THE countdown to the DP World Tour – Bahrain Championship, which will take place at the Royal Golf Club (RGC) from February 1-4, 2024, has officially started with a unique ‘event activation’ initiative that began at The Avenues last Thursday and will run until tomorrow.
The Bahrain Championship will be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad and returns to the DP World Tour after a gap of 13 years.
DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley made the announcement about the Bahrain Championship re-entering his organisation’s fold late last September at a special signing ceremony attended by Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
And, at The Avenues for the past three days, unsuspecting shoppers have been pleasantly surprised to see a mini-golf course – with the legend “Bahrain Championship” clearly visible to people approaching from all four sides – laid out in the foyer of the mall’s main entrance with many families, including little children, trying their hand at putting and even some chip shots, aiming for targets representing cups on a green.
This initiative is the first in a series of promotional events that will be rolled out over the next two months to create a buzz about the Bahrain Championship and encourage people to buy tickets to see some of the world’s best golfers compete at the RGC, the BOC’s head of marketing and promotions, Mai Albinkhalil told the GDN in an exclusive interview.
“Hosting the DP World Tour – Bahrain Championship will bring excitement to the kingdom, showcasing its beauty and attracting golf enthusiasts from across the world,” she said.
“The Royal Golf Club’s stunning views and challenging course will make it the perfect venue for this event, bringing together top golfers from around the globe and showcasing Bahrain’s hospitality and cultural heritage.
“The local community’s active involvement will make it an unforgettable experience for all.”
This first promotional event has been organised by the BOC in partnership with the RGC, the GSA and the DP World Tour.
The mini-golf course has already created such a buzz that some people have come to the mall just to try their hand at putting with the result that the event, which was supposed to end yesterday, has been extended by two days.
“This is so much fun and my five-year-old daughter, Sally, seems to have taken to the game,” Phil Edwards, a 35-year-old Brit who travelled with his family to Bahrain from Dubai to see friends over the weekend, told the GDN.
“Look at her trying to putt with a club that’s almost bigger than her,” he laughed, as he bent down to help Sally grip the putter properly.
“We just came here because my wife wanted to do some shopping before we leave tonight but Sally saw the little golf course and made a beeline for it so we’ve been here for the past half-an-hour!”
A little distance away, Zohra, a Pakistani mother-of-three, was trying to persuade her seven-year-old son, Usman, to focus on trying to get the ball into the cup.
“You have to hold the putter properly, like your father taught you,” she said, as Usman, naughtily, held the club upside down in response.
Then the little boy looked down, furrowed his brow and made a nice little putt but the ball stopped inches short of the cup.
“Try again and if you manage to put it in the cup this time, I’ll take you to the Royal Golf Club next weekend so you can play on an actual green,” Zohra said.
In response, Usman picked up the ball and dropped it into the cup.
“Look, it’s gone in,” he giggled, cheekily, with his mother also bursting into laughter.
Meanwhile, Salman Adel, a 37-year-old Bahraini father of two little girls aged five and seven, watched his daughters take turns at putting while his wife filmed the scene.
“Until ten minutes ago, my babies, Alaa and Yasmeen, didn’t even know what golf was,” he said, smiling proudly as Alaa screamed with delight after seeing the ball go into the cup off a deft little putt.
“Now, they don’t want to get off this little golf course. I think, maybe, I should consider enrolling them for golf lessons at the Royal Golf Club.”
And, just outside the cordoned-off mini-golf course, two teenaged Bahraini girls watched a promotional video for the Bahrain Championship play out on a TV screen that had been rigged to face outwards so that passers-by could see.
“That looks beautiful,” one whispered to her friend as a wide shot of a fairway at the Royal Golf Club appeared on the screen.
“Maybe we should give golf a try,” the other one replied.
“Let’s find out more about how we can learn how to play it.”
The DP World Tour – Bahrain Championship has a prize fund of $2.5 million. The RGC in Riffa Views has overseen extensive upgrades to its course over the past year with a number of greens on the front nine redesigned to ensure that it is in the best shape possible to welcome the DP World Tour’s elite golfers.
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