By Joy Chakravarty
Dubai will host its second Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in the last half decade this October, but the 16th edition, to be held at the Majlis Course of Emirates Golf Club, is a culmination of a nine-year dream of Chris May and his Dubai Golf colleagues.
“We had our first conversation with Augusta National and The R&A about bringing the AAC to Dubai in 2016,” said May, the Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf. “The idea was always to have it at the Majlis Course of Emirates Golf Club, given its significance to the region and its status. It’s been nine years since then, but the Championship is finally coming to the Majlis, and it is all very, very exciting for us.”
Dubai Golf owns and operates Emirates Golf Club as well as several other leading golf courses in the UAE.
“It’s a huge privilege for us,” continued May. “Part of their mandate is to move the Championship around but also to bring it to the best courses globally. And they felt that the Majlis Course was the home of golf in the Middle East, and therefore, it would be very fitting to host this event on the Majlis.
We cannot wait for the best amateur players of the region to take on a golf course which has a roll of honour that includes names like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els and Nick Faldo. We hope to provide a full Dubai experience to them, the visiting delegates and the fans this year.”
The Majlis Course, host venue of the annual Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, is the pride of the Middle East. Designed by Karl Litten and opened to the public in March 1988, it was the first ‘green’ golf course in the region, which has now become the lifeblood of various Tours by hosting world-class tournaments and sponsorship support. The UAE is home to three of the five elevated Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour.
The Dubai Desert Classic is traditionally played in the third week of January. Players have been effusive in their praise of the Majlis Course, not just on how well it plays, but also on how well it has withstood the test of time with its strategic and exciting layout.
May is excited for the Majlis’ unique state in October rather than the traditional January dates of the Dubai Desert Classic.
“Having the event in October is, in many ways, a great thing because the course will be played as a full Bermuda golf course. We will not overseed the golf course. We normally do that now in December for the Desert Classic,” explained May, who has been with Dubai Golf since February 1999.
“The conditions will be quite similar to how it is during the January tournament, but it will just look a little different. The only difference will be that the Bermuda rough doesn’t get as long as the rough with the ryegrass that we use for January. Even for the DP World Tour Championship, we no longer overseed the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. November is a little bit too early for ryegrass to grow as it’s still warm and ryegrass is a winter grass.
“We’ve also done a lot of renovations, as we do at all our courses in the summer,” said May. “So actually, you could argue that the October condition might even be better than January. The team is very excited to prepare the golf course to the best of their ability.”
Emirates Golf Club
Emirates Golf Club, Majlis Course
13th Hole, Majlis Course
With the benefit of the 2021 experience of the Asia-Pacific Amateur in Dubai, May says his whole team has a fair idea of what the Founding Partners expect when they bring the Championship to a new golf course.
“It was a real privilege to have the opportunity for our whole team at the Creek to work with the teams from Augusta National and The R&A. They host the two biggest tournaments in the world, the Masters and the Open Championship. And they’ve done it for so many years, it is natural that they have a great amount of knowledge and experience,” May said.
“What was most amazing was how everything was planned down to the small details. You knew everything that was going to happen, down to the last minute, during the week.
“Let me give you an example. It was suggested that we meet with the television guys beforehand. So, the superintendent, the club manager and I met Frank Nobillo, Rich Lerner and others over a cup of coffee for an hour. We chatted about the golf course, the holes, what we do, and about Dubai and how it has changed, just so that when the TV was on, they knew the facts.
“I thought it made their job a bit easier, and it made the commentary more interesting. We now do that with every event we host – the Dubai Desert Classic, the DP World Tour Championship and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. It just adds to the flavour of the coverage.
“Obviously, Augusta National and The R&A are at the top, so having the opportunity to learn from them is amazing. They plan for the Asia-Pacific Amateur the same as they do for the Masters and The Open. You are getting insight into how everything is done by the very best. They have really enhanced the Championship.”
Last year, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan, Rayan Ahmed became the third player from the UAE to make the cut in the event’s history, and May is looking forward to a bright new future for the country’s players starting the Championship this year.
“I’d say the UAE gets the opportunity to play an event of this stature at home. It is a huge opportunity for the UAE players to showcase their skills and utilize the home advantage, because they will have played the course much more than anyone else,” May emphasized.
“The professional game is wonderful, and we’re very lucky to have hosted many of the best players. But these organizations are almost bigger than anything in golf, so to host them here at one event is truly unique. I am sure we will have many junior and amateur players who’d come and watch. It might put a seed in their heads that this is something he might like to do in the future, and that would be amazing. So, it’s good for the current UAE team, but also very good for the future of UAE golf.”
The 16th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will be played October 23-26.
