First Grass Golf Course Opens in Kuwait


Kuwait’s first grass golf course, Sahara Golf & Country Club, has welcomed its first golfers. The Peter Harradine-designed golf course is managed by PGA Golf Management.

Abdul Rahman Bahman, chairperson and director of the development company, said of the course: "We are providing world-class facilities at Sahara Golf and Country Club and are firmly putting Kuwait onto the golfing map. I am delighted to finally see our vision become reality and welcome golfers to Sahara Golf & Country Club."

Bahman added, "With the international and regional experience of PGA Golf Management, we will also provide world-class service standards and are sure the club will be a great success and continue to change the perception of Kuwait to visitors and companies.”

PGA Golf Management will oversee the grand opening and the ongoing operations of Kuwait’s first grass course. Keith Haslam, operations director for PGA Golf Management, said, "We are delighted to be managing Sahara Golf and Country Club. The golf course, academy and clubhouse have been designed and built to the highest of standards and will undoubtedly be Kuwait’s premier leisure facility. It is fantastic to see the golfers of Kuwait enjoying this excellent facility."

Sahara Golf and Country Club boasts an 18-hole, 6,700-yard, par-70 championship course that will be fully illuminated for nighttime golf. A golf academy will allow PGA Golf Management to help develop the game in the region. The course and academy are now open, with the luxury 9,000-square-foot clubhouse opening this January. Along with a golf shop, the clubhouse will contain ladies-only health and fitness facilities, tennis and squash courts, a number of food and beverage outlets, and a small business center for corporate clientele.

The contract is the second for PGA Golf Management in the region. The company also provides management services for Riffa Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Riffa Golf Club was also the first grass golf course in Bahrain, and the two facilities will share their management expertise.

"It 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."