How Dr. Hassan AlSayegh Found His Game in the UAE
A chance afternoon at an Abu Dhabi resort turned into an obsession. Now, one of the Emirates’ most passionate advocates for the game is helping shape its future.
Dr. Hassan AlSayegh didn’t set out to become a golfer. In 2017, sitting in the lobby of what was then The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort with his friend Yousuf Al Hashimi, he watched frustrated players hack away at a small white ball and wondered why anyone would willingly subject themselves to such torment.
“We genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone would choose this as a hobby,” AlSayegh recalls with a laugh.
But curiosity got the better of them. One swing led to another, and then another, maybe a hundred attempts in all, until that moment every golfer knows intimately arrived. One shot, struck pure, the sound crisp and true. The ball flew exactly where it was meant to go.
“That was it,” AlSayegh says. “We were hooked instantly, and we’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.”
Nearly a decade later, AlSayegh has become one of the UAE’s most thoughtful voices on golf’s growth in the Emirates, balancing a demanding career across consultancy, startups, and sports advisory with his passion for the game. His journey from skeptical bystander to devoted player mirrors the UAE’s own evolution as a golf destination: rapid, ambitious, and uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence.
A Dangerous Place to Start
Ask AlSayegh about learning golf in the UAE, and he’ll tell you it’s “a dangerous place to start playing golf, in the best possible way.”
“We are completely spoiled for choice,” he explains. “We have world-class courses, high-profile international tournaments, top-tier academies and a federation that genuinely cares about growing the game from the grassroots up.”
That environment shapes expectations. When you’re surrounded by pristine conditions and world-class facilities, mediocrity doesn’t feel like an option. “It almost forces you to take the sport seriously,” AlSayegh says. “You’re surrounded by excellence, and that naturally raises your own standards.”
He still remembers his first lesson with Grant, a professional at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. At the end of the session, AlSayegh and Al Hashimi asked their instructor to demonstrate what a proper swing looked like. They chose the club: a 5-iron.
“The sound that came off that club is still etched in my memory almost a decade later,” AlSayegh says. “To this day, I’m still trying to recreate it. I haven’t succeeded yet, but I’m optimistic. One day…”
The Business of Golf
AlSayegh’s professional path, spanning consultancy, startups, and an advisory role to the Minister of Sports, has taught him a skill that translates perfectly to golf: adaptability.
“You can spend endless hours on the driving range, but if you can’t adapt to conditions on the course, improvement stops,” he says. “Mud on the ball, wind off the sea, a tree branch blocking your swing, those elements force decision-making under imperfect conditions. That’s as true in business as it is on the golf course.”
Golf also teaches lessons that few boardrooms can match. “It forces accountability, there’s nobody else to blame for a bad shot except yourself,” AlSayegh notes. “You learn to make decisions with incomplete information, to commit fully, and then to move on quickly if the outcome isn’t what you hoped for.”
That mindset of taking your best shot, accepting the result, and focusing on the next decision rather than dwelling on mistakes has become central to his leadership philosophy.
The Long Game
Since AlSayegh started playing, life has changed considerably. He’s now married with two young children, Khaled and Lulwa, making the time-management challenge every golfer faces even more acute.
“Golf demands time, and balancing family, work and the sport is a real challenge,” he admits. “What I’ve learned so far is the importance of intentional scheduling and being fully present. When I’m working, I work. When I’m with my family, that’s sacred time. And when I’m on the golf course, I try, not always successfully, to leave everything else behind.”
His approach to patience extends beyond the course. As a devoted Chelsea supporter, AlSayegh has found unexpected parallels between fandom and golf. “When results dip, you’re forced to step back, trust the process and believe that the long-term plan will eventually pay off,” he says. “Golf is exactly the same. You don’t always see immediate results from the work you put in, and improvement rarely comes in a straight line.”
Building the Future
AlSayegh has witnessed remarkable progress in Emirati golf during his relatively short time in the game. The Emirates Golf Federation’s initiatives, from the President’s Cup bringing Emirati golfers together competitively to the Futures Falcons grassroots program, are laying foundations that will pay dividends for years.
New courses like Dubai Hills and Yas Acres have added depth to an already impressive landscape. But AlSayegh sees the real opportunity in something more fundamental: access.
“Emirati golfers today have facilities, coaching and competitive exposure that simply didn’t exist a generation ago,” he observes. “The challenge is sustaining participation, especially through junior to elite levels, and ensuring long-term commitment in a sport that demands patience.”
He’s particularly encouraged by efforts to increase female participation. “By creating pathways, visibility and safe environments for Emirati girls to enter the game, golf becomes a family sport rather than an elite activity,” AlSayegh says. “When young players see people like themselves on the course, golf stops feeling exclusive and starts feeling possible.”
The Responsibility of Representation
AlSayegh believes every Emirati golfer carries a responsibility to act as an ambassador for the sport. Sometimes that means simple gestures, respecting etiquette, welcoming new players, encouraging juniors on the range. Other times it involves bigger efforts, like helping attract brands, sponsors, and international attention to the UAE golf ecosystem.
“Growth doesn’t come from one superstar,” he insists. “It comes from a community that believes in the sport and represents it well.”
When asked about his golf inspiration, AlSayegh doesn’t hesitate: Tiger Woods. But it’s not just the talent that resonates, it’s the resilience.
“To come back from everything he has been through, injuries, setbacks, personal challenges, and still find a way to win the Masters again is extraordinary,” AlSayegh says. “That kind of comeback goes beyond golf. It’s a reminder that reinvention is possible, that belief matters and that the greatest victories often come after the hardest chapters.”
A Matter of Time
Looking ahead, AlSayegh sees genuine reasons for optimism about Emirati golf’s future on the world stage.
“With continued investment in youth, competition and inclusivity, I genuinely believe that a UAE national or resident winning a Major is not a fantasy,” he says. “It’s a matter of time.”
The foundation is being built through the Emirates Golf Federation’s work. The talent exists. What’s needed now, AlSayegh believes, is something less tangible but equally crucial: belief.
“Once we truly believe it’s possible, everything else follows.”
It’s fitting advice from someone who started this journey as a skeptic watching others struggle with a small white ball. That afternoon in Abu Dhabi, AlSayegh couldn’t understand why anyone would choose golf. Now he can’t imagine life without it, and he’s determined to help ensure that the next generation of Emirati golfers won’t have to.
