Preferred Lies November 2007

Norman gets his irons in the fireside

By John MacDonald

Golfing legend Greg Norman was always the consummate craftsman of the links – shaping shots at will to create scorecards that rank among the most memorable the game has known.

Now, the player they call the Great White Shark is applying his eye for shot-making to a different kind of golfing vision, bringing his skill and creativity to the signature-design homes that crown his new career as one of the world’s top golf course designers.

Dubai is privileged to be the showcase for Norman’s latest masterpiece being developed at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the emirate’s premier residential golfing community.

‘Fireside by Greg Norman’ is to be Jumeirah Golf Estates’ most exclusive and most luxurious community, bringing together a stunning collection of design expertise to create truly beautiful homes.

Comprising 66 signature-design homes, ‘Fireside by Greg Norman’ will set new standards in luxurious living in the Gulf.

Each home will have between 10,000 and 12,000 square feet of living space, with expansive views of Norman’s ‘Fire’ golf course.
Through a unique collaboration between the two-time Open champion and B&B Italia, homeowners will be able to choose between five different interior designs, exclusively created for the Fireside community.

The homes will be fitted with European designer kitchens and appliances, Bang & Olufsen home entertainment and sound packages, a home theatre system, fully landscaped gardens, and outdoor living areas. All 66 homes will come with limited edition Greg Norman-inspired Range Rover Sport.

Talking of his new diversification into residential design, Norman says: “It’s great to allow my imagination to run free in a new direction, with the design of these stunning homes.

“B&B Italia offer a new dimension to the interior beauty of each home and it’s a real pleasure to work with them.”

Norman also stresses his pleasure in designing the courses that are at the heart of Jumeirah Golf Estates. He is personally responsible for the Fire and Earth courses and is collaborating with Sergio Garcia and Pete Dye on Wind.

“I’m enjoying tremendously the course design aspect of this project, both on the two courses I am designing on my own and on Wind,” he says.

Although a relative newcomer to the residential component of golf community design, Norman’s abilities are readily acknowledged by B&B Italia, long-established specialists in the non-playing side of such projects.

Emanuele Busnelli, general manager and board member of B&B Italia’s Contract Division says: “Our designers have worked with Greg and his team to ensure that our interiors bring rich levels of style and luxury to the homes.

“The partnership with Greg and Jumeirah Golf Estates adds a new chapter to our successful story in which we are aiming to create some of the most beautiful homes in Dubai.”

And David Spencer, chief executive of Jumeirah Golf Estates, is equally delighted that he commissioned his fellow Australian to lend his expertise to the residential community development.

“We were delighted when he suggested he wanted to get involved with the design of one of the communities,” he says, “and the results are no less than we expected.

“Greg is becoming a very regular visitor to Dubai and to Jumeirah Golf Estates. He’s incredibly hands-on with this project.”

A Vision in pink

Fireside features a stunning blush landscape of pink feature-planting and annuals, where 66 villas ranging in size from four to six bedrooms are centred on a tranquil sunken garden and tiered fountain.

‘Garden rooms’ offer informal shaded seating areas from which to enjoy the stunning views over the Earth course’s 9th and 10th holes.
Each home is built on its own 14,000 square feet site, with between 8,500 and 10,500 square feet of living space. Prices start from AED 22 million, and owners can choose from 11 floor plans, four interior choices, and six colour schemes.

There are 11 different configurations of living space, varying in the number of bedrooms and placement of amenities.

Typical characteristics are spacious hallways, guest rooms with walk-in wardrobe, en-suite bathrooms, powder rooms, large formal dining areas and lounges with French doors leading to a summer room and to the back garden.

The kitchens are large with a breakfast nook and connecting to a spacious family room which leading on to a covered terrace area.
On the first floor, foyers lead to the master bedroom suite which has an oversize walk in wardrobe, and an oversize master bathroom, a breakfast lounge and a private terrace overlooking the back garden and the golf course.

Additional bedrooms all have double doors opening on to private terrace areas. The large basements are suitable for a home theatre, billiards area, game room or any other requirement, with internal laundry, under stair storage, powder room, utility room and maid’s accommodation with dedicated external side entrance on the ground floor.

Properties are fronted by spacious garaging with covered golf cart port and charging station.

World first for Jumeirah Golf Estates

By commissioning three of the biggest names in golf – led by Greg Norman – to create the fourth course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates development in Dubai, the visionary property company scored a world first for the one-time desert emirate.

The Australian is joined by Sergio Garcia and Pete Dye in designing ‘Wind’ – the fourth course in the Jumeirah Golf Estates complex.
Never before have three such illustrious figures collaborated on single project of this nature.

Norman has already established himself as one of the world’s leading golf architects and is also responsible for the ‘Fire’ and ‘Earth’ courses being built as part of the same project.

For Garcia, still only 27, this is his first venture into the design side of the game.

At the other end of the scale, Pete Dye is the doyen of the business – “the father of modern golf course design” – and the completion of Wind will mark half a century from tackling his first project.

For Jumeirah Golf Estates, getting such a distinguished trio to collaborate on a new course is more than just a coup – “we promised something special and we’re definitely delivering it,” said chief executive David Spencer.

The “special” is evident in the design concept: Wind takes golf back to its most elemental roots, a traditional course in which the power and energy of the wind plays a central role.

This will be the Middle East’s first genuine links-style course, characterised by undulating fairways, thick rough, pot bunkers – and of course, the swirling patterns of the wind – in a design reminiscent of where golf started.

With a varied range of teeing options, the course promises to pose a unique challenge to golfers of every skill level. Tight fairways cushioned between rolling dunes allow little room for error, with approach shots to well-protected sloping greens ensuring that precision is the key to unlocking the rewards.

“Without doubt this is going to become one of the most stunning courses in world golf,” said Spencer. “It will be a natural work of art – a masterpiece.”

Norman, Garcia, and Dye are moving quickly from design concepts to working drawings. Earthworks are due to start by the end of this year with completion scheduled for 2009.

The fourth course in the project – Water – is designed by Vijay Singh, and as the names imply, all pay tribute to the power of nature, and each employing the distinctive characteristics of its own surroundings to deliver a unique challenge.

They will be surrounded by individually-designed residential communities, encircled by a 16km jogging and cycling track linking four community parks, lakes, and nature strips.

Cottages and villas will share access to a school, community and commercial centres, a mosque, and a garden centre. Serviced apartments will be available at the clubhouse, which will also have its own academy and par-3 course.


Shark Tale

It’s a long way from Mt Isa, but it’s just as hot here,” laughed Greg Norman, referring to his Australian home town where temperatures rival Dubai’s summer inferno.

He was speaking at Jumeirah Golf Estates earlier this year, checking progress on his two signature courses under construction there, and the Dubai summer was beginning to bite.

But not even thermometer-popping heat can deflect the Shark from his dedication to golf course design. It’s just another factor that must be taken into account when he’s fine-tuning his 18 holes of golfing challenge.

“Today it was a different wind, it was 110 degrees,” he explained. “The more you experience the changes of the elements the more you can build a course that’s basically flexible and manoeuvrable for everybody who plays.

“Building a course in sand is the hardest place to build a golf course. I’ve built golf courses in unique terrain before but this one is tough because it shifts so much. You have to stay ahead of it, you have to put a lot of water out there just to move the dirt and sand around. It’s like starting off with a sand bucket when you sit on the beach – you can’t form the sand unless you get some moisture in it.

“When you think about building a golf course in the sand it’s not the easiest thing to do, especially when you’re out there in the heat of it. The sand moves overnight unless you stay ahead of it but we’ve done a tremendous job with that.”

Although he’s still a mean performer on the course, Greg Norman Inc is dominant in his life these days. It started with playing golf, course design was alogical extension, then other golf-oriented projects emerged – like his ‘Fireside by Greg Norman’ residential community at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“Concentric circles,” is a phrase he uses a lot, referring to projects that are different but retain a common thread.

“It’s not like you’re going out on a tangential basis and doing something way left field. Things I am doing in Dubai I have done in other parts of the world, but this is the first time I’ve gone into a collaborative effort with a B&B Italia and Fireside to do that.
“We never stop exploring. I’m sure there will be more projects in the GCC area. Dubai is the one that kick-started everything.

“You look at what’s happening. East of here we have some work going into India, West of here in the Mediterranean, Croatia, and then a trickle-down effect into South Africa. We also have a project in Oman.”

Norman has made seven trips to Dubai since he signed on for the design projects. He clearly likes the place. He has a great relationship with David Spencer, CEO of Istithmar Leisure, which owns Jumeirah Golf estates.

“When I first came to Dubai for the Desert Classic, basically the tallest building out in this part of the world was the Hard Rock Café. The magnitude of the growth and development in Dubai since then speaks volumes. When you look at the vision and wisdom back 15 years to where we are today, you have to take that vision and wisdom to go forward 25, 30 years from now.

“We all should take stock that we’re not just seeing a city be born, but a country being born. When you go forward and you talk to your children and your children’s children you can say you were part of the growth and the establishment of a country.

“That’s why I’m proud to be here. I have been involved with it in some way shape or form through the game of golf.

“I’ve been fortunate that the game of golf has brought me here, initially in ’93 to play, and here we are today talking about course design and golf communities.

“We’re all capitalising on what we do best and that’s maximising performance of each and every one of us. At Fireside we’re creating an exclusive, upmarket total destination for everybody. We’ll be very up-market, very exclusive and very much the way I see things taking place.

“Every time I come out here to Dubai, and for any project, I do I’m very much hands on. There was only one of 60-odd golf courses I’ve opened where I hadn’t been on the virgin site prior to pushing dirt around. I take pride in getting to know what it’s like.

Late start but what a finish

Greg Norman came to golf relatively late in life – compared to many of the game’s superstars. In his early years, his sports were rugby and Australian Rules football, until at the age of 15 he caddied for his mother on her weekly round.

The following week, he borrowed her clubs to try the game for himself. Two years later he was off scratch.

He began his career as a trainee in the Royal Queensland golf shop, before turning professional and winning his first tournament in 1976 – the Westlakes Classic in Australia. A year later he joined the European Tour and by 1982 he was the Tour’s leading money-winner. He then joined the PGA Tour in 1983.

Norman achieved a remarkable 86 wins in his professional career including 14 on the European Tour and 20 on the US PGA Tour. He also secured two Majors with victories at The Open in 1986 and 1993.

Off the course, he focused his attention on building his business empire, the highly successful Great White Shark Enterprises. This provides course design and architecture, Shark apparel, merchandising and licensing.

Greg Norman Golf Course Design (GNDCD) was established in 1987 in Sydney, Australia. Now headquartered in Jupiter, Florida, it has grown into one of the leading golf course design companies in the world.

Throughout the late 1980s and ‘90s, Norman spent 331 weeks as the world>s No 1 ranked golfer and his career is destined to go down in history for the excitement and entertainment he bought to so many, with his distinctive and friendly image, his humility and as a legend of the modern game.