United States as I did. Getting an education while playing golf is a win-win for me. Long term, it would for him to be happy and love the process of learning irrespective of the results. If he can maintain the same passion for learning and improving he’ll be more than successful where ever he plays.”

In this COVID-complicated world, the immediate playing opportunities will be at home. Luckily GEM is taking care of this as Kalbat points out.

“This competition will offer the best young golfers in the region a chance to compete against their counterparts from across the world, and we will be sure to market this event to the entire region, positioning it to become one of the biggest events in the world,” Kalbat said.

“We are so proud that we are the first national company to establish an event of this high standing within the region, in cooperation with our main partners, RAKTDA and Al Hamra Golf Club. The main goal of this event is to introduce youth to the professional golfing environment, help serious players to compete in high class ranked events with their counterparts from all the world, and lead juniors to the path of professional golf.”

The post Mousa Shana’ah sets sights on new ‘world championship’ set for Al Hamra appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.