It seemed so appropriate Ernie Els’ first signature design golf course in Dubai should be laid-out within Dubai Sports City.
Els is mad about his cricket and he’s mad about his rugby.
And as Bernie McGuire reveals for www.golfbytourmiss.com the nearly four years old Els Club golf course is right at home in the sports mad sprawling Emirate.
Triple Major winning Ernie Els could not have chosen a more appropriate location to design his first golf course in Dubai.
The Els Club course is located slap bang within the Dubai Sports City complex.
The complex is home to a number of the world’s leading sports bodies including the headquarters of the ICC and the stunning 25,000 seat state-of-the-art cricket stadium.
Australia and Pakistan played a series of one-day matches in the stadium in 2009.
Also there’s a 5,000 seat hockey arena plus a multipurpose indoor stadium with a capacity for 10,000 spectators and a similar outdoor stadium that can cater for 60,000 sports fans.
Dubai Sports City also boasts a high performance centre for athletic training, a swimming pool and a sports medicine clinic and hospital.
Ernie Els toasts his Els Club course with a bottle of his own ‘Ernie Els’ wine.
The Els Club boasts a Butch Harmon School of Golf, and the first outside the USA, along with a David Lloyd Tennis Academy, a FIH Global Hockey Academy and a rugby academy.
The Els Club opened in a blaze of publicity just over three years ago in January, 2008, and in the same week as the Dubai Desert Classic.
At the time, Els was ranked No. 5 in the world, and while Els has designed golf courses in his native South Africa, North America and Asia, his Dubai design is the first in the region.
Els was so pleased with the final product that he’s since moved his international design business operation to the Els Club.
And so popular was the addition of the Els Club to the Dubai golfing scene that the first release of 150 memberships sold out in a matter of days, with eager golf enthusiasts lining up from early in the morning to ensure they secured membership.
A second lot of memberships was released a year later and was just as successful.
Those involved with the administration of the new club believed the demand was stimulated by the Els Club adopting a transferable membership model, which has since proven enormously successful in major golf markets around the globe.
Under the transferable membership model, individuals, families, and corporations are invited to pay a one-time fee to become a member of the club, and the transferable membership can then be sold at a later date at market value.
But given the Middle East’s developing appetite for high-end golf, memberships as offered by the Els Club have become a smart investment, as well as a superb opportunity to enjoy one of the region’s now favourite golf courses.
And it’s not just the amateurs who’ve taken a liking for the Els Club.
It’s not uncommon for the likes of Rory McIlroy to spend a few days practicing at the club, as the young Ulsterman did ahead of making his 2011 season debut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Whatever McIlroy worked on at the Els Club proved dividends as his jumped five places to World No. 7 after finishing runner-up to Martin Kaymer.
On the trade scene, all the major manufacturers in Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, Nike and Adidas are soon set to use the Els Club to launch their 2011 spring and summer products.
And during this year’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic I had the enormous pleasure of bumping into cricketing legend, Brian Lara. Lara was out in Dubai working as a batting consultant for the Zimbabwe Cricket team ahead of the World Cup.
Lara, who has the distinction of scoring 10,000 Test runs and also 10,000 One-Day runs, played eight holes with a friend and myself, and then delighted in following Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods for the opening two rounds of the event.
THE ELS GOLF COURSE
After meandering your way through the sports stadiums and a residential complex, the first aspect to strike you on arrival at the Els Club is the enormous practice facilities.
It’s a practice range that is screaming at you to hit balls.
There’s a number of greens at varying distances so as you can warm-up getting to hit to greens using anything from a wedge to your longest iron.
There also copious amount of complimentary golf balls and for those just intent on working on the hybrids and driver, there’s more than enough area to get this aspect of your game back in shape.
Behind what is only a temporary clubhouse, there’s a chipping and bunker practice area and to the left of the range an enormous practice putting facility.
The Els Club is a cart course and as you make your way to the first tee you past the new Butch Harmon Practice Academy run by his son, Claude Harmon 111 that offers all you’d expect in a teaching academy.
When you get the first tee you’re facing a course with four sets of tees allowing players of all handicaps to enjoy the test.
From the black tees the Els Club measure a brute at 7,538 yards. From the blue tees it’s 6,828 yards whereas from the white tees it’s 6,242 yards and for the ladies the course measures 5,343 yards,
For the mid-range handicapper off the white is a great test where you’ll find the longest par five, the uphill 18th, measuring all of 516 yards.
The shortest par four is the 290-yard par four 16th while unique par three, fourth hole is just 116 yards, and unique because of the amazing backdrop of Arabian villas that line the back of the hole like sentinels.
The first, at 387 yards off the white tees, is a superb opening hole, one to really whet the appetite.
Take in the scenery at the sixth and you’ll spot a series of bizarre buildings – one boasting a cricket bat lining the full length of the tower, another with a hockey stick and another sporting a golf club, and I’m talking at least 20 stories – only in Dubai!
Knowing Els, as well as I do from spending more than 20-years reporting on the European Tour and U.S. Tour, I know he simply detests the knick name – ‘The Big Easy’.
And easy is not a word I would use to describe the Els Club.
Sure the fairways are generous but so too is the sand. The only thing lacking is water but then you’re in the desert and despite Dubai’s massive efforts in turning saltwater into fresh, water is in scare supply at the Els Club with water coming into play on two holes – the 7th and adjoining 15th.
Here is a golf course to afford challenge and reward.
But it’s a golf course that warms to you. When I played it with some of my golf reporting colleagues in 2008, we left with the jury out.
I’ve since been back a number of times, the latest last December during the course of the Dubai World Championship, and what a glowing gem the Els Club has become.
Like any new golf course, it’s been wonderful to see how the course has matured.
But in saying that it’s still not easy though there’s opportunity for birdies and plenty of pars.
However what is alarming is the vast number of vacant dwellings lining the fairways, and simply it’s a glowing example of the economic struggle to hit to Dubai.
Don’t let that spoil your visit.
Ernie Els has long been one of the most affable of the world’s top-ranked golfers. He’s very approachable, and always very friendly, and when it comes to his golf, he’s always demanded respect.
So too is the Els Club.
It’s approachable, user-friendly and very much a rewarding experience but remember, it’s one also one demanding respect.
Ernie wouldn’t want it any other way.
