Beyond boundaries

Despite the temporary closure of Riffa Golf Club at the end of this month, club members will not be short of golfing opportunities in the coming months with a number of trips abroad in the pipeline.

The first planned international golf tour will take in some of the best courses in Ireland from September 14 to 21 while a trip to the Sri Lanka Golf Classic in October will give golfers the opportunity to play at the fabulous Victoria Golf Club in Kandy.
In November the club’s management is hoping to take a group of members to Nepal to play at the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa which enjoys fantastic views of the Himalayas.
“We are committed to ensuring that our members have plenty of golfing options open to them while our new Colin Montgomerie-designed course is being constructed,” explained Phil Jones, Riffa’s director of golf.
“We are working hard on the fine details of three international trips before the end of this year and we are also considering possible trips to Thailand and China in the New Year.”
In addition to the international trips, visits to golf courses closer to home in the Emirates, Doha, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also being considered.
Riffa members not wishing to travel will have the option to compete in golf tournaments on the sand courses at the Awali and Bahrain Golf Clubs.
“We want to make sure that our members keep in practice while we are closed so that they can come back next April and enjoy their new championship golf course to the full,” said Mr Jones.
Another new and exciting way for all golfers in Bahrain to enjoy courses from around the world without actually setting foot on an aircraft is by visiting Riffa Golf Club’s state-of-the-art golf simulator which is expected to be operational by October this year.
The simulator will be located in the club’s new golf shop in Country Mall, Budaiya, and offers golfers the opportunity to play nine or 18 hole rounds of virtual reality golf on over 20 internationally renowned golf courses.
The design of the new course at Riffa Views will also be programmed into the simulator, allowing golfers to get a feel for the course before it even opens.
“We look forward to introducing this, the first golf simulator in Bahrain, to the general public and hope it will encourage many more non-golfers to take up the sport,” added Mr Jones.