Kunal Seth becomes one of Emirates Golf Club’s youngest captains
Kunal Seth has begun a new chapter in Dubai’s golf community after taking over as Men’s Club Captain of Emirates Golf Club, becoming one of the youngest people to hold the position in the club’s history.
Seth officially assumed the role on September 1, following more than a decade as part of the Emirates Golf Club community. For him, the appointment carries particular significance because the club has become much more than simply a place to play.
He describes Emirates Golf Club as his “second home” and sees the captaincy as both an honour and a responsibility.
Community, inclusivity and the next generation
Seth has already identified three priorities for his year as captain: community, inclusivity and the next generation.
His focus is not only on competition or performance, but on strengthening the experience of the people who make up the club.
That approach reflects his belief that the character of Emirates Golf Club comes as much from its members as from its internationally recognised courses.
For Seth, creating more opportunities for younger golfers will be a particularly important part of the year ahead.
He wants juniors to feel increasingly connected to the club and to see golf as a sport in which they can develop over the long term.
More than a decade at Emirates Golf Club
Seth’s relationship with the club stretches back more than 10 years, while his connection with golf itself goes much further.
He has played the sport for more than 35 years and believes many of its lessons extend beyond the course.
Golf, he says, teaches honesty because players are responsible for their own scores. It also demands patience and humility, with even experienced golfers regularly reminded that the game can never be completely mastered.
He also sees the course as an unusual environment for understanding people.
Spending 18 holes with someone, in Seth’s view, can reveal more about their character than months of conventional meetings.
The people behind one of Dubai’s best-known golf clubs
Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course remains one of the features Seth values most.
He highlights the experience of standing on the first tee with Dubai’s skyline in the background, but says the club’s real strength is its community.
That people-first philosophy is expected to shape his captaincy.
Rather than defining success through a single tournament result or milestone, Seth has set a simpler goal: he wants members to look back and feel it was a great year to be part of the club.
Bringing experience from the Ultimate Golf Challenge
Away from his new captaincy, Seth is also Commissioner of the Ultimate Golf Challenge, a franchise-based amateur golf league created in the UAE.
The competition brings together social golfers in a team-based environment while maintaining a competitive element.
His involvement in the league reflects the same themes he is now bringing into his Emirates Golf Club role — creating stronger communities around the game and making golf engaging for a wider group of players.
A new chapter for Dubai golf
Taking charge of one of the most respected roles in UAE golf represents an important personal milestone for Seth.
But his ambitions for the year are deliberately centred on the wider community rather than himself.
After more than three decades playing the sport and more than a decade at Emirates Golf Club, Seth begins his captaincy with a clear idea of what he wants to leave behind: a stronger sense of community, greater inclusivity and more opportunities for the next generation of golfers in Dubai.
