Nicklaus Design has worked with Gary Player Design in Abu Dhabi to reconfigure course and fine-tune original design elements
For Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, the repurposing of a portion of its golf course brought the risk of weakening the layout. The club, however, saw it as an opportunity to create new, well-designed holes and to reinstate and fine-tune various aspects of the original design.
The course, designed by Gary Player’s firm, opened in 2010 on Saadiyat Island, ten kilometres to the north of Abu Dhabi’s city centre. It is routed around five-star hotels, has views of the Persian Gulf and can be set up to play over 7,800 yards from the back tees.
The project has included eliminating the original beachfront par-three seventeenth with a new par three built elsewhere on the property.
Sean Quinn, senior design associate at Nicklaus Design, produced all drawings, technical specifications and oversaw the project, working closely with Gary Player Design to maintain the integrity of the original design.
“The seventeenth and eighteenth holes needed to be moved 20 metres away from the boundary,” says Quinn. “Consequently, the main irrigation lake needed to be filled in by 20 metres as well, to compensate for the moved eighteenth fairway. This made the project very complicated.
“Filling the lake reduced the lake surface area and a new liner needed to be installed. Practically, the lake needed to be emptied, but this presented a serious challenge of how to ensure the irrigation system could continue to operate uninterrupted. The lost lake volume then needed to be replaced by building a new lined lake upstream on the tenth hole.”
In addition to the construction of the new irrigation storage lake, work on the back nine included moving the thirteenth green forward by 80 metres and shifting the back tee further back; and creating a new par-three fourteenth that plays in a similar direction to the eliminated seventeenth. The original fourteenth has become the fifteenth, with the tees adjusted to create space for the new fourteenth green. The new tees create a different playing angle and bring a large waste bunker into play from the back tee.
“The new par-three fourteenth is the shortest hole on the course, but it has an elevated saddled green that slopes to the front and back,” says Quinn. “The further back one plays, the more blind the tee shot is because of a new dune that was built to screen the new thirteenth green. The hole plays into the prevailing wind, so although short, it will be challenging on most days.”
On the new par-three fourteenth, players need to hit over a new dune to an elevated saddle green that slopes to the front and back (Photo: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club)
With the original seventeenth eliminated, the par-four sixteenth has become the new seventeenth. “This hole was moved to create more development area, but the playing strategy was retained, with the green unaffected,” says Quinn. “The eighteenth was also shifted by 20 metres; however, the design strategy and length have been maintained. Visibility of the lake has been improved from the back tee due to lowering and simplifying the lake edge.
“The connection between the final two holes is 170 metres, so a 170-metre-long air-conditioned tunnel will be built below sea level and large enough to accommodate all traffic.”
Corey Finn, Viya Golf Abu Dhabi’s director of agronomy, says: “At seventeen, balls used to roll into a big bunker, and you didn’t have any other options. Now, with the new par three, there are more options and players can be creative.”
Plans detailing the work completed on hole seventeen (Image: Gary Player Design)
Karl Whitehead, cluster club manager for Viya Golf, adds: “Historically, once you got through hole twelve, the final six were very difficult. Now, with the new fourteenth and seventeenth, there is a bit of respite, and the eighteenth has become more playable. The fairways are wider and more undulating in terms of playable spots, and there are options off the tee for players. So, the playing experience is a bit softer in terms of difficulty, which will satisfy most golfers that play here.
“With the tweaks, the course looks better, but we’ve still retained the beauty and views that Saadiyat is known for. The course has character, and the changes have definitely elevated the playing experience for the majority.”
In addition to the routing, irrigation (Toro’s Lynx Smart Satellite and Network VPe with FLEX sprinklers) and course changes, the club saw the opportunity to complete detail work and fine-tune some original features. Some bunkers on holes fifteen and eighteen were originally filled with the site’s red sand. “When Gary came to site during the original construction, he saw piles of red sand that we used to build the fairways and tees,” says Finn. “And it reminded him of Africa, and he said he wanted some bunkers made from the red sand to bring something unique to Saadiyat.
“In this renovation, we’ve reinstated one of the red sand bunkers behind the eighteenth green. It’s not really in play, but it’s a visual aspect. And on the ‘Mousetrap’ tenth hole, there are the pot bunkers, and the story goes that Gary kept saying he wanted them deeper and deeper. Our work has reinstated those bunkers back to being deep pots.”
On the back nine, Finn and his team have reduced Saadiyat’s turf footprint, so it is closer to its original footprint, and have reinstated some of the dune areas. “It’s a great project from a playability standpoint, plus in terms of sustainability and minimising water use,” he says. “We hydro-seeded the dunes by hand with the original mix.
The renovation has allowed the club to reinstate dune areas, reduce its turf footprint and embrace its beachfront setting (Photo: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club)
“A key aspect was to make sure the changes and new holes match the style of the original holes. Our greens are Mini Verde bermuda and we’ve built the new ones to match the rest of the course. The same applies to the Mini Verde tees. Our fairways, surrounds and rough are Pure Dynasty paspalum, supplied by Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed.”
Whitehead adds: “The fine-tuning details collectively make a big difference. Saadiyat is really underrated and a true beach-style golf course. This project has given us a chance to refine the course and relaunch an improved version of Saadiyat.”