Nearly 1,000 Muslim women across the UK are experiencing golf for the first time thanks to a series of groundbreaking golf events
Organised by the Muslim Golf Association and love.golf, the empowering group coaching experience for women, Muslim women are being offered an introductory experience on the golf course, followed by an opportunity to network and socialise.
Events in London, Birmingham and Leicester sold out in a matter of hours, with new dates added to service unprecedented demand.
Families and work colleagues, including a group of seven doctors, have jumped at the opportunity to experience golf.
The most recent event was hosted at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey and attracted 44 women, including Ambereen Khan, who told the newspaper, “We’re female, we’re women of colour and some of us are women who cover,” referring to the hijab she wears.
Another participant, Jasmine Bunsurah, told BBC Asian Network: "I'd never thought of going to an actual golf course before. It's not somewhere you expect to see Asian ladies. But I loved every minute. It was very inspirational."
The Muslim Golf Association was founded in 2020 by Amir Malik and is the world’s first dedicated golfing platform that caters for the modern, professional, Muslim male and female golfer.
"We are simply blown away by the response,” said Amir Malik.
"Muslim women have seldom been offered an experience like this, in this sort of environment and tailored to them. We're excited to introduce so many new faces and for them to start their journey into the game."
A global study into female golf participation published by Syngenta highlighted a £28 billion opportunity if more women played golf. Just 24% of the world’s golfers are women, yet there is a strong interest in a sport that is played outdoors, in a green space, enables time with family and friends and can be played at any age.
The study, part of a decade-long campaign, Syngenta Growing Golf, resulted in the development of love.golf to replace traditional range-based golf instruction with an on-course experience focused on the freedom to explore new skills, discover untapped potential and bond within a supportive, like-minded group.
Mark Birchmore, Syngenta Global Head of Marketing Turf and Landscape, "Through our support of this partnership, we set out to create gateways into golf for communities which may not think the game is for them.
"The level of demand among the Muslim community shows there is an untapped opportunity to attract greater diversity and grow the game at grassroots level."
Upcoming events are due to take place in London and Leicester in June, with more events scheduled throughout July and August.
