Golf Phoenix
Muscat Hills, the first freehold property developer in Oman, is on course after suffering numerous hiccups since it was launched in 2003. Visvas Paul D Karra takes stock of the project

When the Royal Decree on freehold properties was announced in 2006, Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club was the first integrated tourism complex to offer villas and apartments to foreigners. Another first for Muscat Hills is that it is going to be the first green golf course in the whole of Oman when a part of its 18-hole, par 72, championship green golf course opens for the public in March 2009. The project also got a brand new identity – Muscat Hills – from the original Muscat Golf and Country Club in 2008.

When completed, the RO300mn Muscat Hills will basically comprise an 18-hole par 72, championship green golf; an exclusive gated residential development of villas and apartments; a boutique resort hotel and a premiere Country Club in addition to commercial real estate for office space, retail and entertainment. The most spectacular component of this project by far will be the championship golf course, considered to be the only one of its kind in this region. Set against the dramatic background of the Al Hajar mountains on one side and the Arabia Sea on the opposite side, the topography of the course includes an undulating vista of small hillocks, two large artificial lakes, a number of smaller lakes and wadis among other hazards, making it a golfer’s paradise.

Golfing destination
Muscat Hills, conceived as a golfing destination par excellence, is the brainchild of His Highness Sayyid Kais bin Tarik Al Said who is a passionate golfer himself. The project was announced in 2003 and then there were huge delays till it was relaunched with a brand new identity in March 2008. There were also reports that the buyers of the properties were asked to cough up extra money than deemed by the contract. However all that happened in the past and the way ahead is green and bright. There seems to be a cheerful mood at Muscat Hills where work is going on in full swing both for the residential blocks as well as the golf course.

Chandra Lahiri, group managing director, Muscat Hills, who is credited with turning around this project is confident that the development is going on as per the new timelines, namely, 9 holes of the golf course to be ready by March 2009 and residences to be handed over by November 2009. When asked about the delays and the subsequent skepticism about the whole project, Lahiri, says: “All we can say is, come and have a look and see the evidence of what we are actually doing on the ground.” According to Lahiri, Muscat Hills will be a landmark real estate destination with its world class golf course and some of the best residential properties.

Lahiri is heading a team of professionals who are managing various departments of the project and they include Craig Hanney, golf course superintendent; Mike Knudsen, general manager, Southern Golf Oman for construction & maintenance of golf courses; K Vaidyanathan, chief commercial officer; Leon Sassen, manager Memberships and Marketing; N Subramaniam, divisional manager, Synergy LLC, which supplies equipment and accessories to golf courses, and Kathryn Ring, manager Customer Care. Mike Knudsen has built the golf course while Craig Hanney leads a team that includes Omani trainees who will be responsible for the seeding, grassing and maintenance of the fairways and greens.

Says Lahiri, “our story is a bit different, you could even call us a maverick company, as we were born of adversity and went through a rough patch.” The new team is highly unusual and they have a lot of initiative, enterprise and work with emotional commitment. They have very few rules and regulations and have a lot of fun working, as they are all specialists.”

Speaking about the project financing, K Vaidyanathan, chief commercial officer says that BankMuscat is providing its unstinting support to the project with a substantial finance.

Kathryn Ring, manager Customer Care, disclosed that earlier the project didn’t have the right direction for a variety of reasons but the new team under Lahiri has been very energetic and is passionately dedicated to the success of Muscat Hills. “There are some ‘naysaying’ customers but when we take them on a site visit, they change their opinion after seeing the work that is going on. We are working as if there is no global crisis,” admits Ring. The contract for construction of the villas, apartments and infrastructure has been awarded to Larsen & Toubro, Oman.

Leon Sassen, a PGA licensed golf teacher, is currently engaged in developing a very limited number of high-value sponsorship opportunities at Muscat Hills by highlighting some of the unique value propositions. Says Sassen, “Muscat Hills is the first grassed 18-hole championship golf course in Oman and we should be able to hold the first PGA championship in 2010. A golf course maintenance academy, and a certified PGA teaching academy are some of the high points of Muscat Hills.” They also have the Majlis Al Said, which offers a full 360 degree view from the highest point of the golf course, informs Sassen.

Golf course
Oman’s first PGA-standard 18 hole golf course was designed by the renowned Paul Thomas of Dave Thomas Associates and integrates the sporting demands of a high quality championship course with the natural beauty of the Omani landscape, contrasted by picturesque fairways, lush greens and dramatic wadis. And it is expected to be the first of its kind in the whole region.

Says Craig Hanney, the superintendent of the golf course: “I was in awe when I first came to Muscat Hills, seeing the sheer rawness of the area where the golf course will come up. It has all the elements – the wind, water, the mountains, the openness and the dry challenging natural environment. I took it as a challenge to bring this course to life.”

Golf training
A noteworthy feature of Muscat Hills Golf is the Maintenance Academy. The academy will train Omanis in the highly skilled vocations of golf course maintenance. This will provide high-quality employment for Omanis not only in Oman but also all over the world. The academy will be ready by May 2008, informs Mike Knudsen, of Southern Golf Oman, while saying that the science of maintaining the fairways and greens of a golf course has intricate details. “We should take care of the golf course properly in order to give the golfers a good experience,” says Knudsen, a golf course constructor with 26 years of experience.

Muscat Hills is also closely associated with Synergy, Oman’s only dedicated golf equipment supply company. N Subramaniam, who is the divisional manager of Synergy says that since golf is an emerging sport in Oman there was an opportunity to create a unique company to provide these ventures with golf products and services.

Khalil Ibrahim Al Zadjali, Head Mechanic, will be incharge of the Maintenance Academy which will consist of a workshop for servicing the golf machines, which includes the fairway mowers, bunker machines etc.

With such a beehive of activities, it is only a matter of time before Muscat Hills becomes the golfing beacon of Oman.   

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