The club’s Golf Operations Manager, Rory Young, took to social media on Saturday with the surprise news that the UAE’s only 18-hole desert sand golf is to close from August 1 “until further notice”.

***Important***

Dear Friends,

It is with great sadness that I write this post. As of August 1st 2017 Al Ghazal… https://t.co/lWA3YSExZO

— Al Ghazal Abu Dhabi (@AlGhazalAD) July 29, 2017

Young revealed the “landowners” of the club, which is adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport, were to take up to a month to evaluate interest in the property from developers and that he was “unsure of any further details”.

Here’s the full post:

“Dear Friends,
It is with great sadness that I write this post. As of August 1st, 2017 Al Ghazal GC will be closed until further notice. This decision has been made by the landowners as they evaluate interested parties and appoint a new company. I am informed this may take 3-4 weeks but I am unsure of any further details.
On behalf of the staff and myself I wish to extend a huge thank you to all those who have made my two years at the club very memorable and to those members who have created 20 years of history.If you wish to contact me: roryyoung.pga@gmail.com and I will try and facilitate you with any needs you may have.

Thank you again,
Rory Young.”

The news was greeted with dismay on social media with David Parkinson, Associate Director at De Leeuw Middle East, echoing the early comments with: “It’s a sad day for the club and all those involved”.

Al Ghazal GC opened in 1997 and, according to the club website, measures 6711 yards with a par of 71. Instead of greens, golfers putt on “browns” which are created by compacting rolled and treated sand. “As the players quickly discover, they give an extremely true putting surface,” the website says.

The front nine holes (par 35) are based around an archaeological site which was once an old coast line.

“The golf course has gone through many changes over the years and has turned into one of the best sand courses in the world. It’s an experience that should not be missed by anyone visiting Abu Dhabi or living in this vibrant city,” the website continues.

Al Ghazal prides itself as one of the friendliest golf clubs in the UAE but offers more than a sandy take on the royal and ancient game. The facility also has a sports field, home to the Abu Dhabi Football Academy, and a health club equipped with gym, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. There are also three tennis courts and two multi-courts where basketball, five a side football and volleyball are played.

The post Blue day with the browns of Al Ghazal GC to be closed indefinitely appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Cashing-in on a simple set-up tweak and a Trump International Golf Club, Dubai layout that suits his eye, big-hitting Munro triumphed 3&2.

“Funnily enough, Rory gave me a lesson last week. I was starting to get a bit lax with my set-up which he fixed and now I’ve started to get comfortable with the change,” Munro said. “I’m sure he doesn’t regret it [the lesson], well maybe a little. But no, he’s a good lad.”

The victory means the UAE PGA’s two most prestigious trophies now have pride of place on the Munro mantelpiece, at least until Monday when the Abu Dhabi-based professional attempts to defend his Tour Championship title over two days and 36-holes of strokeplay at Al Zorah in Ajman.

“It’s great to win the matchplay for my first time. I wanted the double, not many have achieved that,” Munro said.

“I have managed to get the semis a couple of times only to be beaten by birdies and eagles and stuff on the last so to go the extra hurdle is very pleasing. I’ve been fortunate to play some good golf over the last year and I’m delighted to win both flagship events the UAE PGA has to offer.”

Munro enjoyed a walkover win earlier Tuesday when Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Thomas Henderson was forced to forfeit their semifinal with a finger injury.

Young was “two or three under par” when he ousted defending matchplay champion Callum Nicoll (Abu Dhabi GC) 3&2 in the other semifinal but was on the back foot early in the decider – three down through three – and couldn’t conjure up any of his morning magic.

He got it back to two down on the par 4 4^th, but a bogey five on the tough 7^th saw Munro stretch out to 3up. Young won the 10^th to reduce Munro’s buffer to two holes once again before the 11^th proved the pivotal hole of the final.

Rory Young and Steven Munro ahead of the final. Photos courtesy Luke Plump/Trump International GC, Dubai

Young opted for an iron off the tee on the par 4 and wedged to 12 feet. Munro took driver and watched his ball fall off the left edge of the driveable green, leaving a delicate chip which he was happy to leave just outside Young’s ball. He then holed the birdie putt, Young missed and was again three down. Munro birdied 14^th, gave that hole back with a poor tee shot on the 15^th but was soon shaking hands when he laser beamed a 111-yard approach to three inches on the 16^th.

“My approach in the final was to try and play solid golf, not make any mistakes and see if that forced Rory into mistakes. Going three up through three allowed me to concentrate on fairways and greens and Rory would be the first to admit he didn’t play his best in the final,” Munro said.

“It’s the fourth time I’ve played Trump since it opened. I like to give it a bit of a smack [off the tee] and with the fairways being quite generous, it gave me the chance to play to my strength. I’m pretty comfortable there and that made the final pretty uneventful.”

It was Munrio’s second win of the UAE PGA Tour season after a recent win at Arabian Ranches. With eight other second or T2 placings, Munro is second on the order of merit heading into next week’s Tour Championship.

However, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club professional Cennydd Mills has won five times this season and could yet take an unassailable lead into Al Zorah once the standings are recalculated.

Mills boosted his lead atop the standings with a 68 for second place in Monday’s penultimate strokeplay event at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, two shots adrift of hometown winner Tom Buchanan.

“Cen finished second at Al Ain so is probably too far ahead even though the Matchplay and the Tour Championship carry 50 percent extra points weighting. I’m probably too far behind but we’ll see.”

The post Steven Munro completes the UAE PGA Matchplay-Tour Championship double with victory over, and thanks to, Rory Young appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But the Trump International Golf Club Dubai Senior Golf Instructor was shocked to find his signature on the three-over effort was good enough to earn a playoff at the Abu Dhabi PGA Open Monday.

The 28-year-old Englishman didn’t need a second invitation, a regulation par on Yas Links’ 1^st hole edging Rory Young in overtime after the Al Ghazal pro (clearly not unfamiliar with sand) tangled with both a fairway and greenside trap en-route to a bogey five.

“’I’m delighted to get off the mark,” Bolt told Golf Digest Middle East of the win. “I came second last week with a three-under 69 at Arabian Ranches so the game is starting to come together after some work on the range over the last few months.

“The goal has been to make the Dubai Trophy team [an end-of-season, Ryder Cup-style event against a team of Emirates GC and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club amateurs] and that looks likely now which is nice.”

Bolt, who hails from Bournemouth and joined Trump Dubai in December after a three-year stint at London’s Royal Wimbledon GC, wasn’t the only one to struggle with some tight pins at Yas Links despite the relatively benign conditions.

“My iron play was pretty solid but I couldn’t get my putter going…I had five straight birdie chances inside 10 feet [from 9-14] and only holed one of them,” he said.

“Then I dropped four shots in my last five holes including a double on 15 when I left it in a fairway bunker. I made what I’d call a ‘regulation bogey’ on 16, birdied 17 to get it back to two over but then three-putted 18 after I spun my approach off the green.

“I walked off the 18th green a little bit disappointed but when I spoke with [UAE PGA chief executive] Steven Munro and found out I’d made it into the playoff, it was a nice little surprise.”

Young, who had been in one of the first groups out and could never have imagined a 75 would get him into a playoff, was unlucky in sudden-death.

“Rory hit his drive into a fairway bunker and had about 80 yards into the green. He hit it straight over the flag into a back trap and got unlucky with a tough downhill lie. He did well to get it too about 20 feet but unfortunately didn’t make it. “

There are two further order-of-merit events – at Trump Dubai (April 18) and Al Ain (April 24) – before the 2016-17 season closes with the UAE PGA’s two flagship events: the UAE PGA Matchplay Championship finals at Trump on April 25 and the UAE PGA Championship at Al Zorah on May 1-2.

Defending champion Callum Nicoll (Abu Dhabi GC) will face Young (Al Ghazal) in the first of the matchplay semifinals while Munro is set to meet either David Gray (DG Golf) or Tom Henderson (Jumeirah Golf Estates) in the other.

Munro then defends his UAE PGA Championship (strokeplay) title over 36-holes at Al Zorah, Ajman’s mint-condition Nicklaus Design course.

The top 12 professionals on the final UAE OOM and four “captain’s picks” will then look to avenge their loss to the amateurs in the annual Dubai Golf Trophy on May 20-21.

Abu Dhabi PGA Open – Leading scores
75 – *Mike Bolt (Trump), Rory Young (Al Ghazal)
76 – Callum Nicoll (Abu Dhabi GC), Alex Nicholson (The Track, Meydan), Pruna Sharman (Pro Sports), Jaco Stander (Saadiyat Beach GC)
* Bolt won at the first extra hole

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