Lebanon golf club in drive to survive country’s economic crisis

Lebanon golf club in drive to survive country’s economic crisis

BEIRUT: Officials at an historic Lebanese golf club have launched a drive to keep it up and running amid the country’s economic meltdown.

Karim Salam, president of the Golf Club of Lebanon in south Beirut — known for its elite client base — told Arab News that innovative ways to attract a new generation of members were being pursued.

After three years of struggling to survive the financial crises gripping the nation, club bosses want to tee it up for the future.

“We are trying to change the club’s policies from targeting elite clients to attract members of the public who are able to pay a reasonable fee to benefit from our services,” Salam said.

As part of the initiative, the club, that has played host to major international tournaments, has been running free courses to introduce the game to children aged between six and 12 from public and private schools.

“We were the first Arab country to organize such courses in 2016. We are now providing reasonable and encouraging fees to attract a new generation to the club,” he added.

With basketball, tennis, and swimming far more popular in the country, Salam noted that the Lebanese Golf Federation was keen to further promote the game.

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