RIYADH, 9 November 2005 — The Kingdom’s most anticipated new all-grass golf course will open for play this month.
Riyadh Golf Club, originally a sand course that had been built in the early 1990s added an adjacent all-grass layout. Located outside the city of Riyadh on Al Qassim highway after exit five, the first nine of it 18-hole golf course will finally be open to the public on Nov. 20.
The new golf course is under the management of a South African, Nigel Roscoe, RGC general manager, a professional golfer himself and member of PGA.
With the combined efforts of the Riyadh Development and Contracting Company under the able management of Yusuf Eddiweesh and Roscoe, RGC’s first nine holes were finally completed and will be ready for upcoming tournaments.
The 18-hole sprawling course features expansive and rolling fairways, large greens, and sculptured target bunkers that will surely test the golfer’s skill. It also has a monstrous signature par-6 hole No. 11 with a distance of a little less than 700 yards, which will prove very challenging and is one of its kind in the Middle East.
RGC said two events have been set for this month. The first event to be held on Nov. 24 is a mini tournament based on an individual Stableford format for 52 players. Up next on the following day will be the Ambassador’s Cup, a major tournament organized by the Filipino Golf Association of Riyadh in honor of Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla.
Handsome prizes will be on offer in both tournaments.
The RGC’s opening underlines the club’s corporate commitment to the development of golf in the Kingdom while giving amateur golfers of all handicap levels a chance to play real golf on grass as opposed to the makeshift one.
