SPONSORED CONTENT – Closing in on 18-months since the re-opening of JA the Resort Golf Course and a good thing just keeps on getting better.

Harradine Golf’s redesign of the opening three holes of the nine-hole course, 20 years after the iconic Dubai golf destination was originally opened, has clearly captured the imagination. That much we can deduct from JA The Resort Golf Course again being named the region’s best 9-holer in the ‘Best in Middle East’ category of the 2020 Golf Digest Middle East Top 10 Courses ranking.

RELATED: 2020 ‘Best of the Middle East

The expert panel tasked with judging the biennial Top 10 Courses in the Middle East ranking and you, our loyal readers, were effusive in your praise of the update by principal designer Peter Harradine to accommodate the resort’s impressive new, 348-guest room JA Lake View Hotel.

A recent round for an upcoming Stay & Play feature underlined this resounding tick of approval to the Golf Digest Middle East editorial team. Not only were we thoroughly enamoured by Harradine’s re-imagined opening third, we were also mightily impressed with the condition of the entire nine, headlined by greens as pure as any we putted in the UAE during the peak spring months.

RELATED: Jebel Ali’s new opening gambit adds lustre to Dubai’s 9-hole icon

All of which makes JA The Resort Golf Course’s ‘Ultimate Summer Golf Package’ even more attractive.

For AED 3700 per person or AED 6500 per couple, the ‘Summer Swing’ package offers way more than just unlimited golf, seven days a week, from May 1 to September 30, even though that presents as great value in itself.

But throw in the following and it’s simple to see why JA The Resort insist “you’re guaranteed an enjoyable golfing summer with the whole family”:

UNBEATABLE PACKAGE BENEFITS
– Unlimited practice facilities and par 3 course when applicable
– Unlimited access to gym and leisure facilities
– 20% discount on all food & beverage outlets
– 15% off on golf lessons at The Leadbetter Golf Academy
– 10% discount at the golf retail shop
– One complimentary 30-minute professional swing assessment
– Preferential room rates

You also get unlimited access to an 800-metre private beach and swimming pools for 2 adults and 2 children throughout the five-month package, a perfect addition in the summer months.

For bookings and inquiries, please email golf.teetimes@jaresorts.com 

Terms and conditions apply.

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We could tell you it was because of the cattle-infused imagery of Arosa Golf Course that accompanied the release, stunning as it is. There’s also the link with all the Middle East courses the Dubai-based company have been involved in, the new 9-holer at the Al Barari residential development off Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (the 311) in Dubai, the latest among them.

Related: The Legend Grows at Dubai’s newest course

But lets be honest – we perked up because any press release from Harradine Golf is worth its weight in quotable gold courtesy of principal designer Peter Harradine. The colourful character doesn’t disappoint as he surveys Arosa which lies at 1850 meters above sea level.

“This course is a true Alpine layout and not for the faint hearted,” he starts. “Only a few years ago the first task of the greenkeeper was to remove the cow dung from the fairways as one of the contractual obligations of the club was to let the cows graze at night. In fact cows still graze in the rough.”

We love it. And Harrdine’s trademark, never ever honey-coated honesty.

“Environmentalists should take this course as an example instead of always citing Augusta and other manicured examples. Maybe it is because it is extremely environmentally friendly that we received the building permits in such an incredibly short time [the application was made in January and received in April].

“This must be an absolute record for Switzerland as it usually takes years for such permits to be released, especially due to the environmental lobby which always has many and mostly incredible objections to anything that is connected to golf courses.”

The renovation has a special significance for the Harradine family with the original nine holes designed and built (and relatively untouched since) by Don Harradine, Peter’s father, in 1945.

Peter Harradine designed the second nine in 2001 and supervised the construction the following year.

Related: Stunning Jebel Sifah Golf Course Opens in Oman

The approved modernisation is set to start in September, the end of the Swiss golfing season. The estimated re-opening date is September next year.

We can’t wait for the new pictures. And more of refreshing honesty from the Middle East game’s most interesting rent-a-quote designer.

The post Harradine Golf poised to transform ‘cow dung’ splattered Swiss course appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The cliché promises good things for those who wait and it couldn’t ring truer than for the team behind Living Legends.

Fifteen years after the nine-hole layout was first commissioned and five years after ground was originally broken on the project, Dubai’s newest old course is now, finally, full-steam ahead.

The full-length driving range (with views to the Burj Khalifa) has been grassed and the already shaped holes of the Harradine Golf-design will quickly follow suit.

Given the stuttering progress to date, pinning an opening date on principal architect Peter Harradine or builders Orient Irrigation Services is a trifle unfair, although play is likely within a year and possibly well before next spring. The wait will indeed be worth it as Golf Digest Middle East’s exclusive tour of the course, the centrepiece of real estate developer Tanmiyat’s extensive Al Barari residential development off Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (the 311), illustrated.

Harradine is noted for creating layouts that are the antithesis to the monster “championship” courses that predominate the region’s modern golf landscape and Living Legends is no different.

The routing was largely dictated by the available corridors within this portion of the 500 villa-12 apartment block development, essentially two horseshoes that snake around four man-made, saltwater lakes. It hasn’t stopped Harradine sculpting a collection of holes offering strategic challenges from tee to green with ample, eye-catching elevation changes.

The landing areas for tee shots looked tight in their nude state during our inspection but this is apparently some sort of optical, pre-grass illusion – they are in fact a generous 40-55 yards wide in most instances. All will be revealed once the wall-to-wall Paspalum Platinum T3 grass grows apparently and with just one fairway bunker, to the right of the 4th fairway, the course appears imminently playable in trademark Harradine style. There are also five tee options on each hole – spanning 3248 yards from the tips to 2543 yards from the forward-most red markers – to cater for all ability levels.

Principal designer Peter Harradine surveys progress, here on the approach to the 1st green.

The lakes, all on the left of the holes they hug, will give right-handers with a hook and lefties with a slice pause for thought on four of the nine holes. Harradine also promises plenty of trees to separate adjacent fairways, offer protection to homeowners where necessary and no doubt frustrate those trying to stay out of the wet stuff. Otherwise, the stiffest challenge will come on and around the sizeable greens that are to be well protected with a combined 11 large, deep bunkers.

Without grass and the benefit of a loop or three with clubs in hand, it’s hard to single out the best holes although the par-3 4th and par-5 next look like a beauty and beast back-to-back and the 7th will be another stern test with all that water. The two pars 3s also shape as thoroughly memorable, both played to downhill greens that are blessedly only 180 and 153 yards from the tips (Memo to contemporary architects: 200-yard plus par-3s are no fun for club golfers).

Living Legends takes some finding off the 311 but once discovered, it shapes as a fun-friendly beacon for residents and guests alike, especially as the layout is to be fully floodlit. It joins Abu Dhabi G.C., Doha, Al Hamra, Mirage City (Egypt), plus four other nine holers at Jebel Ali, The Track, Sharjah and Jebel Sifah (Oman) in Harradine Golf’s Middle East portfolio. It might be the latest addition, but on first evidence we trust it won’t be the last. The game here is fortunate to have an architect with an everyday golfer (read common sense) touch to modern day design.

The new driving range with views to the Burj Khalifa.

The post The Legend Grows at Dubai’s newest course appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In that time the Peter Harradine-design has twice played host to the penultimate event of the European Challenge Tour’s season, most recently in October when Swede Jens Dantorp played one of the shots of the year to edge Adrian Meronk (Poland) with an eagle in overtime to claim the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge.

Now that the Oman Classic has been elevated to the main European Tour for 2018, there is anticipation that the RAK Challenge will become the Challenge’s Tour’s season-ender, turning the Race to Oman into the ‘Race to RAK’ and ensuring season-long exposure for the emirate and its leading club. An announcement on the new-look Challenge Tour schedule was pending as we went to print. What was set in stone was another momentous development for Al Hamra with Troon Golf, the leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing, appointed to provide full management services to Al Hamra.

“Al Hamra is one of the central attractions in Ras Al Khaimah and the Emirates as a whole,” said Mark Chapleski, President, Troon International Division. “The property is the perfect fit for the Troon International portfolio. When you factor in the quality of Peter Harradine’s design and the Al Hamra clubhouse, along with the proximity of thousands of hotel rooms, you have the makings for a very successful and sustainable golf destination.”

No arguments there.

As well as the 7,325-yard par 72 layout, the club is the centerpiece of Al Hamra Village, a master-planned development covering an area of 77 million square feet, which includes 1.5km of pristine beaches, five resort hotels, a 222-berth marina as well as Al Hamra Mall, a two-storey retail centre offering entertainment and shopping experiences that are a lure to golfers and their non-golfing partners from around the globe.

Al Hamra Village is framed by a wide range of accommodation options, with nearly 1,000 hotel rooms. Visitors can choose from the Waldorf Astoria, an ultra-luxurious space of tranquillity and palatial surroundings; The Hilton Al Hamra Beach and Golf Resort, surrounded by landscaped gardens; or Al Hamra Residence and Village, a unique blend of local heritage and modern design nestled between the golf course and white sandy beach. The soon to be opened The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach, which will offer 32 private villas each with their own pool and beach access, will cement Al Hamra G.C. as one of the region’s leading stay and play options.

Harradine’s course itself meanders around four interconnected open water lagoons, merging seamlessly with the water of the Arabian Gulf. Designed to be a challenging but playable course for golfers of all abilities, it incorporates both open water lagoons and desert landscapes. As many traditional courses do, the front nine makes its way out and away from the clubhouse and those stunning balcony views, while the homeward nine returns home around the lagoon. With five tee options on each hole, the seasoned professional or fledgeling enthusiast can golf on an equal, fun footing.

www.alhamragolf.com

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As well as the chance to win some amazing prizes, we’ve marked the milestone by taking a contemporary spin on many of the features that appeared in our launch issue back in November 2008.

Related: Take our 2017 Reader Survey and win BIG!

The most obvious replication starts right up front where Dubai amateur sensation Rayhan Thomas steps out of the shadows of U.S. singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake to deservedly earn his second Golf Digest ME cover within a year.

The 17-year-old Indian, now up to a career-high 23rd place in the latest Amateur World Golf Rankings (WAGR), also stars in our bumper 30-page “9 for 9” feature which celebrates nine pivotal contributions to the local game during the nine years we’ve been in print.

Inside, we explore what’s next for Thomas, both from a swing and career progression standpoint, while reflecting on his world record-tying birdie blitz during last month’s MENA Tour event at Dubai Creek and his unforgettable Jnr Presidents Cup debut.

Timberlake might have taken the most prominent piece of real estate in our first issue but the key story inside was the impending launch of the Race to Dubai. Ninety nine issues later we sit down for a fascinating one-on-one with a needle-shifting powerbroker from the first issue. The chat with David Spencer is as illuminating as those purple socks he rocked in the subsequent photoshoot.

We’ve also given Thomas’ coach, Justin Parsons, the full treatment. The Northern Irishman is Dubai’s coach to the stars – and not all of them golfers with some neat pictures of cricket demigod Sachin Tendulkar and Hollywood A-lister Will Smith included.

Former Open champion Darren Clarke makes a plea for greater support of the MENA Tour and we meet the character behind the kandura that is Mohamed Juma Buamaim. You also won’t want to miss the fascinating interview with Peter Harradine as the always outspoken Dubai-based Swiss architect opens up on the curse of the contemporary “Championship course” designs.

One of our favourite reflections is a before and after equipment test with Jumeriah Golf Estates 3.8-handicapper Philip Sharpe. We won’t give too much away but you won’t believe the results the Cobra Golf tragic achieved when we got him on the X-Golf simulator at eGolf Megastore.

With a swing tip from UAE PGA champion Cennydd Mills and previews ahead of the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge and European Challenge Tour’s season-deciding NBO Golf Classic Grand Fina in Muscat, plus the LET’s Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach, you’ll go a long way to find more in-depth local coverage.

Throw in tips from Butch and Claude Harmon, tuition features penned by newly crowned PGA Tour Player-of-the-Year Justin Thomas and world No. 5 Jon Rahm and an amazing “Shots I can’t explain” piece from Jack Nicklaus, and our 100th issue is, well, one in a hundred.

Grab your copy today and get winning!

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The latest addition to the Middle East’s enviable course portfolio offers a refreshing alternative to the “monster championship” layouts that predominate the region’s golfing landscape.

Jebel Sifah GC is the 9-hole epicentre of a seaside and yacht-dotted residential/resort community by the same name, 65km south-east of Muscat, Oman’s capital city.

To be managed by Troon International, the desert-links was designed by Harradine Golf whose principal architect Peter Harradine is the antithesis of many of today’s contemporary course designers.

The 5th green

While developers elsewhere continue to be delivered overly difficult behemoths in a foolhardly attempt to lure tour events and/or to future proof their investment against the advances of club and ball technology, Harradine’s design philosophy has long focused on the physical ability (or relative lack thereof) and potential enjoyment of “average players”

The first pictures of Jebel Sifah, obtained exclusively by Golf Digest Middle East just after the course’s soft opening, clearly illustrate the fun factor Harradine desires.

Stunning Gulf of Oman views across the 6th green

Wide fairways, large greens and the absence of “useless” fairway bunkers promise aesthetically-pleasing, resort-style golf where the natural topography has been cleverly enhanced to offer strategic challenge.

The par 36 layout, which can be stretched from its forward-most tees at 2843 yards to a championship standard 3634 yards from the tips, is easily able to be toughened with greens that offer “easy, difficult and very difficult pin positions.” The use of a second set of pins on each of the nine greens can also transform the course into a par 72, 18-holer.

Sweeping Gulf of Oman views, natural wadis and a majestic mountain range backdrop complete the alluring picture at Harradine Golf’s first seaside offering.

The 1st tee leads the eye towards the majestic mountain range

“Surprisingly and for once, the client did not want a monster ‘championship’ layout but a resort course that would be fun for average players that are, after all, the back bone of the golf industry,” Harradine Golf said.

“Two holes play towards or along the Indian Ocean [Gulf of Oman] and the nearby mountains provide a dramatic and constant back drop. Play is also interesting thanks to a continuous breeze from the sea that often changes direction which obliges difficult club selection [decisions] and playing strategy.

“Despite the topography, the course is rather flat and a pleasure to walk which is not always the case with courses on real estate projects as they often have great distances between the greens and the next tees.”

Harradine Golf praised the developer, Muriya (a joint venture between Orascom Development Holding and Omani master developer Omran) for heeding its recommendations regarding the safety limits of the real estate that fringes the course.

There are no fairway bunkers but challenging traps around the greens

“The stylish houses are therefore unobtrusive around the course as it meanders through and around wadis which are filled with torrential water during the few but violent rain-falls. The complete sub-surface is composed of big and small caliber gravel which ensures rapid drainage during those storms. “

Jebel Sifah is the latest addition to Harradine Golf’s Middle East portfolio which includes European Tour venues Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Doha Golf Club (Qatar) and Al Hamra GC (Ras Al Khaimah/Challenge Tour) plus Jebel Ali Golf Resort (Dubai), Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and Mirage City Golf Club in Egypt.

The 8th green

Set along five kilometres of natural Omani coastline and spanning 6.2 million square metres, Jebel Sifah is home to one luxury hotel and has five more in planning. Able to be reached by water taxi from Muscat, the resort also includes “Golf Lake Villas” and marina apartments which can be owned freehold by Omanis and expats.

The second hole bathed in late evening sunlight

The post EXCLUSIVE: Stunning Jebel Sifah Golf Course Opens in Oman appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Little arm-twisting is required when a stay and play invitation pops into my inbox.

Fancy some golf and a night or two at the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa? That’s the hotel on the doorstep of Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the luxurious sanctuary for golf’s best early season field each January and the course they market as the ‘The Home of Champions’, right? Okay, let me think ab…Yes please!

Why not take a detour to our sister property Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on the way down from Dubai and play their annual Gourmet Golf day. You already had me at ‘stay and play’ if I’m honest but that sounds mouthwatering. Count me in.

Just one thing, there seems to be something amiss here with this otherwise tempting itinerary. I can find no mention of golf on The National course where Tommy Fleetwood won the 12th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship a few weeks back. I’m not so sure I want to emulate Tommy’s mullet and I’m absolutely certain I can’t play golf like the Englishman. But I’d love the chance to try on the Peter Harradine-designed course. Any chance?

A whiz-boing of emails confirmed my disappointment. I’m down to play Abu Dhabi GC’s nine-holer, secretly referred to as the Garden Course but officially known as ‘Holes 19-27’.

I feel so close and yet so far from the European Tour course when I eventually arrive at the Westin to meet the already checked-in family after being well and truly fed and watered during a grand afternoon at Saadiyat Beach GC. Eighteen holes on a European Tour venue or half as many on a course with no real name. Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.

Fast-forward to the following evening after a relaxing day by the pool and its time to get this half round of golf out of the way. Out of the way…how wrong I was.

The floodlight ‘19-27’ course which is a hidden gem beyond the driving range.
(Main Image) The 25th hole on Abu Dhabi GC’s nine holer can play anywhere from 165 to 88 yards.

Holes 19-27 (seriously?) is a not so little gem. From the black tee tips it measures 3341 yards and is home to some truly memorable holes – the picturesque, slightly downhill par 3 21st hole (the 3rd to the rest of us), the par 4 23rd hole which doglegs left around a lake and the island-style green on the tiny par 3 25th the best among them.

I could easily have looped the course over and over but a cold wee caddy and a dinner date on The Terrace back at Abu Dhabi Golf Club (tasty fare and even better service) mean we’ll definitely come back another time.

For a golf addict, nothing can beat 18-holes on a course that regularly hosts the European Tour’s best. But our stay at the Westin was a timely reminder that precious family time needn’t be golf free time. A fractured left pinky finger precluded the little one from playing but with forward tees offering nine holes from just 2530 yards, this is an ideal course for families with golf rookies or for nine more after your Fleetwood impersonation act. Mullet optional. We’ll definitely hit the range next time too – Mum and Dad were super impressed with the well-organised Future Falcons junior coaching we spied from our hotel balcony while sipping coffee the following morning, and junior more than a little intrigued.

Fairways offers international dining

With six dining outlets including ‘Fairways’, the resort’s all-day restaurant with live international food stations, and golf for all levels, the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa is proof you don’t have to travel far for a great stay and play.

For more info, visit westinabudhabigolfresort.com

The post Stay & Play: Family friendly Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I feel like it’s pretty straight forward,” the big-bombing American said after playing the outward nine of the 7583 yard, par 72 Peter Harradine design.

“You’ve got to drive it straight. That’s one of the keys obviously is hitting it straight and I feel like I’m driving it pretty well right now, so hopefully we’ll have a good week.”

With fellow long-baller Rory McIlroy a late scratching from the Desert Swing opener, Johnson’s famed driving is sure to draw Thursday’s biggest galleries, never mind that he is paired with Masters champion Danny Willett and Open winner Henrik Stenson in an all-major marquee group. The 32-year-old ranked second in driving distance on the PGA Tour last season with a 313.6 yard average (a whisker under of a yard shy of JB Holmes) and with a repeat of those numbers it will be entertaining to see if he can over power The National.

Yesterday’s Pro-Am gave the reigning U.S. Open champion a back nine reference and likely more confidence to take into the opening round.

“I feel like it’s set up well for me. We’ll just have to see. But I feel like the game is in pretty good shape right now, so I’m looking forward to playing here,” he said.

With his TaylorMade driver co-operating as ever, Johnson continues to focus on his wedge work as he eyes more majors. The Ryder Cupper was not too tardy last year, finishing seventh in the PGA Tour’s proximity to the hole stat category at 33 feet (Adam Scott was No.1 with a 32.4ft average) but still sees room for improvement.

“I’m not really going to change much from what I did last year. You know, continue to really work on the wedge game. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of room that I can improve there. And you know, kind of the 150 to 200 range; my proximity to the hole is a little bit down from the years past, so work on that a little bit, too,” he said.

For all his unstated confidence and notwithstanding McIlroy’s absence, Johnson knows he will have to play well to kick-on from his T6 finish at the SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii where he was 15 under, seven shots shy of champion Justin Thomas.

“It’s got a great field here, a lot of great players. Obviously Rory is a great player and no one wanted to see him pull out, including myself. But things happen and you know, he had to pull out for this week just so he could get healthy and come back and play in a few events from now.. Yeah, I still think it’s going to be a great tournament. It’s going to be very tough to win.”

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Extensions to the greens on the par 3 7^th and par 4 9^th holes are the most notable “refinements”, as Abu Dhabi Golf Club agronomy chief Clinton Southorn describes them, set to greet the 126-player field from January 19-22.

The 7th green has been extended on the right-hand side, increasing the putting surface by 25 percent to open up space for more testing pin positions. The 9th green has also been extended in similar fashion, bringing the large green side bunker into play.

Elsewhere, a small alteration of the contours on the 4^th green add to the difficulty of the par 3 with any shot landing to the right of the pin in danger of feeding off the putting surface and down the tightly mowed fringe to find the water hazard. Additionally, all the bunkers will revert back to having broomed faces with the bottom areas raked to enhance the presentation and make for more consistent lies.

Kaymer, who claimed his maiden European Tour title on The National in 2008 and went on to add the famed Falcon Trophy to his resume in 2010 and 2011 (the latter with a championship record -24 total), praised the tweaks to the Peter Harradine-designed course.

“A few changes have been made over the last two or three years and I think it’s one of those golf courses where you see that those were good changes,” said Kaymer, a two-time major champion.

“Sometimes these days, they change golf courses just to make them longer, but longer doesn’t always mean better or more difficult.”

One hole the German is happy things have been left alone is The National’s iconic par 5 18^th.

“My favourite hole has to be the 18th; I think it is one of the best par-fives that we play, especially for my type of game,” Kaymer said.

Kaymer escapes the sand on the 9th hole during the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Cub on January 21, 2016. – Getty Images

“The tee shot fits my eye perfectly and my ball flight very well. I can aim at that left hand bunker and just let the ball fade into the fairway and then the second shot is a great one towards the long, large green.”

Tournament director Peter German echoed Kaymer’s praise.

“The changes we have made for 2017 aren’t major, but each of them has been strategically implemented to provide a different and new challenge for the players by enhancing the degree of difficulty,’ German said.

“The Championship course is renowned for providing a tough but fair test and we look forward to watching the world’s best, including first-timers such as US Open Champion Dustin Johnson, take it on in January.”

The 12^th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is headlined by reigning U.S. Open champion Johnson. The big-hitting American is joined by defending champion Rickie Fowler, world No.2 Rory McIlroy, Open champion Henrik Stenson, Masters champion Danny Willett, defending Qatar Masters champion Branden Grace, Alex Noren, Thomas Pieters, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood, Thongchai Jaidee and the newly announced Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.

Visit www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com for ticket information.

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