Next week’s inaugural Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge – the penultimate event on the 2016 European Challenge Tour – will be an elite test of the tournament venue, according to Andrew Matthews, Head of Al Hamra Golf Club.
With club staff readying to host a 105-strong international field, Matthews says they’ll be watching keenly to see how the 7,325-yard course stacks up to Challenge Tour expectations.
“This is the first time we have had a field of elite players of this level so it will be interesting to see just how the course stands up to their skills,” explained Matthews.
“The course maintenance team has been working hard through the tough summer conditions to get the playing surfaces to the levels we wish to present the players with and which they will, I’m sure, expect. But I think they will be pleasantly surprised by what they find when they arrive, not only from the course, which will be a fair test of golf, but from the development and destination itself.”
Matthews says that having come through the major growing season for Al Hamra’s Paspallum Sea Isle grass, the players can expect to find “lush and receptive fairways which will make the course play its full length and provide some challenging rough for any wayward shot, which will test their skills all round.”
The inaugural Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge runs from Wednesday 26 - Saturday 29 October and comes at a crucial time on the Road to Oman. Sponsored by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the Challenge sees a field of 105 players from 16 nations battle for a US $350,000 prize purse. The tournament is expected to draw the region’s sporting enthusiasts to witness world-class action on the fairways.
“This tournament will expose Ras Al Khaimah’s golfing and destination credentials to an influential audience of international players and guests, as well as the many golfers around the region who will be keen to follow the on-course action,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA. “We are confident Al Hamra Golf Club and Ras Al Khaimah will emerge with a heightened reputation for quality of facilities and service among audiences who can spread the word across the global golfing community.”
Among the Ras Al Khaimah field are the current top two in the Road to Oman Rankings, English duo Jordan Smith and Sam Walker, as well as New Zealand Olympian Ryan Fox.
Spectators can also look forward to off-course family entertainment, with post-play music every night and free golfing lessons among a range of activities lined up for the tournament village.
The Ras Al Khaimah 2016 Golf Challenge has attracted a marquee line-up of international sponsors including RAKTDA as title sponsor, Al Hamra Golf Club, RAK Rock, Stevin Rock, RAK Chamber, BMW and Rivloi as event sponsors, and Waldorf Astoria, Voss Water, Wicked, icflix and Nike Golf as event partners.
Designed by Peter Harradine, Al Hamra Golf Club is one of two 18-hole, all-grass courses in Ras Al Khaimah, the other being the 7,199-yard Tower Links course which meanders through a mangrove reserve.
