The right mix

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Tiger Woods surveys the plans for Tiger Woods Dubai, an exclusive mixed-use development within Dubailand.

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The clubhouse at Tiger Woods Dubai and below it the mixed-use development’s hotel, the interior to be designed by Elie Saab.

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Case study: Tiger Woods Dubai

The Tiger Woods Dubai development includes three key-components; hospitality, leisure - the golf course - and residential, says Tiger Woods Dubai project director Abdullah Al Gurg.

"The vision was to create a destination and when you create a destination you need to make it a living destination.

"The living destination should have a component of exclusivity especially if you are really pitching to the right end-user, which we are - we are talking to people who will buy a villa and play golf," he adds.

Exclusivity is certainly the word when it comes to Tiger Woods Dubai. Al Gurg says the 290 villas will be the ‘Bel Air or Beverly Hills of the Arab world'.

"Ultimate exclusivity and privacy, that's the lifestyle we wanted to create along with a private golf course, where the residents would eat up the membership," he adds.

With only 200 memberships available for the golf course, the residents will have almost all of them with a portion of the course use being allotted to the hotel.

"We will keep a small buffer, a few sessions for hotel guests, but predominantly it's a private course," Al Gurg explains.

"We want to be ranked among the top 10 golf destinations in the world. Can you imagine Tiger Woods designing a golf course that was not accredited by the world's golfing community?

Exclusivity is one thing, but there is a serious point behind it, according to Al Gurg, who stresses that balance and harmony are key in creating a successful mixed-use project.

"We want to create a community that's in harmony, that shares the same mindset and stream of thoughts, a community whereby you wouldn't feel awkward if you bumped into someone at the golf clubhouse - you would both actually enjoy the conversation you were having," he says.

Currently , under development, Tiger Woods Dubai is examining the issues of maintenance, staffing and exclusivity

Maintenance

With news that golf courses such as the Montgomerie are having to close some of their holes due to poor playing surfaces, achieving the correct maintenance programme will be paramount in securing Tiger Woods' course as a must-play in the golfing world.

"We are all aware of the challenges we will be facing and we currently have a very, very strict and stringent maintenance plan for the golf course out of which we have activated some for this year," says Al Gurg.

"We have a few holes ready, not landscaped, but shaped. The idea would be we actually have a pre-operating team upfront involved with the construction team to be able to learn, enhance and bring in the best capabilities to manage the golf course."

Tiger Woods Dubai has also drafted in experts from around the world with the aim of establishing a high-end maintenance manual looking at the quality of water, the landscaping, the irrigation systems as well as the actual man power needed, with the necessary skills and capabilities, to run such a course.

Staff

IMG will be the official operator of the golf course at Tiger Woods Dubai, managing the day-to-day running of the facilities.

It will oversee a team of staff that has yet to be defined in terms of nationality, according to Al Gurg, but there will be a significant amount of training.

"There are good apples and bad apples in every country. Part of our agenda is to pilot a nationalisation programme in which we ask our golf course operators to send out a number of nationals on the courses which they currently manage.

They can then learn and get on the ground training and then come back to implement that at Tiger Woods Dubai," he says.

The majority of these course placements will take place in Asia due to what Al Gurg describes as the "high levels of service and standards with the Asian working culture".

Exclusivity

According to Al Gurg, unlike other mixed-use development in the region, the sales strategy will not be rushed or forced with occupancy developing more organically.

"The properties will be sold in the next five years. We are not very aggressive on sales and we are invitation-only. We choose to whom we release the properties, which is not the typical way Dubai is marketed," Al Gurg comments.

The aim of the resort is to be exclusive and the course is central to this overall feeling of absolute exclusivity.

"Within five years, it will be the most in-demand real-estate worldwide - at least from the Arab world perspective.

"Nowhere else in the world will you walk into your backyard and step onto the first-ever golf course designed by Tiger Woods. Your neighbour is of the same calibre as you are, you have access to the golf club, you have a three-star Michelin chef who I will be announcing in a few months and a hotel designed by Elie Saab.

"But privacy is our unique selling point, although being in Dubailand we will not open to the public, we cater to a niche market," he concludes.

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