The Tiger Woods Dubai, an exclusive 55 million sq ft golf community development and a member of Tatweer Dubai, has announced commencement of grassing work on the 7,800 yard, par 72, 18-hole championship Al Ruwaya Golf Course, the world’s first golf course to be designed by Tiger Woods Design.
The golf course will feature three different varieties of grass. Tifway 419 will be used in the fairways and rough, TifEagle on the greens and tees, and Tifdwarf on the approaches and expanded collars.
All three of these grasses have been procured from Atlanta, Georgia. The grassing is underway under the supervision of IMG Golf Course Management, the company mandated to operate and manage the Al Ruwaya Golf Club.
Tiger Woods, world’s number one golfer and chairman of Tiger Woods Design, said, “It’s exciting to see my first ever golf course design coming to life. My vision, and the work of my design company, is being realized.”
Abdulla Al Gurg, project director, The Tiger Woods Dubai, said, “Commencement of the grassing work on Al Ruwaya marks a significant step in furthering the completion of The Tiger Woods Dubai. The pace of progress validates our commitment to delivering on our promise to create a development that will be ranked amongst the most sought after golf destinations worldwide.”
The Al Ruwaya Golf Club will include the first course in the region to grass all its fairways and rough areas by sod transplanting. This process involves transplanting grass from the nursery to the golf course. The turf nursery at Al Ruwaya covers an area of 60 acres.
A sod cutter is used to remove strips of grass and earth, 42 inch wide and approximately 30 metres long. The rolls of grass are transported from the nursery to the golf course. They are laid onto the fairways and precisely positioned within the appropriate areas. This process produces fairways and primary rough of a very high quality in a short period of time.
The teeing areas and greens, however, will be grown through the conventional process of sprigging.
Embodying Tiger Woods’ vision of creating a spectacular and challenging golf course, Al Ruwaya will span over 13 million sq ft and feature dramatic elevation changes and lush landscaping with over 11,000 trees and 140,000 shrubs. It will also boast stunning water features, including 3.3 million sq. ft. of lakes and an overall design that will challenge and entertain golfers of all playing abilities.
Al Ruwaya is making significant progress, with the completion of detailed shaping on 10 holes, whilst 8 holes remain roughly shaped. Trees are being planted at a rate of 50 a day, with a total of 2,000 of the 11,000 required for the course having been planted.
Al Gurg added, “Irrigation is also progressing well on the golf course to complement the advancement of the grassing work.”
Located at Dubailand, the world’s most ambitious leisure, tourism and entertainment destinations, The Tiger Woods Dubai is fast taking shape as an exclusive golf community encompassing 22 palaces, 75 mansions, and 100 luxury villas and community service facilities.
The Tiger Woods Dubai www.tigerwoodsdubai.com