The soft opening of Kuwait’s first grass golf course, the Sahara Golf & Country Club, in September this year marked a new chapter for the game in the country.

“There have been sand courses in Kuwait since the 1950s, but this beautiful new grass course will really help to put Kuwait on the international golfing map,” said Abdul Rahman Bahman, chairman and managing director of the Al Jazeera Real Estate Company, owners of the new Club.
The 18-hole, par 70 golf course spans 6,50,000 sq m and features four teeing options on each hole making it suitable for golfers of all abilities. A luxurious 8,000 sq m clubhouse offering restaurants, a health club, spa, gymnasium, Jacuzzi and saunas is due to be completed in early 2006. Additional facilities such as swimming pools, tennis and squash courts and 21 villas for rent are also still under construction.
In addition, a state-of-the-art golf academy is on the threshold of completion and will boast indoor swing studios and the latest in computer training technology. “This course is a dream come true,” added Saud Al Hajiri, president of the Kuwait Federation for Golf. “We have been waiting for a green, international standard course for the last 20 years and I feel sure that Kuwait’s national golf team will go from strength to strength with such a fabulous course to play on.”
PGA Golf Management and Riffa Golf Club, Bahrain, have secured a pre-opening and two-year management contract for the new club. “This is a very exciting opportunity for us,” said Michael Braidwood, general manager of Riffa Golf Club. “Sahara Golf and Country Club has a very similar set up to our own Club and the experiences we bring with us from Riffa will be very valuable to the club’s owners.” Once the club is fully operational, members of Riffa Golf Club will enjoy reciprocal rates at the Sahara Country Club and vice versa. A “PGA Cup” match is also planned between the two clubs in the near future.