Ernie Els unveils latest golf course design plans

The golf course will be situated in Victory Heights, a unique gated residential golf community, located within Dubai Sports City (DSC), a 50 million square feet mixed use metropolis which will be the world's first integrated purpose-built sports city.

The Dunes will be Ernie Els Design's first golf course in the Middle East consisting of a combination links golf course and traditional 'classical era' design. At 7,452 yards from the back tees and featuring more than 60 bunkers, The Dunes will be a showpiece that can be transformed from a friendly everyday player course to one that offers a challenge to the world's best golfers.

Broad open fairways and exquisitely maintained playing surfaces will entice boldness and bravado while powerful 'Mackenzie' bunkering, subtle and veiled undulation and strong defensive greens will punish and betray incorrect stroke making. The outer areas of play will incorporate a mix of native and relocated flora in specified formal configurations to enhance the feel and ambience of the course while remaining playable but challenging in critical areas.

The Dunes will be managed by Troon Golf, the world leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Troon Golf manages operations at more than 140 courses located in 26 US states and 12 countries.

Speaking at the site of The Dunes, as he revealed his plans for the course, Els said : ' Dubai Sports City is one of the most exciting projects I have been involved in and I truly believe there is nothing else like it in the world at the moment. I am very excited and honoured to have been invited to design the golf course at Victory Heights. It will be a world-class facility aimed at families and individuals, and will stand out as something quite special in this market.'

The Dunes will also feature a Butch Harmon School of Golf, to be operated by Troon Golf. Troon has created a partnership with Harmon, the world's number one ranked golf instructor, to secure his only facility outside of the USA. It will include a private indoor/outdoor teaching area, 100,000 square feet chipping and bunker area, state-of-the-art video equipment and instruction by top teaching professionals, including special appearances by Butch himself.

Victory Heights, a joint venture between First Islamic Investment Bank of Bahrain and Dubai Sports City, is truly innovative and offers a new kind of living in a new lifestyle concept.

It is Dubai's first mixed-use development set on 25 million sq. feet of land in the heart of DSC. Aimed at local and expatriate families, Victory Heights will offer comprehensive infrastructure and security, along with all the services and amenities expected within a community. These will include international schools, Next Generation country club and David Lloyd Tennis Academy, bike paths and walkways as well as access to a world-class range of sporting, entertainment, medical and leisure facilities within DSC.

Khalid Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports City, said: ' Victory Heights is about enhancing lives and enabling people to live life to the full within an active community setting. We are delighted to be partnering with Ernie Els Design on this project and it is our intention to create a golf course which will be considered one of the best of its kind and at the forefront of golf evolution.'

US-based master developers East West Partners of Hilton Head Carolina and Florida fame, and local architects Diar Consult, have been appointed to ensure that the 850 Victory Heights luxury villas and the on-site amenities will set new standards in community living within Dubai in what will be the first planned community in the Middle East. The villas at Victory Heights will offer maximum space and views. In a choice of European Classical, Spanish Andalusian and Mediterranean architectural styles, custom finishes and a variety of other options are available, ensuring a truly personalized home.

Along with residential and commercial properties Dubai Sports City will host a Manchester United Soccer School and the first ever dedicated International Cricket Council (ICC) global cricket academy.

DSC will also boast four magnificent stadia - a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena, a 25,000 capacity cricket stadium, a 25,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor complex and an indoor leisure sports stadium which will accommodate 10,000 spectators. Interconnecting these stadia will be a world -class retail mall, incorporating the world's largest dedicated sports shopping area.

The Dunes Golf Course at Victory Heights is scheduled for completion in 2007 alongside the luxury villas, which will also coincide with the opening of the stadia, the country club and the sports academies.