Player Profiles: Abdulla Al Naboodah

Abdulla Al Naboodah

Abdullah Al Naboodah doesn’t do anything by halves. If he’s in, he’s in – all the way. Through his Al Naboodah Group, he is closely involved in the construction and development of golf course infrastructure in the Middle East. As a golfer and a natural competitor in everything he does, he is fast becoming one of the most outstanding amateurs in the region.

Earlier this year, Al Naboodah hosted the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club where 40 professionals, including 39 of the leading lights on The European Tour and 40 top amateurs from the region, battled it out in one of the most competitive pro-ams ever held in the Middle East. The individual tournament was won by Stephen Gallacher who collected the Dhs250,000 for his charity back home in Scotland. Abdullah and Graeme McDowell finished third in the team event.

An enthusiastic polo player, Abdullah’s interest in golf is intriguing to say the least. He started playing seriously a little over two and a half years ago at the age of 30 and today he has an official handicap of 5.8. Not bad for a player whose first encounter with the Royal and Ancient art resulted in him walking off the golf course saying: “Guys, this is not my game – I’m off.”

In the UA E Nationals Championship in January 2008 he shot 82 to finish fourth net overall and a few weeks later broke 80, again in the Rolls Royce Pro-Am with a 77, which earned him a call up to the UA E National Squad. In April he reached the single figure handicap of 8.8. This year Abdullah has his sights set on joining the elite group of amateurs in Dubai. “My goal for last year was to make it into ‘Category One’ (handicap 5 and below),” he said.