Shaikh Rashid Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of Bahrain International Golf Course Company (BIGCC), announced that the Board of Directors have elected PGA Golf Management/Gleneagles to manage Riffa Golf Club for a five-year period commencing April 2004.

The club had previously been managed by Gleneagles since it opened in 1999.

“Gleneagles have served us well in our first five years of operation, but we were intrigued to see what other International management companies had to offer,” commented Shaikh Rashid. “That is why we put the management bid out to tender. The tender process was very interesting and the quality of proposals and presentations were extremely high.”

The decision to continue with Gleneagles in their joint bid with the newly formed PGA Golf Management Company was based on a number of factors. “We have been comfortable working with the Gleneagles management team and continuity was a big factor,” commented Shaikh Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, BIGCC’s vice-chairman who steered the bidding process. “Adding the benefits that a joint venture with the PGA can bring certainly helped cement the relationship. We have high aspirations for Riffa Golf Club to become one of the region’s leading leisure facilities. Our plans to expand the existing facilities are very exciting and we feel that PGA Golf Management/Gleneagles will help us to achieve these goals,” added Shaikh Mohammed.

David Dean, the managing director of PGA Golf Management, said of the appointment: “We are delighted that BIGCC have chosen us to manage the wonderful golf facilities of Riffa Golf Club. Through our relationship of the last five years we clearly understand BIGCC’s aspirations and vision for the future. Our management team is fully equipped to meet this challenge and deliver back to BIGCC exactly what they require.”

It is expected that the new appointment will see the continued growth of Riffa Golf Club in both profitability and in the quality of service standards.