A few days in the desert?

When I announced to the guys at the golf club that I was flying to Abu Dhabi for a few days golf most of them looked incredulous, after all, as one pointed out, you can drive there in less than two hours. Once we had painstakingly established that I was not going to Aberdovey, but to the Persian Gulf, (it was fairly late at night by this time), the amount of advice I received, mainly from people who had never actually been there, but knew someone who lived near Dubai, was quite staggering.

“It’s a long way, it’s hot , it’s full of flies and nasty things, it is dangerous, there is one hotel called(sorry I can’t remember its name), there is nothing to do, “beware the camels” (I have no idea), there is nowhere to play golf, you can’t get an alcoholic drink”. All these followed by improbable anecdotes and tales of woe.

So I have been, played golf, had a drink, and found things to do, and now I can try and put the record straight.

From Manchester Airport by a daily Etihad flight, it takes approximately six and a half hours. At least half the people on the flight were in transit to Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, and of course to other Middle Eastern destinations.

Abu Dhabi airport is the hub for the operations of Etihad, an airline equipped with a modern fleet of Boeing and Airbus airliners, all seemingly offering good legroom and great service in all classes. Processing at Abu Dhabi was swift, and in no time at all I was ready for my transport into the city. Our luggage arrived safely, which for the press troop, arriving from sundry airports, and mainly with golf clubs, was something of a first.

Ethiad
Ethiad is the flagship airline of the UAE (Abu Dhabi being the capital of the UAE), fly from London and Manchester, and are rumoured to be beginning operations from Birmingham shortly.

It’s so hot
No getting away from this one, it is after all on the Persian Gulf. The daytime temperature when I was there was thirtyfive degrees centigrade, with one day some five degrees higher, but all the public buildings are air-conditioned, there is plenty of shade to be had on the beaches, and even on the golf courses, and provided one is sensible the heat will not present a major problem. Having said that we did see holiday makers sitting “out in the mid-day sun”, and this did not seem to be very wise. Hats, sun cream with a high factor value and plenty of fluid intake is the order of the day, and try to avoid that mid-day sun.

It’s full of flies and nasty things
No it isn’t.

I will admit there are scorpions out in the desert, and I am told there are camel spiders and snakes, but I didn’t see any, nor did I go looking. We saw a number of lizards, all of which were harmless to humans, but probably not to the flies.

Beware of the camels
I never did find out why this warning came my way, all the camels I met seemed perfectly charming.

It’s dangerous.
I saw more gun toting policemen at Manchester airport than I did in Abu Dhabi, and the armed police that I did see had holstered side arms, mot wandering about with their fingers on the trigger of a Hechler and Koch MP5 sub machine gun. We had no problems walking around after dark, saw no evidence of any street crime, or felt threatened in any way. However do be careful crossing the roads.

There is one very expensive Hotel called “sorry, I can’t remember its name”.
It is called the Emirates Palace and is absolutely fantastic. And yes, it is expensive by Travel Lodge standards. However if you should be offered the opportunity to stay there, or even visit (they offer guided tours) then take it. It is physically imposing, with beautiful gardens, a most impressive interior, stunning restaurants and very comfortable rooms. You are greeted by no less a person than your personal butler, and the staff are attentive and very helpful. I happened to visit on the day of my birthday, and this was noticed by the reception staff when I registered. Later that evening an enormous chocolate and orange birthday cake, together with a bottle of champagne was left in my room with the compliments of the management. It’s that good.

If that is not to your taste, or pocket, then Abu Dhabi offers a wide range of accommodation including hotels operated by Hilton, Sheraton, Meridian, Grand Continental, Golden Tulip, and most of the other major chains, as well as having family run hotels. All seem to be furnished to a high standard, and offer a wide range of facilities.

There is nothing to do
Again this is a fair comment. Once you have been on a desert excursion in a 4×4vehicle, seen the belly dancing, had a henna tattoo,sailed offshore on a dhow, perhaps been to the horse or camel racing, seen a falconry display, gone sport fishing or done some sub aqua diving, shopped at either a traditional souk or an ultramodern mall, or sat about on the beach getting a tan there is absolutely nothing to do.

Unless you want to play golf, go horse or camel riding, visit a spa, eat, visit another of the Emirates (Dubai is only a little over two hours drive away), go on an excursion to the interior and visit an oasis such as Al Ain, then there is definitely nothing to do.

There is nowhere to play golf.
Abu Dhabi city itself has some three golf clubs, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the Al Ghazal Golf and Equestrian Club, with another course at Al Ain. Two more courses are planned over the next few years.

The Abu Dhabi Golf Club is situated a twenty five minute drive from the centre of the city, and approximately ten minutes from the International Airport. It features two courses, the eighteen hole National Course, and the nine hole Garden Course, both designed by Peter Harradine. The National Course is par 72: 7334 yard course with extensive water features, adequate shade facilities, some evil bunkers which held an almost magnetic attraction for me, and a most impressive club house.

One of the signature holes is the twelfth, described thus:-

“Hole 12, 183 yards par 3. Amid length par three over water to a long but narrow green with a landscaped rock wall back drop with date trees and shrubbery. Club selection is critical, as well as feel and control on this rollercoaster green”

In reality this means that if you under club you end up, as three of us did, in the water in front of the green, whilst if you over club as the other member of the four ball did, you hit the wall at the back of the green and rebound into the water. A challenging hole.

To complement the main championship course there is a nine hole, par 36 course that is described as being slightly more forgiving. As if any such golf course could forgive. In addition to these two courses there are extensive facilities such as swimming pools, a gymnasium, tennis and squash courts, spa and sauna, practice greens for both chipping and putting, practice bunkers,(I learnt of this a little too late) and bars restraints, and a conference room. There is also a Golf Academy.

Note, taking to take a short cut across a sand strip to retrieve a wayward ball may result in having to get a tractor to tow out your buggy, and cost you a round of drinks to shut the others up.

The Al Ghazal Golf Club is a sand course, with browns instead of greens, bunkers made of sand, water hazards and often rock-hard fair- ways. You do not play in spikes as these have an adverse effect on the browns, which are made of sand and oil, you do take with you a piece of astro- turf to place your ball on, you do drink lots of water, and wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare, and you most definitely have a great deal of fun.

The browns/greens if swept correctly are extremely fast and true, and you are advised to roll up to the greens , as any high pitch will drop, and form a nice little egg cup. Players must also contend with the numerous burrows dug by desert lizards, known as dhubs. These burrows may also house scorpions, so do not go ferreting about in them.

This golf course is regarded as one of the best sand golf courses in the world; and the World Sand Golf Championships recently took place on this course, and will do so again in 2007.

The Club also has a state of the art academy, a sports field which is now home to the Abu Dhabi Football Academy. There is also a health club equipped with gym sauna steam room and Jacuzzi. There are three tennis courts and two multi courts where basket ball, five aside football and volley ball can be played.

The club and its staff are very welcoming, and the club house is a home from home, especially if you have a bar in your home. The course is situated close to the airport, but there was no real discernable noise to interrupt play.

The Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club is located in the Al Mushrif area, just ten minutes from the city centre, with the complex consisting of an international standard racecourse, with racing conditions that are comparable to anywhere in the world; together with a spectacular show jumping arena, in which an obstacle similar to the famous Hickstead Bank has been constructed, along with a natural water jump that adds to the variety of the show-jumping events that take place throughout the season. The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club has a riding school attached to it.

For the golfer there is a 9hole grass surfaced golf course in the middle of the race course, which is equipped with floodlighting, enabling play before sunrise, and after sunset. In addition the Golf Academy includes a large driving range available to all, and lessons are available from the Club’s golf professionals. The club also has tennis courts and a swimming pool. The course has a number of interesting hazards, including a large lake, and a race course which is used for exercising some very expensive bloodstock. Race meetings are frequent during the summer months.

There is also a nine hole course attached to the Hilton Hotel at Al Ain, but I am saving that for my next visit.

You cannot get an alcoholic drink.
Oh yes you can, all the hotels, and the golf clubs that are affiliated to the hotels, can serve alcohol; to adults, all reasonably priced, and this includes some quite drinkable beer and larger.

Finally, there was a comment that it is very expensive to visit and play golf in Abu Dhabi. A number if tour operators have begun to offer holidays in Abu Dhabi, including Thompson Worldwide, Etihad Holidays, and letgo2.com, who can provide a tailor made holiday. In addition hotels such as Sheraton and Hilton offer stop-over golf breaks.

So the verdict, would I go again? Yes is the straight answer, with no provisos or qualms. I found the whole experience very pleasant, very refreshing, and I was able to dispel the pre- conceptions of a late night in a golf club bar, where all decisions are routinely taken. There is good golf, it is easy to get to, reasonably priced, and it’s warm. What more could you need?

Mauritius

After an interesting journey to Heathrow airport, involving a Virgin intercity train from North Wales, a coach transfer from Watford and a wander round the airport carrying clubs and a bemused expression, I finally found the appropriate check in (thanks to the ever helpful BAA staff) I surrendered myself to the efficient and friendly Air Mauritius staff, who in return fed me, and cosseted me and made my twelve hour, non-stop flight to Mauritius part of the holiday experience.

Once I arrived the ground staff was also courteous and efficient, officialdom was not bad, and soon I was on my way, being driven through sugar cane fields to the Heritage Golf and Spa complex, situated on the South of the island at Bel Ombre.

The welcome was startling, as we drove through the gates a drumming noise started, culminating in a crescendo as we stopped at the main entrance. A very memorable reception; I have been drummed out of places before, but never drummed in. We learned later that this was the hotels way of greeting guests, and pretty soon you knew when anyone had arrived.

Then a welcome drink, check-in formalities completed whilst sitting on a very large and comfortable sofa, and then off to my room, a very welcome shower, and then off to breakfast. What a great way to start the tour.

The hotel with its beach front, its’ numerous pools, and other leisure facilities was playing host to a golf tournament, and so later in the day I visited the Golf du Chateau course to see what I was up against. We journalists were arriving the day before we began play; the professionals arrived a little earlier.

The course was in first class condition, and my play at the practice ground was really very good. I just knew that I was going to play well the next day.

How wrong can you be?

Back to the hotel, and the pre tournament briefing; I found that my tee time was 0800, an ungodly hour for me. I am not a morning person.

Next day I was up bright and early, with only the teeniest suggestion of a hangover, (blaming it on Jet-lag doesn’t really wash, Mauritius is only four hours ahead of the UK) I sallied forth onto the practice ground at 0730, played my best golf of the day, and went to find my buggy and my playing partners. And so play began. Suffice it to say that I saw parts of the course that even the designers probably didn’t know existed, lost a goodly number of balls, kept my temper, just, and had the sort of game best forgotten, but sadly etched in the memory.

Everyone else had a great game, and they were so very patient, offered lots of good advice and were all very kind. But it was to no avail, I had a bad, bad day. The course was great, the greens were fast, and the man with the drinks cart frequently appeared. The sun shone and everything was really very pleasant, if we discount the golf, which was what the scorer did.

Next day was a little better; I didn’t lose as many balls as I had on the first day, and managed a reasonable score, at least by my normal standard. However, because of my first day, and the fact that I am not very good any way, I came last.

Just one note, one hole lay in wait just for me. It was the fifth, a par four downhill, and 291 meter dog –leg with a raised green. What fun. I hit my drive from the green just to a point where a large piece of rock reared out of the ground, and it, of course, hit said mountain, careering off into the tall, sharp, dense grass and was out of bounds. My playing partner hit a similar drive, hit the same rock, bounced the other way and was perfectly placed for an easy approach shot. Me, I finally got there and then watched my putt gather momentum as it rolled round the rim of the hole, and disappear over the edge of a precipice that was lurking at the back of the green. I won’t prolong the agony, mine at least. But that was the sort of day I was having. Notwithstanding that, the course was great and I can’t wait to get back on it, because I know that I can do better.

Not only that, but the views are stunning, the weather great, and the wildlife interesting, and all the staff at the clubhouse very welcoming, efficient, and knowledgeable.

There is also, in the centre of the course, an excellent 9 hole, par 3 course. I did ever so well on this one, and even broke par on the 89 meter 8^th. Boy was I overjoyed.

Wildlife
As you would expect for a course in the tropics there was abundant wildlife, and we were assured this did not involve snakes.

On the course there were many birds, giant snails (which, as my playing partner Kirsty, found out, make a horrible crunching noise when you run over them with a trolley, not a buggy) “It jumped out at me” is not an excuse.

There are also large chameleons, lizards, hares, and a troupe of monkeys who apparently take up occasional residence on the 13^th and 14^th and barrack the players.

With regards to the birdlife, we asked one of the caddies the name of some of the birds, and were enlightened to learn that anything larger than a thrush was a “pidgon”, anything red was a “cardinal”, and everything else was a “petit oisseau”. I finally bought a bird book and found that we had mynah birds, parakeets, shrikes cardinals, and a pink pigeon, crows, sparrows, and kestrels for company.

The club is planning to erect some information boards around the course which will help the golfer to identify the wild-life.

Being journalists we managed to visit the local rum distillery, had a lazy time by the pool with a bar directly beside it, enjoyed visits to the spa for massages and general treatments, and ate superb food. I understand that some of my colleagues found a drink called Rum Vanilla, comprising of a lot of rum, a little vanilla, and some raisins soaked in rum and vanilla. I am led to believe it is quite drinkable, and offers only a mild hang-over to the recipient, after “quite a few”. I had a mild hangover twice.

The hotel cannot be praised enough; it is a great place to get away from it all, and most of all to RELAX. Sadly all good things come to an end, as the cliché would have it, but not before a pleasant flight back across Africa. Then it was freezing Heathrow on Friday evening, the M 25, the train back to North Wales, and memories.

One other thing, the tournament was won by Kirsty Louden, (of Lady Golfer, Peebles, and snail crunching) and I finished. The medal, well, actually, everybody got one, but I am very proud of mine, and determined to do better.

Thanks to Air Mauritius, the Varanda Resorts Group, and to all the friendly management and staff of Heritage Hotel, and the Golf du Chateau.

Bolt of Inspiration

Just when more and more golf clubs are restricting the use of mobile phones when either playing or watching on course, Nokia have come up with an “indispensable service”.

They can provide a warning system that will tell you to take cover if lightning is headed your way. Of course, if it does come, you should also have your phone switched off.