Dubai: A five-star luxury resort in Dubai has introduced a novel version of golf where players tee off into the Arabian Gulf instead of a conventional grass course. And what’s more, every time the ball hits the water, it disintegrates into fish food to help nurture marine life.
Eugene Swart, recreation manager at Sofitel The Palm on Palm Jumeirah, told XPRESS that the activity, known as eco-golf, was launched on February 1 to offer guests not just a fun sport but also an eco-friendly experience.
He said: “The ocean is the perfect expanse in which to drive golf balls, and supports our living values of environmental sustainability through Ecobioballs. So while you’re enjoying a challenging game of golf, you are also providing food for our local marine life. Even if you’re not a golfer or the next US Masters champion, you can still enjoy a fun game of golf by the beach.”
Biodegradable
Swart said the hotel adopted the initiative to assert its sustainability certification as well as its Blue Flag awarded beach.
He said the game bypasses the conventional grass driving range and looks ahead towards the sea with golfers hitting the ball from the hotel’s 500 metre private beach. “There are no holes here but much like the driving range, you can monitor how far you hit the ball as we have placed markers at different points in the sea,” he said.
According to Swart, the ecobioballs are non-polluting and fully biodegradable. “As soon as they hit the water, they begin to disintegrate. The compressed fish food contained within the core then gets dissolved in the water within 36 to 48 hours. ”
A highly satisfying experience, the activity is said to have generated a lot of interest among guests. “They send out 30-40 balls a day into the sea,” said Swart.
He said the hotel has two animators to assist players with the ball.
