Bahrain's Riffa Golf Club has launched its floodlighting programme aimed at attracting more golfers by extending playable time.
Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, undersecretary for immigration and passports affairs and chairman of Bahrain International Golf Club Company, performed the official groundbreaking for installation of the floodlighting equipment. Floodlighting is being installed on holes 10 to 18 of the course. "This will give us the opportunity to increase the club's capacity in the evenings and midweek," said general manger Michael Braidwood. "We are currently running at 90 per cent capacity on Fridays and over 80 per cent capacity on Thursdays and Saturdays. We're aiming to extend the playable hours on the course during the week when people have work commitments throughout the day," he said. The management anticipates that the new facility will extend the playable time by up to seven hours during the peak season (midwinter) and allow golfers to play during the cooler evening hours in summer. The installation process is expected to take around five months.