Golf special report, Jumeirah Golf Estate course
Dubai World Championship is about to hit the Jumeirah Golf Estate to mark the European tour close for the year 2010.
The Championship carrying a purse of $7500, 000 will be giving the greatest challenge to the best sixty players of the World. The fabulous course is divided into six quarters. Fire and Earth have been designed by Norman Greg, Water was a creation of Vijay
Singh, whereas, Sergio Garcia gave a hand in the establishment of Wind. The rest of the two were made by Pete Dye.
“Earth” golf course hosted the Dubai World Championship last year and once again, it will be the official host for the event sponsored by DP World.
According to Leisure corp, "In their beauty, they delight both players and observers. In their diversity, they offer new ways to challenge and excite. Turf covers, not just the playing surfaces, but also the peripheral landscaping as well, giving the courses
a verdant quality unique in the Middle East". The courses have been developed using environmentally friendly techniques such as hydro seeding, a less water-intensive method of growing grass.
The most magnificent feature of the Earth course is the number of trees that have been planted on the course. According to the official website of the golf club, there are over 3000 trees planted on Earth Golf Club.
Here is a brief description of the holes.
First hole
Stretched on 454 yards, par 4, the hole serves as a welcome note for the players. The approach to conquer the hole is a long drive aimed towards the left. The shot should plunge the fairway, which is a downhill dogleg right. The second shot should be a sharp
cut with a wedge towards the right to avoid the ridge below. With perfect putting skills, a first birdie of the day is not a difficult task.
Second hole
583 yards, par 5 is an uphill drive through a gorge. The first fairway is surrounded by bunkers, which can become the source of early trouble for the shorter hitters. Try avoiding the first fairway or else a bogey is due on the scorecard. The green is an
uphill wedge shot, but a player needs to balance the accuracy as the ball might roll into a bunker on both sides.
Fifth hole
It is considered as one of the toughest holes on the course. Stretched on 407 yards, the par 4 is a dogleg right ascending into the hill. The best approach to reach the green is an iron play directed towards the right. Expertise with wedge or iron can lead
to an eagle, but a miscalculated shot will roll back from the greens.
Sixth hole
It is a small layout and that is the misleading factor on this hole. Water and bunkers cover the fairways and the greens. First short taken towards the left can lead into the water, whereas a long short taken towards the right can direct the third shot
into the water. A long straight tee shot is the only way out on this hole.
Ninth hole
The par 4 is free from hazards on the tee and the fairway. However, an uphill approach towards the green can lead into traps on the left, right and centre.
Eleventh hole
401 yards, par 4 is a dogleg left. The best approach to reach the green is a wedge game aimed towards the hill on the left. The green is positioned along a ridge and rolls down on both sides.
Sixteenth hole
The 486-yards, par 4 is a dogleg right over a creek, with a huge lagoon down the right and a waterfall connecting it to another. It is not possible to reach the green in two, owing to the sharp cuts involved on the fairways. However, a long tee shot towards
the right might plunge over the hazards and reach the other side safely.
These were the most crucial holes of the Earth Golf Course, which is the host to Dubai World Championship 2010.
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