American flavour at EGC

George Clarke and Lyndon Smith

Emirates Golf Club hosted the Emirates US Open Championship with 76 golfers competing on the Faldo Course. The overall winners were George Clarke and Lyndon Smith with 46 points. Runner’s up were Anders Kron and Russell Yeomans with 44 points. In third place were Tauseef Khan and Shiba Wahid with 44 points.

EGF welcomes new faces

72 new National Team graduates at Emirates Golf Federation

Emirates Golf Federation was celebrating its latest National Team graduates, who passed their tests at Abu Dhabi Golf Club this week. There are 72 new additions who will now go on to the next part of their training on their journey in the world of golf.

Josh Hill in England squad

Josh Hill

Dubai’s Josh Hill has once again been chosen to represent England at the European Team Championships taking place at St Leon Rot Golf Club in Germany from July 5 to 9. The English boys team will be up against the finest youngsters from across the continent as 18 teams do battle for the Jean-Louis DuPont Trophy.  Trump International’s Hill is 50th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and will join Josh Berry (Doncaster), Frank Kennedy (Trump Jupiter), Dylan Shaw-Radford (Huddersfield), Harley Smith (Rayleigh) and Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds) on the England team.

Chiara dominates after injury

Chiara Noja. Annie Krcmarova/ACLC

Dubai-based 16-year-old Chiara Noja showed once again why she is one of the hottest prospects for the future of women’s golf as she bounced back from a rib injury that forced her to miss the Aramco Team Series — London to finish T2 in Belgium and stretch her lead in the Ladies European Tour Access Series Order of Merit. Australia’s Kristalle Blum recorded her first victory on the series at the Golf Vlaanderen LETAS Trophy, one ahead of Noja, local star Sophie Bert and France’s Yvie Chaucheprat and Momoka Kobori from New Zealand. With her runner-up finish, Germany’s Noja continues to dominate the LETAS Order of Merit standings with 1,171.25 points while New Zealand’s Kobori moves to the second spot with 813.75 points.

EGF goes green at Al Zorah

Emirates Golf Federation players take part in tree-planting programme at Al Zorah Golf Club. EGF

Emirates Golf Federation celebrated World Environment Day with EGF golfers at Al Zorah Golf Club, with the players planting mangrove trees following a tournament. The 18-hole golf course, Nicklaus-designed course in Ajman is surrounded by natural lakes and mangroves.

New look in Muscat

Muscat Resorts

Muscat Hills, the first all-grass 18-hole golf course in Oman, is to reopen next year as Muscat Resorts under the management of Troon Golf. Muscat Hills previously opened in 2009 and closed in 2020, and is set for a new lease of life under the ownership of Ominvest, the largest investment company in Oman.

Monthly treat for Vishal

Vishal Tikku

EGC also held the Dubai Golf Monthly where Vishal Tikku claimed top honours in B Division (11-20) with a net 68 (BB9). In Division A (0-10), the winner was that man Russell Yeomans with a net 68. In Division C (21-28), Suresh Shewakramani was victorious with a net 73.

Young UAE star wins in Scotland

Abu Dhabi-based Maya Palanza Gaudin. Emirates Golf Federation

The conveyor belt of young UAE-based talent continues to roll as Abu Dhabi’s Maya Palanza Gaudin took the title at the US Kids European Championship (Girls, 12-years-old Category) at The Glen Golf Club, North Berwick, outside Edinburgh, Scotland. Born in Ethiopia, the 12-year-old, who has lived in the UAE capital with her parents and younger sister for 10 years, plays off a 2.7 handicap and was the 2021 Ladies champion at Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi.

Pairs bear fruit at JGE

Paul McMahon and Drew Foxcroft

Jumeirah Golf Estates hosted their Pairs tournament over the Fire Course with 80 golfers competing in a pairs scramble format. Drew Foxcroft and Paul McMahon won on a card playoff with a net 63 (9-under). Runner-ups were Jack Wanliss and Gary Williams. Third place went to Steve Drake and Sheila McIlroy.

Arabian Ranches heats up

Division 2 winner Salman Karim

In a busy June month, Arabian Ranches also hosted the latest qualifying Round for the UAE Emirates NBD Race to Malaysia ahead of the Emirates Golf Federation-sanctioned national final at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah on October 1. The next qualifier is at Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman on September 18, before the final qualifier at Al Hamra Golf Club on September 25. At the final at Al Hamra, the winners of each of the five divisions will qualify to represent the UAE in the World Final in November in Malaysia.

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The post The Gulf Club: All the latest news from the UAE golf scene and beyond for June 2022 as Josh Hill makes England team and Chiara Noja thrives appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Nasser Rashid Al-Shibli, Chief Real Estate Officer, ORIS, Ominvest, welcomed the news of Troon’s appointment. “Troon is the global leader in club management and have the expertise to help us achieve our vision. This is why we partnered with Troon,” he said.

Mark Chapleski, Executive Vice President of Troon International, whose division will oversee Muscat Resorts, added: “We are delighted to be working with such a forward thinking and passionate ownership group in Ominvest and look forward to bringing this club to new levels.”

Freddie Rexstrew. Troon Golf

Spearheading the reopening of Muscat Resorts is Operations Manager Freddie Rexstrew, who has nine years of operational experience, the majority of which have been in the Middle East. Rexstrew began his career in the UAE across a range of golf operations roles, including Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Beach Golf Club as well as Abu Dhabi Golf Club, previously home to 15 editions of the European Tour.

Rexstrew moved to Saudi Arabia and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in 2017, where he was part of Royal Greens’ pre-opening team and worked as an Assistant Golf Professional before returning to the UK to take over as Director of Golf at the Centurion Club for four years.

Rexstrew will now oversee the reopening of Muscat Resorts. “Having now worked for Troon for nearly a decade I have been extremely fortunate to work at some great facilities in the UK, the Middle East and Asia,” he said. “This new opportunity to take on and run a facility that has been closed for a considerable amount of time is really exciting. I am looking forward to working closely with a very passionate ownership group in Ominvest to build something truly special and unique, not just within the Sultanate but also the Middle East.”

Muscat Resorts will be the first facility in Oman to have a Toptracer Range.

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The post Muscat Hills to reopen as Muscat Resorts in Oman next year appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
It will still be known as the ‘Journey to Jordan’ but that’s about where the similarities between the current MENA Tour by Arena season and new-look 2020 schedule end. 

New events in Oman and the UAE – the latter an Alfred Dunhill Links Championship-style Pro-Am over 54 holes – two multi-venue tournaments (albeit at familiar courses) and a $25,000 increase in the purse for the season-ending tour championship headline next season’s schedule unveiled today.

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Also gone for 2020 are the current spring and autumn swings, replaced instead by a condensed four-month season, again encompassing a two-stage Qualifying School at Ayla G.C. in late January. Q-School is immediately followed by the first event of the season proper, the Journey to Jordan #1 Championship, also at Ayla Golf Club.

With Aqaba in Jordan back as the tour’s destination partner, Ayla G.C. will again host four events (Q-School and three main season stops) including The Arena (Tour) Championship. The April 19-23 Journey to Jordan decider will be 72-holes for the first time since the 2017 Tour Championship, features an increased prize fund of $125,000 and becomes a full-field event for the first time in what will be the eighth season of the MENA Tour.

The increased playing opportunities and increased Official World Golf Ranking points (five OWGR points to the Arena Championship winner as it has become a four-round event) are by design, not necessity. David Spencer, Strategic Advisor to the MENA Tour, explains the rationale behind the radical rejig.

“There are two very good reasons why we decided to have the Tour schedule packed in one continuous stretch rather than have two legs in Spring and an Autumn,” said Spencer.

“Most development Tours do not start until the end of April, mostly because of the playing conditions in Europe. We are fortunate to have perfect weather in the Middle East during that period. This gives our players a solid run of tournaments, which is great preparation for them going into the summer. Also, it just simplifies things logistically for our players and makes the cost of ‘life’ on the Tour more affordable.

“With the multitude of playing opportunities we provide on European, Asian and the Challenge Tours, the new-look schedule dovetails perfectly with the other Tours.”

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The first of the circuit’s new events, the Muscat Open, is to be hosted by at Muscat Hills from Feb. 10-13. The Muscat Open is the first of back-to-back events in Oman ahead of The Ghala Open at Ghala Golf Club (Feb. 16-19).

Muscat Hills G.C.

Troon International venues will feature prominently in the circuit’s new multi-course events. The first, the ‘Triple Crown’ in March, will be co-hosted by Yas Links, Saadiyat Beach G.C. and Abu Dhabi G.C. while Al Hamra has joined forces with existing host venue Al Zorah in Ajman to co-host the Northern Emirates Open.

In another first, the MENA Tour by Arena Invitational Pro-Am will be modelled on the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. A venue and purse for the MENA Tour’s iteration has yet to be announced but it will be staged in the UAE and is in the schedule for Mar. 22-25, the week after Abu Dhabi’s Triple Crown.

A minimum of 30 players from each stage of Q-School will secure their cards for the season.

MENA TOUR BY ARENA – 2020 SCHEDULE
Jan. 20-23: Qualifying School A – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($6,000)
Jan. 26-29: Qualifying School B – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($6,000)
Feb. 2-5: Journey to Jordan #1 – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($75,000)
Feb. 10-13: The Muscat Open – Muscat Hills GC, Muscat, Oman ($75,000)
Feb. 16-19: The Ghala Open – Ghala GC, Muscat, Oman ($75,000)
Feb. 23-26: The Bahrain Open – Royal GC, Bahrain ($75,000)
Mar. 1-4: Journey to Jordan #2 – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($75,000)
Mar. 15-18: The Triple Crown – Yas Links/Saadiyat Beach GC/Abu Dhabi GC ($75,000)
Mar. 22-25: MENA Tour by Arena Invitational Pro-Am – UAE TBA (Purse TBA)
Mar. 29-April 1: Ras Al Khaimah Open – Tower Links GC, RAK ($75,000)
April 5-8: Northern Emirates Open – Al Hamra GC, RAK/Al Zorah GC, Ajman ($75,000)
April 12-15 TBA – Venue TBA ($75,000)
April 19-23 The Arena Championship – Ayla GC, Aqaba, Jordan ($125,000)

The post Innovative events and new venues highlight ‘condensed’ 2020 MENA Tour schedule appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A luxury twist to Muscat’s golfing double-header
By Robbie Greenfield

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For the UAE-based golfer, Muscat is making an increasingly strong case as a front rank golfing getaway choice. It’s close enough to be reached via a short hop on Fly Dubai, yet far enough away to offer an escape from the norm. Oman is different with a capital D. Neither of its two top golf courses are remotely like anything you will play in the emirates, and nor is the magnificent Chedi hotel like any five-star property in the UAE.

You may not quite get the slick, polished golfing experience that is so expertly served up in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but both Almouj Golf and Muscat Hills possess considerable charm and a rugged quality, while at the same time featuring two wildly different playing experiences.

Greg Norman’s Almouj Golf is the undisputed king of this coastline, having arrived with a bang on Golf Digest Middle East’s official Top 10 course ranking last December at No.4. The easiest comparison to make would be with Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, but there are certainly some key differences. The manmade dunes on Greg Norman’s creation are even more imposing than Yas’, and its exposed location makes Almouj the breeziest course in the Middle East. Still less than two years old, the club have already hosted a Challenge Tour event and the playing surfaces, while spongy in places, are continuing to mature into a linksier test.

We took an early morning Friday flight from Dubai late last month and had already made time for a tasty breakfast and a bucket of range balls before pegging it up on the first tee at 11am. It really is that easy. Of course, it helps when your transport from the airport to the course arrives in the form of a Chedi-branded Mercedes, just one of the customised services the hotel offers to the ever-growing number of golfers heading to Oman.

As part of the ‘Tee off in Style’ package running until the end of the year, golfers can make use of the Chedi’s renowned Spa and Health Club. In the company of the frighteningly athletic Health Club manager, Milos Padjeski, our group discovered the full, depressing limitations of our levels of flexibility, together with muscles and joints we never knew we had, during a stretching routine designed to increase balance and mobility.

Almouj Golf is the undisputed king of the Muscat Coastline.

You’ll need all the help you can get on both Almouj Golf and Muscat Hills, because neither venue is too kind on the type of wayward shots we were hitting. At the former, deceptively thick rough and even more impenetrable native areas provide an excellent hiding place for a Pro V1, while the dramatic rocky wadis at Muscat Hills are not the place to go foraging after that skewed approach shot.

In the UAE, taking a cart can feel like a guilty pleasure at times, but on this terrain you may not make it back to the clubhouse without one. Muscat Hills’ layout makes great use of several impressive ravines, with the 10th green seemingly carved out of the front of a jagged wall of rock.

After a pair of golf courses that pack a physical punch, the incredible tranquility of the Chedi is the perfect respite. Landscaped gardens, soft lighting and the understated class of the Asian-inspired architecture combine to make this 21-acre hideaway the ultimate in luxurious privacy. Choices abound, from a variety of pools including the longest anywhere in the Middle East (at 109 metres) to a full range of dining options.  the Japanese cuisine at the Long Pool was mouthwateringly good, which is just as well since none of us had enjoyed the rare taste of a birdie.

The post Stay & Play: The Chedi / Almouj Golf / Muscat Hills GC appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.