Golf Inc. - October 2008 - (Page 40)

Mideast management push REGIONAL UPDATE Troon, IMG lead efforts by global operators to expand reach by adding high-end properties in fast-growing golf markets resort giant, Sun International, is expected to manage the Gary Player course that Sun is building in Morocco. Now one key U.S. company, Troon Golf, is rapidly picking up clients, after several years of cultivating contacts and linking up with a major Dubai developer, Leisurecorp. “Troon Golf has become an emerging force in the Mideast,” said Andrea Sartori, partner and head of the golf advisory practice for the consulting firm of KPMG. The Middle Eastern portfolio for the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company is growing quickly, said Mark Chapleski, the region’s vice president of operations. “We have three courses in the United 40 Golf Inc. October 2008 reas of the world where oil wells—and new golf courses—are booming may seem like opportunities for golf management companies. But until recently, many thriving golf locations haven’t been quick to bring in outside firms. Typical are places in the Middle East and North Africa, including Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. Instead most courses are individually managed by the owners or developers that built them, by hotel companies or even government agencies. For example, Dubai Golf, owned by the government of Dubai, runs Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and the Emirates Golf Club. The A Arab Emirates and several in development stages,” Chapleski said. “We have one in Egypt, Allegria; one in Bahrain; two in Abu Dhabi—a Gary Player course and a wetlands course done by Robert Trent Jones III.” Troon’s aggressive moves in the Middle East include a recently finalized strategic alliance with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Co. (TDIC). Under the agreement, Troon will help TDIC with its plans to create a golf destinations network in the UAE and with an ambitious golf development program in Abu Dhabi. TDIC currently owns the Troonmanaged Abu Dhabi Golf Club, home of a

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Golf Inc. - October 2008 Contents From the Editors: Smaller is Less Costly Survey Reveal Golf's Economic Impact in EMA Private Club Managers Earn Bigger Salaries Dyes Mourn Loss of Family Member Changing Demographics Impact European Golf Scene RDC Golf Group Finds Affordable Golf Niche Links at Summerly Offers Unique Twist Cost Crunch Most Powerful People in Golf Contractors Focus on Renovations, International�Projects Troon, IMG Reach Into Booming Middle East Market Americas Recap: New Player Design in Mexico Europe-Africa Recap: Moroccan Lakeside Development Asia-Australia Recap: 3 Billion Dollar Resort in Vietnam The Last Word: There's No Substitute for Good Friends on a Golf Course

Golf Inc. - October 2008

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