Dubai Country Club Golf Course Record is held by Mike Miller
Mike played in a Caledonian Lions Team that visited DCC
Usually DCC Golfer's played off a piece of Astrotruf laid on the sand
Mike Miller achieved his course record by playing every shot off the desert sand
Mike Miller Professional Golfer
Image by Wikimedia
UK's Royal Air Force built UAE's first Golf Course in Sharjah in the mid 1950's.
Dubai Golfers trekked their way around various creeks to get to Sharjah for their afternoon game of golf (Dubai-Sharjah Road did not open until circa 1967). This led to Dubai's first Golf Course being built in 1965.
Dubai Petroleum Company Staff laid out two holes (later extended to nine) on land near the Al Cola Factory, off Zabeel Road in Karama.
Course was over sand dunes which constantly moved. Often the "browns" would be covered in sand from an overnight Shamal. Maintenance costs were high for Dubai's 40 Golfers.
A search soon began for a more suitable location.
These golfing enthusiasts built a 9 hole course in Ras Al Khor in 1969. In addition they wanted to develop social facilities.
In 1970 His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, then Ruler of Dubai, issued a Decree granting use of the Golf Course and surrounding land and establishing Dubai Country Club Ltd. DCC officially opened in January 1971 with 174 Founder Members, mainly golfers.
DCC's 9 hole Golf Course was basic! "Browns" were initially 8 feet diameter with flags but no holes! The ball was lifted as soon as it stopped on the "brown" and two putts added to the score.
At the start, Golfers were permitted to tee up their golf balls on make shift tees comprising short legths of plastic water pipe.
Golf Bags were made from canvas by the Marine Staff at Port Rashid. Golf Clubs and Golf Balls were either imported by the players or they already owned golf clubs. Golf Clubs were not then available in Dubai.
Later, players were permitted to play of a rectangular piece of Astro Turf glued to a rubber backing while on the Fairway. Off the Fairway meant plying the ball as it lay in the desert sand.
Rectangular piece of Astro Turf was later considered to give advantage to a Golfer in lining up for the hole. Rectangular Astro Turf was replaced by a circular piece of Astro Turf so it did not provide the player with an advantage.
In 1971 Captain Ian Butcher joined DCC. Ian previously worked in East Africa where there were similar golf courses. He became DCC's "Golf Course" Member and made a major contribution to DCC's Golf Course design and development. He become an authority on construction of "browns" and sand golf courses. His advice was sought by clubs throughout the Gulf. A
Also in 1971, Mrs Doreen Prince was elected the first Captain of a newly formed DCC Ladies' Section later to have over 40 active golfers with LGU handicaps.
Dubai Country Club Golf Course as it used to be
DCC's Golf Course underwent many changes after 1971.
In 1978 the original 9 hole course expanded to 12 holes with 20 feet diameter "browns" including R&A standard holes on the "brown". A further 6 holes added in 1979 providing Dubai's first 18 hole golf course. DCC remained "unfenced" with the golf course readily accessible to wandering camels and Bedouin driving Landrovers who regularly damaged the course.
DCC eventually raised finance for a perimeter fence but this required a golf course redesign. Ian Butcher, Bill McBride and Ron Holder developed new holes using the area's natural contours.
A second 9 hole course was later added to cope with the increasing number of golfers
In 1972 Gray Mackenzie and Co. Ltd (later to become MMI) supported DCC's annual golf championship with Johnnie Walker Whisky as the Sponsor.
This competition became an important annual event and continued until DCC closed in 2007. DCC's Annual Golf Championship was Dubai's first commercially sponsored sporting event. Past Winners include:-
Astroturf replaced "plastic water pipe tees" in 1975. Golfers now played their shots after placing their ball on a small rectangular piece of Astroturf. This simulated playing off grass and raised both the standard of DCC's Golf and interest in Golf.
There were restrictions on where and how this Astroturf could be used. Fairways were delineated by wooden pegs. Only balls coming to rest on the marked fairway were played off the Astroturf otherwise the ball had to be played as it lay i.e. off the sand or wherever it came to rest. Astroturf could not be used to gain advantage. Rectangular pieces of Astroturf were eventually replaced by circular pieces of Astroturf. The rectangular shape was considered to provide unfair advantage as Golfers could use that shape to assist their shot alignment. Sabkha paths were laid along the fairways from 1975 to 1979. Golfers no longer walked through soft sand which was exhausting, particularly during summer months. DCC Golfers generally used red coloured golf balls (intended for winter use in Europe) to make them easier to spot in the sand.
In 1976 JOANNOU & PARASKEVAIDES LTD donated a portable Construction Site Office for use as a Golf Clubhouse. Installing and refurbishing the building was paid for by donations from Dubai Companies principally National Bank of Dubai. This new Golf Clubhouse enabled DCC's Golf Section, led by Golf Captain Andrew Millar, to organise its own events. The first Dubai Men's' Open Golf Championship was held in 1977 with entries from South Africa, Australia, England, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the Gulf Countries. Dunlop Oil and Marine sponsored the competition providing prizes that may have been more generous than the Royal and Ancient allowed! Ali Misbah from Bahrain won both the inaugural and subsequent Championship. DCC's Open Golf Championship continued until 2007 when DCC was closed. A Ladies' Open Golf Championship established in 1980 sponsored by the National Bank of Dubai. This also attracted an international entry and continued each year until DCC closed in 2007.
Mike Cahil is an Australian Professional Golfer who played in DCC's 1978 Open Championship. Mike was invited back to DCC in 1979 for 3 days to play with DCC's Golfers and provide tuition. Subsequently Bob Elliot, Senior Teaching Pro at Foxhills Golf and Country Club UK and John Morgan a UK based Professional Golfer provided tuition until DCC appointed Mohammed Jabar as Dubai's first full time Golf Professional.
British Caledonian Airways was an independent airline operating internationally out of UK. BCal started their Gatwick-Dubai-Hong Kong Service in 1980. BCal Golfing Lions had been set up as part of BCal's marketing operations. The Lions comprised 12 of UK's top golfers who were flown to various BCal destinations to play with local Clubs. The Team included professionals such as Tommy Horton, Brian Barnes, Malcolm Gregson, Carl Mason, Martin Poxon, John Morgan, Ewen Murray, Roger Chapman some of whom became Ryder Cup Players and competed internationally. With Dubai now a BCal destination, DCC was able to arrange for the BCal Lions to come to Dubai to play in Pro Ams and provide tuition. The Lion's visits were shared with Golf Clubs in Abu Dhabi and Das Island and eventually with Emirates Golf Club when Dubai's first grass course opened.
Dubai announced the building of a new grass golf course in 1986
Project Co Ordinator talked about the new grass course in a TV interview. He ended his interview by throwing a piece of Astroturf into the desert saying "No Golfer in Dubai need ever play golf off plastic grass again". His intent was understandable but his gesture ignored the significant contribution Dubai Country Club's Sand Golf Course had made to the development of golf in Dubai.
DCC's Golf Section introduced hundreds of Dubai Residents to golf enabling them to enjoy the game in an affordable way.
DCC pioneered the commercialisation of Golf in Dubai with sponsored tournaments run and organised to a professional standard. Sponsors were generally local Companies with international connections who saw sponsoring a golf tournament as a way to connect with the community and gain exposure for their international clients.
DCC's Sand Golf Course may have merged back into the desert but its legacy continues.
Watch out for the out of bounds to the left of the road,
Don't go fishing in front of the Brown.
You need two good wellies and a back wind to reach
so settle for down the middle and an easy par.
A tough hole. Watch the fence if you have a slice.
Use your putter if you are on the left of the brown but a shovel on the right.
Two hazards: the fence for the duck hook
and the nearby labour camp loudspeaker that
always calls for "Ali" at the top of your back swing
Tough desert hole with a sneaky plateau brown.
Lots of skeletons in the rough. Don't join them by cutting the corner.
Where's the tree? It's not there anymore!
It's tempting to cut the corner off the Tee but you need pinpoint accuracy.
Ground drops away in front of the brown which can be tricky.
Looks easy but isn't. Even pitching on the brown can lead to despair
as ground slopes away into a bunker.
Longer than it looks! Who measured it?
The Tiger Line is not the design..
"a ball in the rough and a six you could sign".
Soft Sand on the left, palms on the right.
Too big a second and you will go out of sight.
A hook's in the rough, a slice is OB
but you'll be OK if you're straight off the Tee.
Playing into the wind with water in front make this hole hard.
Hit your second with a wish or you'll be joining the fish.
Big wellies required to reach this brown.
Avoid the right or be prepared for a fright.
Into the wind, choose the right club.
Unlucky for some if you get caught in the traps.
As stroke Index One the going is tough.
To gain a par here requires some really good stuff.
Over the tree and down to the brown.
It's easy to say but harder to play.
If the fence doesn't get you, the smell of the stables will.
Keep you head down the 19th is not far away.
Looks easy it's true but don't hit right through...
otherwise you'll join the players on the next Tee.
Watch out for the tree when hitting your second.
It could be a thorny third.
You'll get a big cheer from the gallery when you sink your putt.
