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Nick Tarratt: The UAE’s journey from desert to leading golf destination
Gulf News
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2/13/2025
How the UAE took a vision 30 years ago and turned it into a reality to lead the way in transforming the global golfing map.
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00:00
I think the golf industry has very much grown with the city of Dubai and the country of the UAE.
00:13
I came here in 1990 when there was one golf course, 18 holes, it's now 36. It wasn't floodlight and
00:20
the nearest golf courses were probably in Egypt one way, west and Calcutta east. So it was,
00:26
there was sand golf of course that was important for the evolution for the game. But I think the
00:30
golf industry has very much grown with the city of Dubai and the country of the UAE. And I think
00:36
the industry has to decide when do we have healthy rivalry, where do we work together.
00:42
International golf tourism, I think that's probably the next step in the evolution of golf. Focus for
00:49
the industry at the top level and for government officials with the development of golf on the
00:55
European tour, it was time to expand. And the first tournament outside mainland Europe was to
01:03
Tunisia and Port Al-Khantoui. That was the first time outside mainland Europe in the Arab world,
01:11
in Tunisia. And then in 1988, it was the first time that they came to Dubai for the
01:18
Dubai Desert Classic. That was the first time they came to the Middle East. And then what developed
01:23
was Abu Dhabi. They saw the merit of putting a great climate off season for Europe and other
01:30
parts of the world, great facilities, great hospitality. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
01:36
came on board. Qatar came on board with the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Oman came on board
01:43
with the NBO Challenge Tour event that I established. And then it became a main European
01:49
tour event a couple of years ago. And then, of course, Saudi have now come big into the game of
01:53
golf. So from pioneer days in the late 1980s, now, in all honesty, the Middle East is a real hub for
02:04
the European tour. It's amazing in such a short space of time, in the big picture, that Dubai
02:11
and the Middle East has really gone on the map. And it'll be interesting to see how,
02:17
post-COVID, how the region, and particularly Dubai and the UAE, needs to prove itself perhaps a little
02:25
more on golf tourism. Perhaps the industry, personal opinion, needs to come together a
02:30
little bit. What's exciting for me with the industry of golf in Dubai is that it is 12
02:38
months a year. It's not people just coming to watch a golf tournament for one week.
02:44
The mantra of the European tour and other tours around the world is,
02:48
play where the pros play. A golf course, each one has its own personality, its own challenge,
02:54
the scenery, the exercise, the terrain. And each club has its own personality, as we've seen
03:00
today. And what's exciting is it's a 12-month business.
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