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Golf Lights Up Abu Dhabi
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| The Saadiyat Beach is the first ocean-front golf course in the Middle East, where the wind and a surfeit of sand is the challenge. The club will have one of the most unique clubhouses in the world – it has been designed by Sir Frank Gehry, the man behind such modern architecture marvels like the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the one under construction in Abu Dhabi, as well as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Dancing House in Prague and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. The Yas Links is a true links-style course, where undulating fairways and greens add to the wind rising from the adjoining Arabian Sea to create a tough test for golfers. Phillips is one of the most acclaimed modern golf course architects, having made his name with such masterpieces as Kingsbarns, Dundonald, and The Grove. The National course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a completely different animal. Designed by Peter Harradine, it has a parkland appeal. There are two other courses in the city which will surely catch the fancy of passionate golfers. Al Ghazal Golf Club, situated right next to the Abu Dhabi International Airport, is a sand course where one needs to lug around a piece of Astroturf along with the golf bag. And finally, the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club is a delightful nine-hole course right in the heart of the city. Previously known as Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club, it is the oldest golf course in the country (established in 1976), and has recently been re-branded and refurbished. It also offers night golf facility. Work is about to start on a couple of golf courses, which should complete the golf component of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision, the city’s long-term economic and tourism plan. Greg Norman is expected to commence work on a Hydra Properties project very soon, and the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) has plans to add another 18-hole course next to the Gary Player course in Saadiyat Beach. Robert Trent Jones II has already been commissioned for the project. Competition is also spurring on Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which is adding a new Westin hotel in its premise and is on course to become a model ‘Stay and Play’ resort. The club is currently in the process of re-shaping and re-modeling all its bunkers. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship remains a very important part of Abu Dhabi’s golf strategy. The European Tour event keeps growing from strength to strength. The quality of the golf course and the tournament, and the lavish hospitality offered to the players by owners Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (which includes free stay for the week at the luxurious Emirates Palace) resulted in eight of the top-14 ranked players in the world taking part in the fifth edition of the tournament this year. It was easily one of the best fields in a European Tour event. Speaking to the media before the inaugural Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, HH Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, ADTA, had said: “The global market for golf tourism is worth more than $17.5 billion. As an international destination with a major European Tour event, world-class facilities and infrastructure, Abu Dhabi is perfectly placed to capitalise on this global trend and enlarge its share of the billions of dollars spent on golf tourism worldwide,” In a short span of five years, Abu Dhabi has already made it a reality. |
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