I have just got back from a 3 day trip golfing in Abu Dhabi with Cleveland and Srixon for their 2011 Grand Slam event. There were 64 other players that Cleveland/Srixon invited out to the desert for a few days. As a Cleveland/Srixon staff player I was only to happy to accept the invite!
I have played golf in many different countries but this was my first trip out to the UAE region and having heard many great reports it didn’t dissapoint.
We were staying in the Millenium Hotel and playing golf at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Resort. Both have a well deserved 5 star rating.
The service at the hotel was first class and the food!!!!!! Well lets just say they know how to do a buffet! The choice was fantastic although no one in the group was too keen on the curry that was on offer for breakfast. Great rooms, a few nice bars and a good pool, gym and spa.
The golf course was also pretty special. As a resort it has everything. A lovely clubhouse with plush changing rooms, a practice facility that any Pro would be envious of and a championship golf course that measures 7800 yards off the back tees.
It’s a tough course that really gets you thinking about strategy, particularly off the tee. The landing areas get fairly small so trying to over power the course by bombing a driver round may not be the best option.
I think the biggest challenge was the temperature and humidity. 40 degrees and humid was not a good golfing mix! After about 5 minutes on the range I looked like this….
The good news is that they are geared up for it. There are water stations all round the course and every few holes someone would come around with ice lollies or iced towels. It was a masterclass in customer service from start to finish.
Also we got a chance to try out some of the new Cleveland clubs for 2012 which was like watching lots of kids in a candy store. I think the 588 forged wedges may go straight in the bag.
neal granville golf 