The Al Ahmadi Golf Club in
Kuwait City has neither grass nor greens
By David Odekirk
Rockies Golf Daily Overseas Corespondent
If you are ready for a truly unique golf experience, look no further than the Middle East. The Al Ahmadi Golf Club in Kuwait City will provide a once in a lifetime golf experience. All who play there have an adventure that they will never forget.
Another
interesting part of the course is that there are no the greens,
they're called browns. The browns are made of compressed
dirt with a thin loose layer on top. They putt quite well,
although a bit slower than the bent grass greens of Northern Utah.
An attendant sweeps them about every hour to get rid of foot prints.
Two words of advice can greatly improve your score at this club.
First, keep the ball in the fairway even if it means using an
iron off the tee. The advantage of using your grass mat
is huge. By leaving the fairway, you bring in to play the
desert vegetation, which is no bargain.
Second, if you miss the brown then miss it short. All the
holes at Ahmadi have fairway in front, which means you can again
use your mat. If you're off the fairway then imagination
is the word of the day since you may find yourself chipping from
some unusual spots and lies.
The course cost's 5 KD, which is around $16 US. No caddies, no carts -- just bare bones golf. It's run by the Kuwaiti Oil Company so it's played mostly by employees -- nearly all of them are British. If someone was on a business trip to Kuwait it wouldn't be hard for their host to arrange a tee time because the Oil Company pretty much runs everything.
Just take the Tariq Al Fuhayhil As Sari road south toward Ahmadi.
It's a four lane freeway and the signs are clearly marked in English.
Turn right off the Ahmadi exit and keep right as the road splits.
Make a right turn at the second traffic circle and there you are.
So if you like variety and adventure in your golf travels (and
don't mind dirty socks), Al Ahmadi is the course for you.
Dave is an Ogden, Utah native that is currently stationed in Kuwait with the 54th Medevac Company. In between flying helicopters and fighting the Republican Guard he finds time to get in a few rounds of golf.
