Twelve years ago, as Apollo Dimaisip turned up to start his new job as a member of the course maintenance staff at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the sight that greeted him would have appeared slightly surreal.
The Filipino would have surveyed a lush green course surrounded by practically nothing but sand and shrubs. An oasis in the desert.
Dimaisip could hardly have expected, more than a decade later, that not only would the club he calls home - as foreman, he lives on site - be encircled by construction projects, but also that he would be fighting to prevent genuine oases manifesting and manipulating his perfectly manicured course.
When water inexplicably started appearing in the rough, on the fairways and even in the sand-filled bunkers of the National Course a few years ago, staff were baffled.
Much like the postured flamingoes that turned up one day and have since made the course's man-made lakes their home, nobody quite knew where the water was coming from.
Andrew Whittaker, the course superintendent, quickly realised it was the result of ground water no longer being able to complete its natural route to the ocean.
"There are a lot of people who have different opinions on why, but essentially the water is coming up from below the surface because of the buildings and construction around here," he said. "It has nowhere else to go."
Abu Dhabi Golf Club is now surrounded 100 per cent by development projects, including the newly opened Westin hotel. While the ground water would normally go out into the Arabian Gulf, it is now hitting barriers and looking for what Whittaker calls "the nearest point of relief".
Unfortunately for the Englishman and his 60 staff, that means the course itself.
"As we are the only natural area around, the water is finding us to be the weakest structure and breaks up through there," he said, adding that some mornings he would arrive to find bunkers filled with puddles of water. "It is similar to how an oasis would work."
More critically, however, the water is what is known in the industry as "brackish", which means twice as salty as seawater. Because of the high salt concentration, the rebellious water, which was appearing in certain pockets of the course, was killing the grass. With the amount of water growing progressively more substantial year-on-year, in 2011 Whittaker decided to take decisive action.
Sixteen bore wells - 10-metre-deep holes with submersible pumps that siphon the water and redirect it towards the nearby lakes - were installed. Now, with the National Course set to host its annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this week, the fairways are flawless, the bunkers dry as the desert and the only water making the grass glisten comes from the sprinkler system that sprays an average of 37 million gallons of the stuff per month.
The course has been tweaked slightly since last year's event too, with the tee box at the 18th being moved back to make the final hole even longer and bunkers being added to the second hole as well as the 18th.
The 7,600-yard course was closed on January 14 in anticipation of Thursday's opening round of the US$2.7 million (Dh9.9m) European Tour event, but not before Lucas Neill, the Australian professional footballer who plies his trade at Al Jazira, completed a round. Heikki Kovalainen, the Formula One driver, also made a brief stop at the club last week to enjoy 18 holes in tournament conditions.
While both men are recognisable figures within their own sports, they are unlikely to have suffered too much attention on the fairways. The same cannot be said for the group of men who started arriving yesterday.
Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer - the four highest-ranked players in the world - will be joined by Charl Schwartzel, the Masters champion, and Darren Clarke, the British Open winner. Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner, will also make his debut in the UAE capital.
It is little wonder then that organisers have been so bold with their projections. Last year's event attracted a record 40,000 spectators across the four days, yet officials have said expect to see 80,000 pass through the club this week. Clubhouse receptionist Charlotte is preparing herself for a hectic few days.
"It's going to be a crazy week," said the Filipina, who will welcome each of the 188 players in the field to the clubhouse. "More busy than previous years, for sure. There are just so many people planning to come."
With the objective being a 100 per cent increase in attendance, one should imagine wholesale infrastructure changes would be required, but Whittaker said any amendments to accommodate the lofty ambitions have been minor.
The only alterations since last year have seen the viewing area behind the green of the 18th hole made slightly larger and the seating at the ninth now being a double stand.
"The Tiger aspect is what everybody is pinning their hopes on," Whittaker said of the expected inflated attendance. "Fitting an increased number of spectators around the course is not going to be a problem though."
The clubhouse may have been a different matter were it not for the fact the iconic falcon-shaped building is closed off during Championship weekend allowing entry only to players and the club's 300 members. Each player is provided no more than two guest passes, which will also afford access to the lounge.
Scott McCaw, the director of operations at the golf club, said if the players are not on the course or in the clubhouse, they are most likely to be at the Emirates Palace hotel.
The luxury resort has again invited all players to stay there for the week as part of the hotel's sponsorship and it is hardly surprising to learn that even those who miss the cut on Friday tend to remain in the capital until Monday.
"It's a funny week because after Friday's cut there are probably just as many people out practising on the Saturday as there is on the Thursday," McCaw said.
For Woods, visiting the city for the first time, the elegance and grandeur of the hotel may appear like a chimera. Were it not for the other 187 golfers walking its vast hallways, he may even consider it an oasis in the desert. But one that nobody complains about.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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More on Quran memorisation:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
