Picture the scene, I’m sat at home on a Sunday evening, scrolling aimlessly through LinkedIn, as you do. When up pops something that very much piques my interest. It’s a post by Robert Trent Jones Senior Project Architect Mike Gorman about a project he’d worked on recently at Al Badia Golf Club. Wait, what? Not the Al Badia Golf Club, surely? I look again, and yes indeed the club in question is Dubai’s much-loved but long-since closed development in Festival City.
By Richard Bevan
Having been a member there for several years, this is very intriguing news indeed. Since it closed its doors in 2017 the course has continued to be maintained, and rumours have swirled constantly as to whether it may one day open to the public again.
‘If they’re doing work’, I think to myself, ‘maybe…just maybe…there’s a chance?’
The work in question, according to Mike’s post, involves the creation of an innovative new 8-hole short course practice facility and Himalayas style ‘social’ putting green.
With my excitement levels rising I tap out an email to RTJ’s PR agency in the States to request an interview with Mike…and then…radio silence.
My hopes dashed, I shelve the idea and move on with my life. But then, a couple of weeks later, a reply!
It reads:
‘Apologies for the delay. We had to gain client approval for Mike to speak with you regarding the 8-hole course at Al Badia GC.’
Client approval to speak to me? Now this really was getting interesting…
Arrangements are made for a Zoom call with Mike who is in Thailand overseeing a project there. The day comes and Mike and I connect online and exchange pleasantries.
With a sense of trepidation, I segue away from the small talk and into my first question.
“I saw a post you put on LinkedIn that had to do with Al Badia Golf Club which caught my attention,” I say. “I was a member there before it closed. It was a beloved course in Dubai, and its closure caused a lot of disappointment. It’s been a source of local mystery ever since…can you tell us what’s going on there?”
And then it comes…
The bombshell
“As far as I know, the course will continue to operate as a private course,” says Gorman. “It’s fully playable and very similar to how it was when you were a member, but it’s closed to the public. My guess is it will probably remain that way for the foreseeable future.
“The eight-hole short course is completed, but it will remain private as far as I know. It’s an addition to the 18-hole championship course. The existing driving range is being transformed into something else, and the owner wanted to create a new practice facility. We came up with the idea to use about three hectares of land in the interior of the golf course. We created not only a driving range but also a large Himalayas-style putting green and playable greens within the driving range, which can also serve as a short course. It’s a flexible space — you can use it as a traditional driving range or play an eight-hole course.”
So, the mystery of Al Badia Golf Club continues to grow. Not only is the championship layout, which hosted the Grand Final of the Challenge Tour in 2013 and 2014, still fully maintained and played privately, there are now new innovative and sustainable practice facilities added to what was already a fantastic offering.
“Incorporating smaller pieces of land and short courses is the future of golf,” says Gorman. “It’s cost-effective, time-efficient, and lowers the barrier to entry for new players. Courses like this can be played in an hour, making them ideal for social and practice purposes. In places like Dubai, where night golf is popular, you can light it up for evening play, making it more enjoyable in the heat.
“Short courses require less water and are more cost-effective to maintain. Moving away from the traditional 9- or 18-hole formats allows us to adapt to the land and create sustainable, enjoyable golfing experiences.”
How does the layout work?
“There are six separate greens and one double green that serves as two holes, making eight greens in total,” says Gorman. “The tee areas are integrated into the fairway, creating a seamless playing experience. You can play anything from a 50-meter par 3 to a 200-yard par 4, depending on how you set it up.
“It’s also going to be floodlit, making it ideal for nighttime play.”
The short course has been ready for almost a year, with only some fine tuning to be done as well as the large Himalayas social green to be finished. Mike also tells me there’s a new golf performance centre in the offing.
Call me an eternal optimist…but this all seems like a lot of work for a course with no plan to open to the public.
I probe Mike again. Well, why not, worth a try, right?
“Do you think Al Badia will ever open to the public again?” I enquire.
“It’s hard to say,” he smiles. “It’s being maintained to a very high standard, so if circumstances change, it’s ready to go. But as of now, there are no confirmed plans to open it to the public.”
So, the future of Al Badia Golf Club remains shrouded in mystery. But where there’s life, there’s hope. And it’s clear there’s still plenty of life at one of Dubai best loved courses. Watch this space…
