Managing growth starts at the roots

Being a golfer and a UAE resident you should feel extremely enthused as you witness first hand, the miracle growth of the leisure industry and in particular the golf facilities that are on many individual emirate’s master plans.

It is no secret that the UAE desperately needs more golfing facilities for residents and tourists; however my key concern is who is going to run them. Where is the expertise going to come from?

By this I don’t mean who is going to manage them, we all are aware of the presence of the golf management powerhouses such as IMG, Troon and of course IGLS. What I mean is, where is the expertise going to come from?

As my company (IGLS) gears up to open and manage four new luxury golfing facilities across the GCC in the coming 18-26 months, my main concern is being able to recruit high quality, experienced staff.

As Dubai leads the way, closely followed by Abu Dhabi, in the development stakes, the need for good people is all too evident.

As I read daily about stories of companies poaching staff and other unethical recruitment practices, it is clear that recruitment is the hot topic for many industry leaders. As living expenses soar, will quality be compromised?

My philosophy on this subject is to look at the issue from the ground up. Dubai in particular is a great case in point, as no longer does it seem the transient place it once was.

As the city develops, amenities expand and improve, the education infrastructure improves, families are attracted to the city and the baby boom is in full swing – Dubai is beginning to grow roots.

Qualifications

As the population of young people grows, what are we doing as a country to capture their potential and develop them, in order to keep the Dubai legacy going and our beloved golf industry flourishing?

Unfortunately at the moment the answer is little. Currently if young golfers wish to gain accreditation into the key areas of the sport, they have to leave the country.

The PGA qualification to develop qualified expert instructors and golf club management is currently not available here in the UAE.

Qualifications to develop golf course superintendents such as turf science, soil biology, environmental science, equipment management, water management and agronomy are not available in the UAE.

Step back

The CCM (Certified Club Manager) course, recognised worldwide and developed out of the United States by the CMAA (Club Managers Association of America), is not available here in the UAE.

As businesses continue the battle to recruit winning teams and ship people in by the droves, we should all take a step back and start to look at our roots.

What can we do in our own industries to assist in planting the roots for continued development?