By Golf Digest Middle East
Ayla Golf Club has become the first venue in the Middle East to sign the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter.

Unveiled by The R&A in May 2018, the Women in Golf Charter has been introduced to help foster a more inclusive culture within the game of golf and to ensure that women across the world are afforded equal opportunities to maximise their potential, both on the course and within the golf industry.

Spanish Ladies European Tour player Carmen Alonso, Saudi’s first professional golfer Othman Almulla and former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane were all on hand in Aqaba as Ayla’s Director of Operations, Chris White, confirmed the club’s support for the principles of the Charter.

It came on the eve of the inaugural Jordan Mixed Open Presented by Ayla which started Thursday. The event, the world’s first mixed open, a pioneering event that will see men and women go head-to-head over the same course, for a single prize purse and trophy, is a key part of the club’s gender equality drive.

You can watch the promo video here:

“As Jordan’s first championship course we believe that it is extremely important that we demonstrate that golf is a game that can be played by everyone, regardless of age or gender,” said White. 

“We intend for the Jordan Mixed Open to act as a catalyst to develop the sport locally and will build upon the success of the event, and the participation programmes already in place at the club, to continue to work towards growing the women’s game at the club and providing equal opportunities as an organisation.”

Ladies European Tour player Carmen Alonso, aspiring young Ayla Golf Club-member Pera Demirsoy and Chris White, the Director of Operations at Ayla Oasis, at Wednesday’s official announcement.

The ground-breaking Jordan Mixed Open will not only promote gender equality on a global stage but is also intended to empower local women and will encompass a series of talks from inspirational Jordanians who have overcome gender barriers to success in their respective fields.

Ayla’s Managing Director, Sahl Dudin, underscored that Ayla has a longstanding legacy of supporting sustainable development in Jordan, of which the promotion of gender equality is a key pillar.

“For Ayla, encouraging and supporting the participation of women in sports and other key areas of development is a crucial element in accelerating positive transformation on a grand scale, and Ayla will support all endeavours geared toward such objective,” he commented. 

R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers hailed Ayla’s efforts to grow female participation.

“It is important that we continue to highlight the progress being made to promote greater diversity, accessibility and inclusion within golf. Ayla Golf Club has demonstrated its commitment to supporting these aims by becoming the first venue in the Middle East region to sign up to the Women in Golf Charter as well as hosting the world’s first ever mixed professional event this week.

“Hopefully it will inspire other golf clubs to embrace the opportunities that encouraging more women and girls into the sport can bring.”

The post Ahead of pioneering Jordan Mixed Open, host club Ayla double down on women’s golf drive appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But Chris White believes the set-up of Ayla Golf Course for this week’s innovative 54-hole Jordan Mixed Open will prove it is possible – despite the average Challenge Tour player driving 284-yards in 2018, almost 50-yards further than their LET counterparts.

Related: Pioneering Jordan event is a PR dream

“With the course set-up as it is, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be one player from each of the three tours coming down the closing stretch with a chance of victory,’’ said White, Director of Operations at Ayla Oasis and the driving force behind the tournament concept.

Masterminded by White and his team at Ayla, with the approval of representatives of the three co-sanctioning tours, the Greg Norman-designed course will see the Challenge Tour players tee-up from 7,152-yards, with the Staysure Tour players competing from a yardage reduced by seven percent, at 6,601-yards.

There will then be a further seven percent reduction for the LET players, who will compete from a scorecard measured at 6,139-yards. The distances are comparable to the length the competitors would play from under standard tournament conditions.

“Our first and primary priority was to engineer a format that could showcase golfing talent regardless of gender,” said Chris White.

Chris White, second from right, with representatives from the Jordan Mixed Open’s co-sanctioning tours.

“This not only means taking into consideration carry yardages, both off the tee and throughout the player’s whole bag, but also the positioning of bunkers and hazards, which will be approached differently depending on the angle and distance that each competitor is playing from.”

“The beauty of golf is that everyone can compete alongside each other. In the amateur game through the handicap system, but with the correct set-up we believe that this can also be true when it comes to men, women and seniors in the professional arena,” White said.

The spin rates of approach shots have also been analysed and will be considered when preparing daily hole locations, while wind and other weather considerations will also be factored in each day before play commences.

“Golf needs more innovative concepts to continue to grow the sport globally and this is a truly exciting new format,” said Davide Lantos, the LET’s Director of Tournament Operations.

“The Tournament Directors have gone through a rigorous process to ensure that the set-up is a fair test for all the players, including the positioning of different tees at Ayla Golf Club. It will be a thrilling spectacle to watch the best players from three tours compete in Jordan.”

The post White confident of gender-neutral setup of Ayla G.C. for Jordan Mixed Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

How do you set up Greg Norman’s new, 7512 yard, par-72 layout on the shores of the Red Sea so it is an equitable challenge for the diverse field of 123 players, made up of 40 members of each tour and one leading amateur from the mens, ladies’ and over-50s’ games?

Representatives from the three co-sanctioning tours believe they solved the set-up conundrum after a recent site visit to the Aqaba resort.

Simon Higginbottom, a Staysure Tour and Challenge Tour Tournament Director, admitted the inaugural Jordan event presents  “some challenges regarding course set up.”

“With its design emphasis on proper playing angles, strategy and firm ground conditions, the course at Ayla is well suited to the mixed format and will, with our carefully managed tee and pin positions, provide all three categories of player with the ability to score well,” Higginbottom said.

Davide Lantos, the LET’s Director of Tournament Operations, concurs, and knows the set-up is critical for the April 4-6 event. Careful attention was paid not only to the length of the course facing each competitor but the angles of play as well, ensuring, where possible, bunkers and water hazards have an equal impact.

Related: Unique trophy for trailblazing Jordan Mixed Open unveiled

“The Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla, which will be played in the cradle of modern civilisation, is a great opportunity to showcase all that is great about women’s golf,’ he said

“In a world that is beginning to recognise the importance of gender equality, this unique format and event could not have been better timed.

“The real challenge for us is in preparing the course and in ensuring the correct format of play so that our male and female professionals can compete on the same course with the same chance to score well. We are sure that this will be a challenging but enjoyable tournament for players and an exciting and engaging event for spectators.”

Chris White, Director of Operations at the Ayla Oasis Development Company, cannot wait for April.

“Both representatives from the Tours gave very positive feedback on our projected vision for the golf course set-up and we are confident that we will be able to establish a format which encourages exciting play and will see all players given an equal chance of being crowned our inaugural champion.”

The post Organisers confident of level playing field for ‘world first’ mixed gender event in Jordan appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Jordan’s first 18-hole all-grass course was designed by two-time Open champion Greg Norman and will have another holder of the Claret Jug on hand when it hosts its first professional tournament this week.

Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion at Royal St. George’s, will tee it up in ‘Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship’ from Thursday. It will be the 49-year-old Ulsterman’s third start in the last four MENA Tour events and is a boon for the new $50,000, 54-hole event in Aqaba.

“It’s great to see a player of the stature of Darren lend his celebrity status to the event, which I am sure will be a memorable affair. We are really grateful to him for his support,” said Ayla Director of Operations, Chris White, who joined the club from Yas Links in Abu Dhabi.

“We are delighted to be part of the Mena Tour as we feel the championship will be a great catalyst for the overall growth and development of the sport in the country.”

Clarke is counting down to joining the Champions Tour in the U.S. after his 50th birthday next August and is using the MENA Tour to keep his game sharp as well as promoting the Pro-Am circuit’s merits as official patron.

With 13 European and two WGC titles and a 10-7-3 (W-L-H) Ryder Cup record as a player, Clarke won’t be happy with his T-26 finish at last week’s Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open after a level par effort following rounds of 70-73-73. It followed a -2, T-16 performance at the Dubai Creek Open earlier in September after scores of 68-69-74.

As competitive as ever, Clarke is desperate for a MENA Tour victory which would eclipse his best finish on tour thus far, a T-2 on debut at the 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

Aside from Clarke’s performance, the focus in Jordan will be on the Order-of-Merit race. Jamie Elson is back on top after his third place finish in Abu Dhabi but the Englishman has yet to win a MENA Tour event and is just 4432 points ahead of the Swede Fredrik From.

Luke Joy, fifth overall but reeling after missing the cut at Yas Links, also needs a big week with just Jordan and the Oct.16-18 Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship left before the season-ending Tour Championship at Al Zorah from Oct. 23-26.

Perhaps the biggest star of all this week will be the course itself. Since its soft opening in October 2016, Ayla GC’s commitment to environmentally-friendly design has garnered wide recognition courtesy of solar-powered floodlights and eco-friendly paspalum grass that is fed using water from 19 wells. It certainly looks stunning as these tweets from the MENA Tour and Swedish pro Fredrik Lindblom show:

These fairways @AylaOasis ??? #aylaoasis #aylagolfclub pic.twitter.com/fsUAMumiyl

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) October 3, 2017

Looking forward to play the first ever pro golf event in Jordan?? @theMENATour . Ayla GC is incredible ? pic.twitter.com/NJUqCJd0mB

— Fredrik Lindblom (@f_lindblom) October 2, 2017

With scenic Red Sea views and a meandering wet wadi that comes into play on 11 holes, Ayla is considered one of Norman’s top three most sustainable designs.

“For us to be considered as a venue capable of hosting our first professional golf tournament within our first year of operation is both testament to the quality of the product as well as our collective team’s desire to showcase Ayla, Aqaba and, indeed Jordan, to a global audience,” said Sahl Dudin, Managing Director of Ayla.

“Aqaba seeks to improve its tourism assets, so that we can make the stay of visiting tourists longer. So it is not only the ‘sun and sand’: it is the ‘Golden Triangle’, which is Wadi Rum and Petra, and more attractions in Aqaba, which is diving, and now golf.”

In addition to the 18-hole championship course, Ayla GC offers a teaching academy, a 9-hole par-3 course and driving range.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING…the MENA Tour arrives in Aqaba, Jordan for the first professional golf tournament in the Kingdom! ?? pic.twitter.com/pbCU1Y88MR

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) October 2, 2017

The post Darren Clarke headlines strong field for Jordan’s first professional event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.