Tiger Woods’ Course Design Project In Time Out

Full time golfer aand part time golf course designer Tiger Woods is behind schedule on his first project.
Woods recently said that construction on Al Ruwaya Golf Course in Dubai is on hold because of the economic meltdown in the United Arab Emirates, pushing back the scheduled opening by at least six months.

“It’s six months as of right now,” Woods said in an interview at the Memorial. “It’s going to be behind schedule. Obviously, the economy has turned over there and they’ve slowed down construction because of it.”

The course was to open this fall, but Woods said it could be next summer before the first ball with be hit on that course. “It all depends,” he said. “The economy needs to turn around. If it gets stimulated, we can pick up to the point where we might open earlier, but who knows? It’s out of my hands.”

The project is called the “Tiger Woods Dubai.” It includes 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces and a 360,000-square-foot boutique hotel. It also is to feature at 139,000-square-foot clubhouse and a golf academy. The developer is Tatweer, a division of Dubai Holding, which is owned by the Emirate and its rule, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Woods said Beau Welling, his chief architect at Tiger Woods Design, has continued to travel between Dubai and two other courses under construction in North Carolina (The Cliffs at High Carolina) and Mexico (Punta Brava).

His course in Dubai had only three holes under construction when work was suspended.
“We’re making sure we get the holes completed — the holes we have,” he said. “I think we have three holes right now.”

He said the course in Dubai needs irrigation to keep the sand in place because of arid conditions and the wind. Woods said on one of his visits, the sweeping wind “changed the whole outline of one hole.”
Woods said his courses in North Carolina and Mexico are awaiting various permits, but otherwise are on schedule.

The Cliffs at High Carolina is expected to be finished in the middle of 2010, while the Mexico course with spectacular ocean views is not scheduled to be completed until late 2010.

Nick Faldo To Receive His Knighthood

With the British Open just around the corner, golfer Nick Faldo earned a new title in addition to his six majors. From to day forward, please refer to the golf legend as Sir Nick Faldo.

Faldo will receive his knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday for his services to golf, the only athlete to be given one of Britain’s highest honors on the monarch’s birthday list this year.

“I was delighted to hear the news that I will be receiving a knighthood and am more than a little bit humbled to have been afforded this great honor,” Faldo said. “It has come as a real surprise, and the reaction from my children, family and friends has made this a very special moment for me.”

Faldo who is the only the second professional golfer to receive a knighthood following Sir Henry Cotton in 1988, won his first professional title in 1977 and added 46 more wins worldwide — including three Masters and three British Opens.

The 51-year-old Faldo has since made a series of entrepreneurial moves, designing golf courses all over the world and working as a television commentator. He captained the European Ryder Cup team that lost to the United States at Valhalla last year.

“I’ve been playing golf at the highest level for some 35 years or more now,” Faldo said. “It has always been my intention to do my utmost to develop this game both in Britain and abroad.”

A total of 984 people received honors on this year’s list. In descending order, the main honors are knighthoods, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and MBE.

Other sports personalities to be honored included a CBE to Peter King, the chief executive of the British Cycling Federation, and MBEs to Charlotte Edwards, captain of England’s World Cup-winning women’s cricket team, and former Olympic badminton silver medalist Gail Emms.

Knights are addressed as “Sir” or “Dame,” while recipients of CBEs, OBEs and MBEs have no title but can put the letters after their names.

The honors are bestowed twice a year by the monarch, but recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public at large. Congrats to Nick, cant wait to see his colleagues tease him about it this week at the US Open.