Dubai: The Abu Dhabi Golf Club, home to the annual PGA Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, is set for a two-phase Dh20 million upgrade.
The facelift, announced yesterday by the club's owner Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), will see the facility get a new gatehouse, improved signage, a revamped approach road and extensive landscaping.
Designed by California's award-winning Bennitt+Mitchell Landscape Architecture, over 120 palm trees and 16,000 square metres of wear-resistant paspalum carpet grass as well as seasonal flowers, shrubs and trees will be added to the club's landscape.
Phase one of the upgrade, which includes the new gatehouse, will be ready in time for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the biggest sporting event in the capital of the UAE, to be held from January 18-21.
"This is a significant investment to initially improve the spectator and player experience for all involved in the Championship but in the long-term to deliver a world-class sporting and leisure facility to Club members and tourists in a more welcoming and relaxing atmosphere," said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Managing Director, TDIC and Director General, ADTA, which owns the championship.
"The improvements are not only to the club's infrastructure but to the way-finding, branding and arrival experience for members, visitors and guests."
The new gatehouse, with its stone-clad façade, will feature an elegant waterfall and will be approached by a cobble paved driveway and parking area flanked by palm trees, providing a green corridor running up to the club.
"The comprehensive new master-planned approach to the Abu Dhabi Golf Club represents an ambitious collection of improvement initiatives designed to create a dramatic and unified entry experience," said Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC.
Meanwhile a series of course revisions are being implemented at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to increase the degree of difficulty for the Championship's competing professionals. The modifications include extending the course to nearly 7,400 yards, adding championship tees on several holes, lengthening others and adding new bunkers.
A field of 120 professionals will include Chris DiMarco, Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomerie and Retief Goosen.
The sponsorship line-up includes Etihad Airways and Aldar as Diamond Sponsors, Standard Chartered Bank as a Platinum Sponsor; Nissan, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Omega and Xerox as Gold Sponsors.
