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Golfing lesson
Yusuf Eddiweesh, general director and vice president of the Saudi Arabia Golf Federation on the Kingdom's golfing history.
Golf has been played in the Kingdom since the 1940s when Saudi Aramco employees constructed their own 18-hole sand course near Dhahran. It would take some 50 years for the course to be transformed into a full- round grass venue complete with lush greeneries and fairways.
At present, there are three 18-hole grass golf courses in the Kingdom: Rolling Hills in Dhahran, Riyadh Golf Courses and Dirab Golf in the capital. In addition, there are three 9-hole grass courses, two of which are based in Riyadh (the Arizona Golf Course and a golfing venue at the Intercontinental Hotel), and the Kaust located north of Jeddah.
The Kingdom also has nine sand golf courses, two of which are public courses (one in Jeddah and the other in Riyadh) and the rest private.
In 1998, the Saudi Golf Committee Ð now the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation Ð was established to govern the sport in Saudi and encourage youngsters to take up golf.
A growing sport in the Kingdom, golf now regularly attracts 3,000 to 5,000 players to courses across Saudi Arabia. Most golfers are expatriates with between 5-8 percent being locals, some of which play for the Saudi National team which competes in regional and Pan-Arab golf championships.
The Saudis who helped pioneer the sport in the Kingdom began playing golf on the Aramco sand courses. Since then, the General Presidency of Youth Welfare has played an important role in promoting the sport throughout Saudi Arabia.
A major milestone for Saudi golfing, the Surfside Golf Club in Ras Tanura celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2004. The club is one of five that make up the Saudi Aramco Golf Association (SAGA). The others are based in Dhahran, Udhailiyah, Abqaiq and Yanbu.
GRASSED COURSES ARE A RECENT PHENOMENON IN SAUDI ARABIA. TODAY THERE ARE A VARIETY OF FIRST- CLASS GOLF COURSES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM
The course is situated 30 minutes from the airport and five minutes from Riyadh's business district, but somehow away from the hustle and bustle. The 40-hectare site has an abundance of mature trees and a proper green. Complete with three ornamental lakes, strategically placed bunkers and undulating mounds, the course is challenging for the beginner yet quietly satisfying for the more experienced player. The club organises monthly tournaments along with three annual Golf Open Champion- ships. Along with floodlit courses, golfers looking to improve their swing may also have personal coaching lessons. Away from the course, the com- plex has a 12-lane bowling alley, pro-shop, res- taurant, health club, spa, three swimming pools, three tennis courts and three squash courts.
Palms Golf & Country Club Tel: +966 1 4655000 Ext: 6579 9-hole, Par 27
Abqaiq
Ain Nakhl Golf Club Tel: +966 3 5744340
18-hole sand course, Par 72 Ð 6,329 metres / 5,371 metres
Also known as Palm Springs, this golf course in Abqaiq is said to have the best fairways in Saudi Arabia. The 10th Annual Abqaiq Open was held here on February 29th, 2008. The competition was open to all amateur and professional golf- ers with an established USGA or R&A handicap.
Riyadh
The InterContinental Golf Course Tel: + 966 1 4655000 Ext: 6146 9-hole grass course, Par 56 Ð 2,219 yards This was the first green course to open in Riyadh back in 1994. The 9-hole grass course doubles up to an 18-hole course playing "out" off the blue tees and "in" off the white tees. The floodlit course, at the InterContinental Hotel on Mather Street, is open for all levels of golfers from 6am until 10pm.
This executive golf course, which is surrounded by mature gardens and well manicured greens, is set in over 40 hectares (100 acres) of land in the heart of Riyadh at the Four Seasons Hotel. The course is open from 6am until 10pm, and throughout the day there is a golf professional available for coaching.
Dirab Golf Club & Recreation Centre Tel: +966 1 4980018 Ext: 103
18-hole grass course, Par 72 Ð 6,919 yards / 6,514 yards / 5,457 yards
Dirab Golf & Recreation Centre is Saudi Arabia's first 18-hole championship grass golf course. Set in the beautiful valley below the Tuwaiq escarp- ment, just a 30-minute drive from the diplomatic quarters of Riyadh, the centre also has facilities for horse riding, tennis and ATV tracks. With tree-lined fairways and perfectly manicured greens this is a private course, so it is important to phone ahead and make arrange- ments with the pro.
In 2007, the Dirab Golf Course & Riyadh Golf Course jointly hosted the Arab Golf Federation Tournament. The complex also boasts a club- house, a pro shop, a driving range, chipping area and practice greens, along with tennis courts, swimming pools and stables.
È saudiarabia 2011
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