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GHALEB FARHA
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haleb is a founder member of Emirates Golf Club and long term resident of Dubai, having moved here in 1968. Other than golf, what other sports have you been involved in? I used to play two to three hours of tennis each day and participated in several tournaments (and even won some!). I’m still a member of the Queen’s Club where the famous Stella Artois tournament takes place prior to Wimbledon each year. Horse-riding was my favourite sport and I had four horses at the Polo Club. I used to ride twice a week but due to my extensive travel, I have stopped though I miss it very much. Skiing is another sport I have been involved in. I am not a good skier but for 17 years, I travelled with my family to Europe to enjoy the snow. My wife and my two sons are excellent skiers but I am better at the après ski scene! How did you come to take up golf? Well, it was actually a game that I never liked. As a matter of fact, I used to tell all my friends that it was a waste of time... until I got hooked myself and started to play it regularly. How has your golf developed since that time? I have been playing for over twenty years now and I enjoy it tremendously. I got my playing certificate after two months and I now see Mark Gregson-Walters once a week which has improved my golf so much. I love the game so much that I have sets of clubs in London Germany, Beirut Club Life Issue 23
and Dubai. As well as that a group consisting of ourselves and four other couples have attended the Ryder Cup in Ireland and in Wales and, despite the atrocious weather in both countries, it was great fun! What’s your handicap now? I managed to get it down to 9 but it is now 12 and I play at least three times a week. Do any of your family play? It has afforded me the perfect opportunity to teach my grandson, Marwan. He was only two
years old when I started to teach him and I used to take him twice a week to the club. A quiet, outdoor setting is the perfect combination for us to enjoy quality time on the greens together. He also had coaching once a week with a Pro and amazingly, at the age of thirteen now, he has become a very good player. Do you play much overseas? Well, I used to buy a sleeve of balls from each new golf course I played in and I have put one ball from each place in a specially made wooden frame. I have about 85 from different parts of the world. Along the way, I have met many interesting people from different backgrounds and with different personalities. Golf gives one a great idea of a person’s character. What does sport mean to you? Talking of my game and my life allowed me to reflect on how much I love sport. Sport has helped me in different aspects of my life. I think it develops an awareness of where my attention is and allows me to focus this attention appropriately. It has taught me to think positively and to not give up but to try my best during a match so at the end I leave with a smile on my face.