Ras Al Khaimah’s (RAK) leading real estate company Al Hamra Group, is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Al Hamra’s championship golf course.

Designed by renowned golf course architect, Peter Harradine, it now welcomes over 20,000 visitors every year and is home to over 120 members.

The 18-hole course is centered around a series of four interconnected open water lagoons that form a challenging and stunningly landscaped par 72 championship course, with five varying tee options on each hole. The course hosted the inaugural European Challenge Tour event in 2016 and is set to replicate the success when the event returns to Al Hamra in October this year.

PGA Fellow Professional, Andrew Matthews, is the man at the helm of Al Hamra Golf Club and his remit includes increasing membership and building on the existing visitor numbers to the course.

“Andrew’s well-rounded career path includes several years running his own golf coaching business and this, combined with his international experience, has allowed him to develop acute commercial acumen as well as in-depth exposure to all aspects of the operation, and this will be invaluable as we continue to grow our member base and services,” said Benoy Kurien, general manager, Al Hamra Real Estate.

An Arabian Property Awards 2015-16 winner, the club has resident Europeans comprising most of its current membership, while also regularly hosting UAE weekend golfers and currently hosts the largest number of international tourist round anywhere in the UAE. The short to medium term focus for Al Hamra Golf Club is expansion to new consumer markets in Asia and Europe along with the introduction of online and mobile applications to book and efficiently manage playtimes.
The golf course is the focal point for visitors and residents of Al Hamra Village, a host of onsite facilities include, the golf academy, a gymnasium and a range of dining options including the Bay Sports Bar, Pesto Restaurant, the Belgian Beer Café and Maison Mathis.

For those who want to try something a little different, the club has recently launched Foot-Golf. Played on the par-3 academy course, the aim is to kick the football into oversized holes around the course, providing fun for family and friends or even corporate gatherings.

To celebrate 10 successful years of golf in Al Hamra Village, Matthews has outlined 10 amazing facts about golf courses!

1) Golf courses as filters
Water is absorbed and filtered by the grass, removing sediment and absorbing nutrients which it recycles and reuses to promote turf growth

2) Golf courses improve air quality
A typical 18-hole golf course converts CO2 from the air to enough oxygen to support 4,000-7,000 people.
 
3) Golf courses are big business
Since first being introduced to the Middle East in 1988, a report by KPMG has reported the total economic value of golf in the EMA region at over Dh220 billion ($59.8 billion).

4) Golf course and wildlife
Golf courses provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animal species.

5) Middle East golfers have it easy
Golf balls travel significantly further in hot weather. The warmer the ball is, the more resilient the rubber becomes. The reason being, the warmer the golf ball the more elasticity it has, which causes the ball to leave the club with greater force – good news for Middle East golfers!

6) Golf courses and water hazards
Al Hamra has its fair share of water features which have been known to attract the occasional ball. In America, it is estimated $600 million is spent on golf balls every year.

7) Golf courses and the community
It goes without saying golf courses provide many benefits to the community, as already mentioned recycling, wildlife, oxygen production are all byproducts. A golf course is great for exercise and bringing the family together, a typical round of golf when walked equates to roughly five miles.

8) Open to everyone
Golf courses are open to all ages, nationalities, abilities, ethnicities – making it the perfect sport for residents of Al Hamra Village (we’re home to over 90 different nationalities)

9) Handicap
Don’t worry about your handicap, around 80 per cent of all golfers will never achieve a handicap lower than 18.

10) And finally, just for fun
Did you know that golf is one of the world’s oldest sports? The modern game of golf originated in Scotland in the 15th century, but the game’s ancient origins remain unclear. - TradeArabia News Service