MUSCAT: There’s no doubt that golf is taking centre stage at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final here in Muscat but there’s plenty more on offer for families to enjoy besides watching the European Challenge Tour’s elite stars in action. This is the fifth year that the spectacular Al Mouj Golf has hosted a Challenge Tour event and each year it has improved both on and off the Greg Norman-designed course.
Whether you want to relax in the sun on beanbags, jump around on a bouncy castle or pick up the clubs for the first time and have a complimentary golf lesson, you can do it all and more in the season-ending finale in Oman.
Andrew Gealy from Provision Events has been giving golf lessons at the tournament and promoting golf as part of the Working for Golf R&A since it commenced in 2013 and has noticed a huge progression in the fans village. “Every year more and more Omani locals want to come along and try out the sport which is wonderful to see,” said Gealy. “The best thing is that some of the people had never picked up a club before I taught them a few things five years ago and now they play regularly and have even got handicaps.
“There are certainly more activities and things for the public to do this year at the Grand Final so it’s great to see that both the golf and the attractions are clearly improving.”
The phenomenally-talented ‘Golf Trick Shot Boys’ have returned for the third year at the €420,000 event to entertain the fans off the course. The English pair performed on Thursday in front of the chief guest Shaikh Ahmed bin Rashid bin Hamdan al Maamari, Member of the State Council, along with NBO Officials and other dignitaries who thoroughly enjoyed the show. Spectators can witness the talented double-act every day at 11 am, 1 pm and 3:30 pm on the driving range.
“There are plenty of activities to do at Al Mouj Golf this weekend so come down and see us in action,” said Kevin Carpenter from the Golf Trick Shot Boys. “We have three performances every day so there really is no excuse to miss out on this tremendous event.”
The finest local golfing talent will also be in action tomorrow (Friday) at Al Mouj Golf as the NBO Amateur Final unfolds. The event starts at 11:30 am and features the following six Omani players: Hamad al Rumhi, Ahmed al Balushi, Fahad al Kitani, Hussain Dad al Balushi, Rashad al Harthy and Azzan al Rumhi.
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