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.

That’s just one of the tasty little battles within the battle in Aqaba where Ladies European Tour (LET) stars will compete against the whippersnappers of the European Challenge and several former Ryder Cuppers from the Staysure (senior) Tour on the same course for a single prize fund from Thursday. 

Related: White confident of gender-neutral Ayla Golf Club set-up for Jordan Mixed Open

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll have some sort of wager running throughout the tournament,” Scott told the European Tour. “It will probably involve household chores.”

We’ll keep tabs on the Henry’s battle for domestic bliss but beforehand revert to the push for pre-tournament coverage. Normally a tournament would need to be quite novel for publicity cut-through but the team in Jordan have let the venue and nearby surrounds do all the heavy lifting.

Check out the video of the LET’s Olivia Cowan, Challenge Tour competitor Borja Virto and the former Ryder Cupper Barry Lane taking in the sights of Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and Wadi Rum:

History isn’t made everyday, but when it is, it’s worth celebrating. Star golfers @OliviaCowan, @BorjaVirto and @BazLane recently joined us to do just that. Here we share their journey through Jordan… Behind-the-scenes coming soon, stay tuned! #WeShareTheSameDrive pic.twitter.com/r6fOhum8et

— Ayla Oasis (@AylaOasis) March 28, 2019

We’re still coming to terms with Lane’s attempt at the floss and look forward to the impending bloopers cut.

Beforehand, enjoy the publicity shots from Petra and Wadi Rum, an increasingly dramatic collection of red sandstone mountains which has served as the backdrop to films such as Lawrence of Arabia and more recently scenes from The Martian and the latest Star Wars blockbuster, Rogue One.

Barry Lane, Olivia Cowan and Borja Virto at Petra.

Olivia Cowan lets one rip into the stunning vastness of Wadi Rum.

Meanwhile, Ayla Golf Club course designer Greg Norman has lent his support to the event.

‘’Any initiative that sets to break down the barriers that prevent people from taking up the sport and that looks to change the narrative regarding women and girls in sport must be encouraged,” said the Great White Shark.

“To construct a format in which women and men compete together over the same course is an impressive feat and there is no doubt that events that showcase golfing talent regardless of gender, such as the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla, are the future of the game.’’

Norman’s sentiments were have been echoed by LET star Carly Booth and Staysure Tour member Phillip Price.

“I am delighted to be taking part in this unique event in Jordan,” said Booth. “I’ve always believed that we are all equal and creating environments where that can be celebrated can only be a good thing for our sport and also for our communities. It’s a great concept and I can’t wait to get going.”

Three-time European Tour winner and member of the victorious 2002 Ryder Cup squad, Price is also keen to see how the tournament plays out. The layout has been specifically set-up to ensure competitors from each circuit can compete over an equal playing field, with bunkering and hazards, alongside tee placement, taken into consideration.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity, not only to compete with the female players but also to test my game against the up-and-coming players on the Challenge Tour,” the Welshman commented. “Playing golf in Jordan and competing against the Ladies European Tour professionals are both new and exciting experiences and it’s going to be really interesting to see how the format works in practice.”

The post Pioneering Jordan Mixed Open a PR dream 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
Players from the Ladies European Tour and men’s Challenge and Staysure (seniors) Tours will chase a place in golf history at the ground-breaking Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla next year, an event first revealed by Golf Digest Middle East in April.

By virtue of its inaugural status, they’ll also be playing for a brand new trophy at Ayla Golf Club in  Aqaba from April 4-6 next year.

The 15kg, cut crystal “Triquetra Trophy” was unveiled at the World Travel Market in London on Friday by representatives of the three tours and Dr Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, managing director of Jordan Tourism Board.

Designed using an ancient ‘triquetra’ shape, the trophy features a circle passing through three interconnected loops. It fulfils its complicated design brief with clever simplicity, and a nod to ancient history as the PR blurb accompanying the unveiling announcement suggests.

“Each loop is representative of the event’s co-sanctioning tours, while the golf ball further emphasises the cohesion between three forces of the sport,” the release trumpeted with the help of a little history lesson.

“The word ‘triquetra’ is Latin for ‘three-cornered’ and although the exact origins are unknown, examples of its use date back over 5,000 years. “

“This shape is commonly used to represent equality and, using the brand colours of each tour, perfectly encapsulates the underlying principles of the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla.”

Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder but you’ll get no arguments here.

What is guaranteed is a world first in April when 40 professionals from each of the the men’s, ladies’ and senior’s tours compete over the same golf course for the same prize purse. They will be joined by a leading amateur from the men’s, ladies’ and over-50’s games.

RELATED: ‘Ground breaking’ Jordan Mixed Masters hailed

They said it…

Dr Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board
“Golf is central to the vision of Aqaba as a tourist destination and of Ayla as one of the world’s most forward-thinking residential and recreational communities.

“Accompanied by the Jordan Tourism Board’s dual commitment to the promotion of Jordan to travelling golfers and to creating new air travel routes in order to welcome more visitors than ever before, we believe the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla is set to be a landmark event which further endorses and showcases our offering, announcing Jordan onto the world golfing map.”

Mark Lichtenhein, Chairman of the Ladies European Tour
“The Jordan Mixed Open will be a unique spectacle with both male and female golfers competing for the same trophy and there is no doubt that all LET players will have a keen eye on the Triquetra. The design perfectly reflects the unity of three tours coming together to compete in a brand new format and we thank Ayla for their strong commitment to sporting equality.”

David MacLaren, Head of the Staysure Tour
“The Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla is an important event not just for the continued development of the Staysure Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Ladies European Tour, but for golf in general.

“We have seen huge levels of engagement when male and female professional golfers have had the opportunity to compete alongside each other, as they do at the Vic Open and in Morocco at the Trophée Hassan II and Lalla Meryem Cup, or against each other as we saw at GolfSixes and the European Golf Team Championships this year.

“The Jordan Mixed Open adds a new dimension to mixed tournament golf with men competing against women for the first time in a stroke play event and seeing the trophy first-hand has only increased our excitement for next April’s tournament.”

Jamie Hodges, Senior Project Manager, European Challenge Tour
“This tournament involving the Challenge Tour, Staysure Tour and the Ladies European Tour is a landmark moment for all three tours.

“Jordan will represent the 50th country that the Challenge Tour has visited, and we are excited to achieve this milestone in a way that will grow the sport globally while furthering our history as a Tour that takes golf to new markets.

“What makes the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla truly ground-breaking is that everyone in the field is competing for one prize, so I am thrilled to see the way the Triquetra Trophy represents this key innovation, while also being just a beautiful standalone piece of artwork.”

The post Trophy for trailblazing Jordan Mixed Open unveiled appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.