Ernie Els designed golf course and Butch Harmon Golf Academy to be first of their kind in the UAE

Troon will play a major role in the development and manage "The Dunes" course located in the prestigious Victory Heights golf residential development, which is a part of the larger Dubai Sports City, a 50-million square feet mixed-use development offering high quality residential living within world-class leisure and sporting facilities.

The Dunes will be Ernie Els' first design in the Middle East and is going to be a combination links golf course and traditional "classical era" design. "It was an honor to be selected as the course designer," stated Els, "and I am confident that this entire project will help establish a new standard for sports, not only in Dubai, but also throughout the Middle East."

Ernie has spent countless hours crafting, reviewing and enhancing design and strategy to produce a technically flawless creation that will cater for and challenge the amateur, while simultaneously presenting a serious test for professionals. Broad open fairways and exquisitely maintained playing surfaces will allure and 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 also feature a Butch Harmon Golf Academy operated by Troon Golf. Troon has created a relationship with Harmon to secure his only Academy outside of the USA. The world's #1 ranked instructor and coach of many of today's golfing superstars Adam Scott and Darren Clarke, said he is "very excited about working with Troon Golf and Dubai Sports City on this fabulous project in Dubai" and is "hopeful that we can develop some of the local talent into international players". The Butch Harmon Golf Academy at Dubai Sports City will include a private indoor/outdoor teaching area, 100,000 square foot chipping and bunker area, state of the art video equipment, and instruction by top teaching professionals; including special appearances by Butch himself.

"The experience at The Dunes will be like no other" said Bruce Glasco, Senior Vice President of Operations for Troon Golf. "The golf course is going to be tremendous and the lifestyle of sport and leisure that is the Victory Heights community will be very special." He also added, "Relationships with Manchester United, David Lloyd, Butch Harmon, Troon Golf, along with the multitude of world-class athletes who will come to play and train here will put Dubai Sports City, Victory Heights, and The Dunes course on the must visit list for tourists and locals alike."

The Dunes is scheduled to open in end 2006/early 2007.