Nad Al Sheba Golf Club was the only fully floodlit 18-hole golf course in the Middle East and the busiest golf academy and start-up facility in Dubai. The Club has been managing between 65-75,000 rounds a year since it was enlarged from 9 to 18 holes in 1997.
The Club shut on 1st June to make way for the new 76 million sq ft Meydan Horse Racing Complex. www.meydan.ae
As the weather is getting hotter, the impact of the closure will not be seen immediately but it will be a major loss in September / October when the weather starts to cool down and tourists and locals will start competing for fewer tee times.
None of Nad Al Sheba Golf Club’s 1,200 members is being given full membership of Dubai Golf’s two other clubs – Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club – where memberships are already fully subscribed, although some 5-day memberships and preferential green fee options have been made available.
According to “Middle East Golfer” magazine, plans are already underway for a project which will be a first for Dubai and which may not only ultimately replace Nad Al Sheba but also provide more affordable golf in the emirate.
“We intend to start working with all the other golf clubs, the owners and managers and the UGA (United Arab Emirates Golf Association) to formulate a plan to build a public golf course – the equivalent of a municipal in the UK,” said Dubai Golf’s managing director, Rodney Bogg.
“Fortunately we have been able to absorb nearly half of the staff into our other clubs,” continued Bogg. “For the rest we have received so many enquiries from hotels and other organisations that we will have no difficulty in finding positions for virtually anyone who wants to stay in Dubai.”
Dubai Golf www.dubaigolf.com