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Bridging the gulf in golf
As golf continues to play a vital role in promoting the United Arab Emirates overseas, David Williams takes a look at whether the local population is as excited about the sport as the rest of the world appears to be
The growth of golf in the Emirates has been staggering, and rapid to say the least. Just 11 years ago there was only one grass course of 18 holes at the newly constructed Emirates Golf Course, boasting a predominantly British expatriate membership. But look around the whole of the UAE today and you will find a golf course, either sand or grass, in most major cities sporting some of the finest facilities to be found anywhere in the world. Indeed, the clubhouses at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and the earlier mentioned Emirates course are among the most famous and recognisable in the world, rubbing shoulders with the likes of St. Andrews in Scotland and Augusta in the United States. They have become tourist attractions in themselves and as synonymous to Dubai as the Opera House is to Sydney or the Tower of London is to England. The golf industry in Dubai in particular is booming with its lush courses drawing business and leisure travellers from across the world, and most of the city's hotels have forged close links with the courses, offering sun and golf packages which are being snapped up by growing numbers of visitors. But despite the plethora of world-class facilities, the same question continues to be asked as to whether the popularity of the sport is taking off in the country at the same rate as the courses are being developed. The courses are indeed busy, but is the local National population taking to a sport that has gripped the world over the past decade or so? The best person to put on the spot is United Arab Emirates Golf Association (UAEGA) general manager Nick Tarratt.
"It's astonishing to consider how fast golf has grown in this country," said Tarratt, who was originally with the Dubai Golf and Racing Club before taking hold of the UAEGA's reins. Previously he worked at the famous Belfry Golf Club in Birmingham, England. "The expansion of facilities has certainly been a major boost in trying to develop the game in the UAE and there are more players involved in the sport here now than at any time before. "When I first came here there was just the one grass course at the Emirates club, but now there are also grass courses at Nad Al Shiba, Dubai Creek, Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, with a major new development taking shape at Emirates Hills. There is also a par three course in Al Ain linked to one of the hotels." The Emirates Hills project is in the early stages of construction, but is scheduled to become one of the premier golf complexes to be found anywhere in the world, further boosting the UAE's appeal as a golfing paradise. It is being built next to the site of the current Emirates course but will also include villas, a development which has become popular in the USA. Among those offering advice on the new development's design is the Great White Shark, Greg Norman, who is widely regarded as one of the game's greatest players ever. Europe's top player Colin Montgomerie is also throwing his weight behind the new development. One of the main contributors to golf's success story in the UAE is the Dubai Desert Classic, which switched this year for the first time to the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club from the Emirates Golf Club. The Emirates course gave birth to the tournament in 1989, and has helped it through its infancy and childhood, but with the Government of Dubai keen to use sporting events as a vessel to boost the city's tourist appeal, the switch has been made to the Creek course, with its distinctive clubhouse and breathtaking backdrop. Live television coverage of the Classic provided the world with a glimpse of Dubai's spectacular skyline overlooking the Creek. Previously cameras could only broadcast views of the desert due to the location of the Emirates course some 20kms out of town. "It was a successful decision to move the Classic to the Creek because its is situated in a fantastic area which should be capitalized on at any opportunity," said Tarratt. "It goes without saying that golf helps tourism in the country, but I would not like to put an exact figure on how much it brings in." The tournament is considered as one of the most prestigious outside of the majors, and regularly attracts the world's best players hunting for a share of the $1 million prize pot. This year's event, won by relative newcomer to the tour David Howells, attracted the likes of Mark O'Meara, Ian Woosnam, Montgomerie, Jose-Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros, names that would attract the crowds at any golfing venue in the world. Holding the Desert Classic at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, which has previously earned two 'Host Venue of the Year' awards from its former association with the Asian PGA Tour, raises the possibility that the club may now be in the running to become the first venue to hold such honours from both the Asian PGA and the European Tour. This unique distinction underlines Dubai's position at the East-West crossroads. But while the big tournaments continue to attract the big names, the domestic golfing calendar also gets busier by the year, a further indication that it is taking off at local level.
"For some of the bigger domestic tournaments, we have introduced a handicap limit to only allow lower handicap players to enter. These tournaments also qualify for UGA Order of Merit points which we hope will encourage players to try to bring their handicaps down." The UAEGA have also introduced their own handicapping system, enabling golfers not members of a specific club but still playing regularly to obtain a handicap administered according to the Council of National Golf Unions and Ladies Golf Union handicap systems. Playing certificates can be obtained through club professionals, which are then accepted by the UAE Golf Association who will give access to the courses. Playing certificates are handed in by the golfer on completion of the round to obtain and adjust handicaps. The UAEGA also organise golf days for members of this unique scheme. Golf is widely regarded as a western man's sport, with exception to Australia, South Africa and Japan, with very few coloured people playing it. Tiger Woods has gone a long way to breaking the mould by becoming the first black golfer to win a major tournament, but it looks like it will take time before it becomes a truly global and multi-cultural sport. A good proportion of the UAEGA's 3,500 members is undoubtedly expatriate, but there are strong signs that nationals are starting to get a feel for it too. Tarratt claims that over 150 locals of various ages are regularly playing and a national team, led by multiple national champion Ismail Shariff, competed abroad for the first time two years ago. "One of the priorities of the UAE Golf Association is to introduce the game of gold to UAE Nationals of all ages," said Tarratt. "The UAE National squad is selected every year on September 1 consisting of the eight best UAE National golfers by handicap who can commit to the training sessions." Last month, the team finished tenth in the gross division of the 20th Pan Arab Golf Championship in Tunisia, and were the third highest finishers from the Middle East. They have also competed in tournaments in Beirut, Doha and Hong Kong to name just a few. "We are trying to promote the game among the local population and actively encouraging more to take up the sport," said Tarratt. "It is crucial that we involve a lot more nationals and integrate them into the game. The development also relies heavily on those nationals already playing the game to introduce golf to their friends and family. "The future is with the youngsters more so than the current crop of players because they can start playing at a young age and receive the correct coaching and advice that is now readily available. The Junior Development Programme was inaugurated last year, introducing up to 70 seven-15 year-old National children to the game throughout the country. Junior tournaments are being organised with over 50 youngsters, including a good proportion of UAE Nationals, taking part. One of the success stories from the Junior Development Programme is undoubtedly Rashid Alabbar who, at just 12 years old, has already got his handicap down to 22. Shariff, who has carried the tag as the country's top local player for many years now, is a great ambassador for the sport in the UAE, and his dashing looks have been snapped up by advertizing agencies who have used him to front newspaper clothing campaigns. A leading clothing company is also a sponsor of the national team. Like most things in the UAE, golf has evolved from sand, and it is important, Tarratt says, to remember the vital role that sand courses have played in the success story. They are still proving just as popular in the UAE today.
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Mention Dubai to most sport-minded Westerners and the word golf will spring instantly to mind. Of course many would be referring to the region in which this blossoming emirate is located, but a large portion will be thinking of a sport that has helped to put the United Arab Emirates on the international map just as much as anything else.
The 39 year-old arrived in Dubai nine years ago and has watched the game develop from an expatriate's hobby to a national sport.
"The calendar grows by the year with more tournaments being added on a regular basis," added Tarratt. "But what we are trying to introduce is an incentive for people to bring their handicaps down. In the UK, and many other countries, it is a matter of pride to try and play off as low a handicap as possible, but in general that is not the case here in the emirates.