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Feature Interview - Darren King, Al Zorah Golf Club

By: Golf Shake | Tue 17 Nov 2015


Interview with Darren King, Al Zorah Sales & Marketing Manager (10th November, 2015)

Q: How are preparations going off the course in the build up to the official opening of Al Zorah in December?

We’re certainly in full swing. From a marketing perspective, it’s developing relationships with all the key people in the region – in particular, in Ajman, the five-star resorts, namely Fairmont Ajman, Kempinski Hotel, the Ajman Saray and the Ajman Palace. They’ve all been incredibly supportive and their General Managers have all come out for site inspections – all with the view of developing Stay & Play packages sooner rather than later, so that we can go to the domestic and international market to drive rounds and to increase occupancy in each of those hotels. So that’s certainly one market segment that we’ve been focusing a large amount of our attention on.

Tour operators as well – both those here and those internationally. We attended the recent IGTM over in Tenerife and that was an excellent week for Al Zorah Golf Club because it is a new destination in the UAE and building relationships with key tour operators to make sure we’re front of mind is important. Historically it’s all been about Dubai and Abu Dhabi because they have done a terrific job in attracting a lot of golfers in the last 20 years.

Credit to Ras Al-Khaimah as well, Al Hamra Golf Club and Tower Links, they’ve done a great job. But we’re the new kid on the block and the fact that Nicklaus Design has done a phenomenal job on the golf course out here, we’re really primed for a December opening and can’t wait to launch because we know the feedback is going to be great. We’re all very passionate about it and we want the golfers to come out here and get a taste for it themselves.


Al Zorah Golf Club

Al Zorah Golf Club


Q: Other than a fantastic golf course, are you running any incentives for golfers to join Al Zorah?

We’ve worked with one of our hotel partners, Fairmont. We’re fortunate to have a prize where a three-night Stay & Play package at the Fairmont in St Andrews is the incentive to join. The timeline we’re working there is until the 31st of December, so any member that joins before then, there’s the chance of two return flights via Etihad Airways and some golf and some accommodation at arguably one of the most beautiful hotels in St Andrews, the home of golf.  A great incentive to join the club for that particular prize, but the members are going to be pretty happy when they come out here to play because they’re going to be well taken care of and from a course conditioning standpoint, it’s going to rival the best in town.

Q: How has the Troon relationship helped in the planning process leading up to the opening?

Troon is an integral part of opening a golf course of this magnitude and the support from my perspective, from sales and marketing, is vital. The support is not just from a corporate office here in the UAE, but also from Scottsdale in Arizona. You’re sharing best practices from all around the world. That helps me personally in making sure we’re achieving everything we need to achieve from a sales and marketing point of view, but also operationally. All of the policies of procedure that we put in place, we are making sure that we’re genuinely offering a five-star golfing experience, which is consistent with all of the other properties around the world.

Troon is well established in this market now. We’ve got some magnificent golf courses like the National at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which hosts the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship every January. That’s almost a marquee event for us. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has been incredible over the last six or seven years since it opened, plus there’s the Els Club. So we have an incredible portfolio over here in this part of the world and we know that Al Zorah Golf Club is definitely going to mirror what they all offer to the market, which is a five-star golfing experience and the Troon standards that are prevalent in that area.


Darren King, Sales and Marketing Manager, Al Zorah Golf Club

Gary King Al Zorah Golf Club


Q: Has there been any reaction from media who’ve had early glimpses of the course and how have they helped to promote your golf course?

We’ve got terrific relationships with the media in this area, namely Golf Digest Middle East and Worldwide Golf, and they’ve been incredibly supportive. Robbie Greenfield, who’s the editor at Golf Digest, he’s visited four or five times now and he was fortunate enough to play five holes one or two weeks ago and he just fell in love with the course. He respects a good course when he sees it and he understands with the block of land we’ve been given, we’ve made the most of that through Nicklaus Design and we’ve got a pretty special product here. So they’re incredibly supportive with their editorial and we appreciate that. We need all the support to help with the December opening and that support will continue because we know they’re an integral part of the golfing fraternity over here. Thankfully the relationship between Troon Golf and those publications is very strong, it always has been and always will be. We couldn’t be more appreciative of what they’ve done for us so far.

Q: How crucial is the location of Al Zorah to nearby airports?

It’s a good point, because we’re only 25 minutes from Dubai International Airport and it’s in close proximity to golf courses such as Dubai Creek and Al Badia, which are extremely busy. Dubai Creek has a fantastic reputation in Dubai, it’s an iconic location. So for those members, we’re only 25 minutes to half an hour away. For the international guests that are coming into town for three, five, seven nights’ stay, knowing we’re only 25 minutes away from Dubai International Airport, that helps us considerably. If you talk about the likes of Emirates Golf Club and the Montgomerie, the Els Club and Arabian Ranches – two other Troon facilities – you are looking at only 30 minutes…45 minutes maximum. In Australia and the UK, we’re used to travelling up to an hour to play a golf course of this standard and quality. So we’re very comfortable knowing that golfers are going to travel down here to Ajman, a terrific Emirate and Al Zorah is a great option for them to come and play golf.


Al Zorah Golf Club 

Al Zorah Golf Club


Q: What has been the reaction been like from those that have been privileged to see an early look at Al Zorah?

I actually enjoy that part of the role because most of them are discerning golfers – hotel GM’s, potential members, corporate affiliates, and the reaction is very consistent. They’re blown away with the fact we’ve created something very special in Ajman and it is going to put Ajman on the map as a serious destination in the international world. The reaction on the mangroves is very dominant, you’re escaping to nature. We all lead very busy lives with our work and to escape to a golf course like this with nature at its best, and the mangrove element and the tidal system, it’s incredible really. It’s [the tidal system] at different stages throughout the day, twice each day, it really has an enormous impact on the golf course. It’s interesting to see guests come out in mid-afternoon when the tide is coming in and it’s averaging 1.9m above sea level, it’s quite incredible. It’s nice to be amongst nature in the Middle East. It is having a real impact and we can’t wait to open because we want to let the golfers see it and feel it and try it, and enjoy it as much as we are in setting it up.

Q: From a marketing perspective, what challenges have you faced, if any, in promoting Al Zorah?

It’s a new destination, but that’s an exciting one for us because Dubai and Abu Dhabi are so cemented in the golfing world. So we see it as a great challenge to attract golfers to Ajman and we’re excited about it. The hotels, as we mentioned before, have been incredibly supportive and Ajman Tourism couldn’t be a greater outlet to us. So in terms of challenges, that’s exciting for us because we know we’re going to have a real impact on the golfing world, we’re going to be successful and that’s great to be part of. To open a golf course in the peak season over here, in December in the Middle East, you couldn’t have written the script any better. So challenges…I can’t really see any and if there are, we’re meeting them head on if there are any.

Q: Finally, if you could pinpoint one reason why golfers should come to play Al Zorah, the newest course in the Middle East, what would it be?

I honestly think it’s really unique and that’s the feedback we’ve been receiving. It’s the mangrove element, it’s the tidal system and it’s the golf course. Nicklaus Design has done an incredibly good job out here. It’s different to what’s in the region. You don’t feel like you’re in the middle of the desert, you feel like you’re in amongst nature and we love that element of what Nicklaus Design has produced for us. We can’t wait for it to open in December and the golfers really are going to have a good time out here and enjoy a world class golfing experience with Troon Golf.

For more information please visit the Al Zorah webiste - Click here


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