Twelve years ago, as Apollo Dimaisip turned up to start his new job as a member of the course maintenance staff at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the sight that greeted him would have appeared slightly surreal.
The Filipino would have surveyed a lush green course surrounded by practically nothing but sand and shrubs. An oasis in the desert.
Dimaisip could hardly have expected, more than a decade later, that not only would the club he calls home - as foreman, he lives on site - be encircled by construction projects, but also that he would be fighting to prevent genuine oases manifesting and manipulating his perfectly manicured course.
When water inexplicably started appearing in the rough, on the fairways and even in the sand-filled bunkers of the National Course a few years ago, staff were baffled.
Much like the postured flamingoes that turned up one day and have since made the course's man-made lakes their home, nobody quite knew where the water was coming from.
Andrew Whittaker, the course superintendent, quickly realised it was the result of ground water no longer being able to complete its natural route to the ocean.
"There are a lot of people who have different opinions on why, but essentially the water is coming up from below the surface because of the buildings and construction around here," he said. "It has nowhere else to go."
Abu Dhabi Golf Club is now surrounded 100 per cent by development projects, including the newly opened Westin hotel. While the ground water would normally go out into the Arabian Gulf, it is now hitting barriers and looking for what Whittaker calls "the nearest point of relief".
Unfortunately for the Englishman and his 60 staff, that means the course itself.
"As we are the only natural area around, the water is finding us to be the weakest structure and breaks up through there," he said, adding that some mornings he would arrive to find bunkers filled with puddles of water. "It is similar to how an oasis would work."
More critically, however, the water is what is known in the industry as "brackish", which means twice as salty as seawater. Because of the high salt concentration, the rebellious water, which was appearing in certain pockets of the course, was killing the grass. With the amount of water growing progressively more substantial year-on-year, in 2011 Whittaker decided to take decisive action.
Sixteen bore wells - 10-metre-deep holes with submersible pumps that siphon the water and redirect it towards the nearby lakes - were installed. Now, with the National Course set to host its annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this week, the fairways are flawless, the bunkers dry as the desert and the only water making the grass glisten comes from the sprinkler system that sprays an average of 37 million gallons of the stuff per month.
The course has been tweaked slightly since last year's event too, with the tee box at the 18th being moved back to make the final hole even longer and bunkers being added to the second hole as well as the 18th.
The 7,600-yard course was closed on January 14 in anticipation of Thursday's opening round of the US$2.7 million (Dh9.9m) European Tour event, but not before Lucas Neill, the Australian professional footballer who plies his trade at Al Jazira, completed a round. Heikki Kovalainen, the Formula One driver, also made a brief stop at the club last week to enjoy 18 holes in tournament conditions.
While both men are recognisable figures within their own sports, they are unlikely to have suffered too much attention on the fairways. The same cannot be said for the group of men who started arriving yesterday.
Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer - the four highest-ranked players in the world - will be joined by Charl Schwartzel, the Masters champion, and Darren Clarke, the British Open winner. Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner, will also make his debut in the UAE capital.
It is little wonder then that organisers have been so bold with their projections. Last year's event attracted a record 40,000 spectators across the four days, yet officials have said expect to see 80,000 pass through the club this week. Clubhouse receptionist Charlotte is preparing herself for a hectic few days.
"It's going to be a crazy week," said the Filipina, who will welcome each of the 188 players in the field to the clubhouse. "More busy than previous years, for sure. There are just so many people planning to come."
With the objective being a 100 per cent increase in attendance, one should imagine wholesale infrastructure changes would be required, but Whittaker said any amendments to accommodate the lofty ambitions have been minor.
The only alterations since last year have seen the viewing area behind the green of the 18th hole made slightly larger and the seating at the ninth now being a double stand.
"The Tiger aspect is what everybody is pinning their hopes on," Whittaker said of the expected inflated attendance. "Fitting an increased number of spectators around the course is not going to be a problem though."
The clubhouse may have been a different matter were it not for the fact the iconic falcon-shaped building is closed off during Championship weekend allowing entry only to players and the club's 300 members. Each player is provided no more than two guest passes, which will also afford access to the lounge.
Scott McCaw, the director of operations at the golf club, said if the players are not on the course or in the clubhouse, they are most likely to be at the Emirates Palace hotel.
The luxury resort has again invited all players to stay there for the week as part of the hotel's sponsorship and it is hardly surprising to learn that even those who miss the cut on Friday tend to remain in the capital until Monday.
"It's a funny week because after Friday's cut there are probably just as many people out practising on the Saturday as there is on the Thursday," McCaw said.
For Woods, visiting the city for the first time, the elegance and grandeur of the hotel may appear like a chimera. Were it not for the other 187 golfers walking its vast hallways, he may even consider it an oasis in the desert. But one that nobody complains about.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
MO
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
