attractions GOLF
Driving force When Saudi Arabia’s first golf course was built for fun in 1944, those behind it could not
have imagined that the sport would become such a big success in the kingdom. Now the country attracts players from all over the world to experience its world-class facilities
In addition, there are some
spectacular nine-hole grass courses. Two of these are in Riyadh, including the Arizona Golf Resort and InterContinental Golf Course at the InterContinental Riyadh, which is cleverly laid out to transform the nine holes into a full 18 by playing off different coloured tees. The nine-hole Kaust Golf
Course, north of Jeddah on the Campus of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, is part of an expa- triate housing complex and development continues with plans underway to extend it to 18 holes. True to tradition, the kingdom
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For the modern-day golfer, Saudi Arabia is something of a hidden gem when it comes to enjoying a brisk 18 holes and the country’s status as a top golfing destination is all the more impressive considering the sport’s humble beginnings. The first golf course in the
kingdom, a simple 18-hole sand course, was built along the Gulf coast by expatriate workers from Saudi Aramco, the conglomerate that had struck oil six years earlier. Working with ultra- fine grains of sand led the oil executives to pioneer a method of mixing it with oil to make it heavier and stop the wind from blowing it all away.
60 All of the early courses followed
suit by adopting this method and, to this day, many golfers still refer to Saudi’s sand courses as ‘browns’ instead of ‘greens’. Nowadays, playing on the ‘browns’ is some- thing of a novelty for visitors to the kingdom with seasoned golfers using a piece of artificial grass to make for a smoother tee off. Lush grassed courses are more
1, 2 & 3 Dirab Golf & Country Club
of a recent phenomenon, with just four 18-hole grass courses in the country. Three of these are in the capital: Riyadh Golf Course, Nofa Farm & Resort and Dirab Golf & Country Club, just outside the city. The fourth is in the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dharan.
also has nine sand golf courses, two of which are open to the public (one in Jeddah and the other in Riyadh), while the remainder are private. In 1999, the Saudi Golf Com - mittee – now the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation – was established to govern the sport in Saudi and encourage young people to take up golf. The sport has been growing steadily ever since and now attracts up to 5,000 players a year. Most golfers are expatriates,
with an estimated eight percent of the golfing population being Saudis, from whom the Saudi National team is selected to compete 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 the country.
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