Greg Norman: A Shark's Tale

First the bad news. Golf legend Greg Norman will not be playing in the Dubai Desert Classic in January.

But the good news is that he has pencilled in a reappearance in 2009 and we will be seeing a lot more of him.

"I don't have plans to play this year. But in 2009, yes," he told XPRESS. "Just for a business perspective it just hasn't worked out that I can play."

Norman, instead of playing, will concentrate on completing his two new eco-signature courses, Fire and Earth at Leisurecorp's Jumeirah Golf Estates, during his frequent visits to the emirate.

"We have a job to do to get these courses up and running. And I will be back regularly during that process."

If you're thinking of playing on one of the new courses, due to be ready next year, beware.

"We've built them to be tough courses," said Norman. "We have to be aware that there will be some very good players wanting to play. But we still have to make them not too difficult for the residents.

"Like the 17th hole at Fire. It's going to be an island green and probably one of the toughest island green holes in the world. You have to keep ahead of the game. It's probably about 183 yards. But 183 is an eight-iron for some of these guys now."

Norman was speaking at the launch of 66 Fireside luxury golf villas at the Fire course. The brand ambassador for Land Rover revealed that every villa owner will receive an exclusive limited edition Great White Shark-branded Range Rover Sport.

Norman is not so much the golfer now, but a full-on businessman. And the man who reigned at the top of the world rankings for more than six years in the 1980s and '90s revealed that he gets as big a buzz out of this golf construction project as he did on the course.

"One of the things I pride myself on is that you need to be pushed. Myself, as a golfer, always strived to become a better player. I would try to improve my weaknesses to be better. And one thing that Leisurecorp has done above all other companies I have worked with is that they have pushed me to the next level."

"As for Dubai, the city has really put itself on the map as the ultimate destination. And our ambition is to create the ultimate destination for golf," he said.