Tribune News Network
Doha
Golf tratnscends age, gender and ability, making it accessible to everyone—from children swinging a club for the first time to adults discovering a new passion. And with temperatures having dropped, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the facilities at Qatar Foundation’s Education City Golf Club.
Nine-year-old Claire Xi Liu, who started playing golf at the age of five after being encouraged to take up the sport by a family friend, has embraced it as a way of life – training every day, even during the hot summer months.
“I love the feeling of swinging the club and the sound the ball makes when you hit it,” she says. “I also love being on the course, surrounded by trees, flowers, and nature. It feels like I’m in a completely different world.”
Liu regularly takes advantage of the Center of Excellence at the Education City Golf Club, which is equipped with an array of advanced tools designed to refine every aspect of the game, from swing analysis to biomechanics assessment, ball flight tracking, and personalized training programs.
Liu is committed to improving her game, and earlier this year she competed in the US Kids Golf 15th Annual European Championship in Scotland, finishing 8th out of 24 in her age group. Her top 10 finish at the competition means she has qualified for the US Kids GolfWorld Championships in Pinehurst next year.
Additionally, she is also – as of last year – a junior member of the Qatar Golf Association, and, looking ahead, hopes to represent Qatar one day.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Essa Al-Mannai proves that golf is a sport for anyone, only taking up the game after his retirement. “When I first came to the Education City Golf Club, I asked for a coach because I didn’t know anything about the sport,” he says. “They told me, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to play’.”
Reflecting on the benefits of golf, Al Mannai explains: “Other sports didn’t really suit me, but I found golf to be the perfect fit. It combines walking and thinking. When we play nine holes, we walk about three kilometers. It’s great exercise and a wonderful way to spend time outdoors.
“The game is both physical and mental, and when you’re out there, you focus solely on it and forget about everything else.”
Al Mannai also uses the club’s fully equipped gym, which is staffed with on-site trainers, as well as the driving range, where he practices his swing. In total, he spends about five days a week at the facility.
Education City Golf Club offers a variety of courses, including an 18-hole championship course, a 9-hole par 3 course, which is floodlit for night sessions, and a 6-hole championship course, as well as five padel courts.
The club also provides several programs designed to make golf accessible to all. These include ‘Get into Golf’, a beginner’s class; ‘Women’s Get into Golf’, a class exclusively for women; the ‘US Kids Golf Program’, which focuses on junior golf development; and ‘Swing into Golf’, a one-hour introductory golf clinic.
