Peter Downie, director of golf at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, has been promoted to the position of general manager and director of golf, while club manager Chris May has been promoted to general manager - development for Dubai Golf, the central administrative office for both the Creek Club and the Emirates Golf Club.
Golf professional Paul Lightbody has also been promoted, moving up to the new role of head professional at the Creek. 'Chris May has done such an excellent job in pulling the Creek management team together as an effective force that it has enabled us to move another step forward in programme of continuous improvement by combining the role of general manager and director of golf', said Rod Bogg, managing director of Dubai Golf. ''I think everyone already knows about Peter Downie's golfing ability, especially since his escapades in the '99 Desert Classic, but his management skills, which made the Creek golfing operation, especially the Academy and its influence in raising local interest in golf, have perhaps been overlooked as a result.' Bogg added that Downie's focus on service and attention to detail would advance the level of customer satisfaction at the Creek even further. Creating the new role of general manager - development is part of Dubai Golf's drive to expand its services into consultancy and management services. 'Development for us is not just about looking for new business, though' said Bogg. 'It is also about our internal development, and Chris May will play an important role in our adoption of the DQA Business Excellence Model and our efforts to achieve our, and Dubai's, mission of constantly exceeding customer expectations.' Since the advent of the Dubai Golf office two years ago, and the centralisation of many of the administrative functions of the two clubs, both the Creek and Emirates Golf Clubs have been able to concentrate their focus on raising standards of service and quality of facilities at the clubs. 'With Peter Downie at the Creek, Mohamed Juma Bu Amim at Emirates, both supported by highly professional and customer-focused management teams, Dubai Golf now has an established image, and we can now look to expanding our role in the region still further.' said Bogg.