![]() ![]() One of those people was Bruce Nelson, the original General Manager of the Dubai Creek GC, who was instrumental in establishing the standards that have helped lift Dubai into a world class golfing destination. SE: Working with some great people, seeing the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, experiencing the multi-cultural environment that Dubai has to offer. WG: What did you take from your experience working in the golf industry in Dubai? It was an exciting time to be in Dubai at the start of its incredible journey. Scott Evans: I came to Dubai in 1992 to help open the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with Peter Downie and the rest of the Golf Team. Worldwide Golf: When did you first come to Dubai and what attracted you? I’ve no idea why I was invited to play, but it did give me a fascinating insight into how a determined and resourceful former Dubai PGA professional finally opened the doors to a golfing dream. I caught up with Scott during their recent pro-am which brought in high-flying amateurs from all around the world. The event turned out to be one of the Tour’s success stories of the 2017 season and the Tour players came away wanting a regular, conventional Tour event at the club. Many critics were apprehensive about the format of the tournament and many had never heard of the course. ![]() It was fitting that the European Tour chose the Club to stage the revolutionary GolfSixes event earlier this year. The goodwill generated from its growing membership is unsurpassed. As Evans mentioned, “The key to a successful project is not only the course or location but its people, you have nothing without people.” When budgets are tight a sound business plan is required and a membership model which proves attractive and flexible to the discerning customer, from there, Centurion built a strong following from its shareholders and members which continues to grow today. There was much to do, but with a shared vision, hard graft and endless determination, this canny Scotsman and his team have created what is now known as Centurion Club, and today has been heralded as one of the best courses in England. Evans saw an opportunity and he and his business partners Bert Pronk and Andre Hendriks made a play for a large area of land on the outskirts of St Albans, and in 2010 soon became theproud owners of 190 acres of undulating countryside interspersed with pine woodland. Many questioned his decision to create such a club in the middle of a recession, but the belief was there and it never wavered through all the highs and lows. The way HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum was transforming Dubai through the vision of his father Sheikh Rashid gave an understanding of a ‘can do’ attitude and that the dream of creating a championship course around London might become a reality. In the early days of Dubai’s emergence, Evans soon learned that dreams could become a reality. So if I told you Scott Evans, a former PGA professional from the early days of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in the UAE, has masterminded one of the most talked about golf clubs in the London area, you might be blown away, especially when you find out how he did it. He was awarded the Kyoto Prize Journalism Fellowship in the fall of 2008.Building a championship golf club normally requires deep pockets and the dreams of billionaires. He was awarded the 2007 Michael Monty Award for Excellence in Broadcast Teaching by the Canadian Radio Television News Directors Foundation. In the late 1990s, Downie joined Concordia University's Department of Journalism as a professor and was appointed director of the department's graduate diploma program in 2004. ![]() In 1994, he conceived of and became the first host of Tapestry, a weekly CBC radio program featuring documentaries and interviews on spirituality. On CBC Radio he hosted Cross Country Checkup in the early 1980s and the CBC Ontario weekend morning programme Fresh Air for a season in the 1990s and has been a guest host on As It Happens and Morningside. On CBC Television, he was best known as the co-anchor of Midday from 1985 to 1989 and the host of Man Alive from 1989 to 1993. Peter Downie is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster and academic.įor 25 years, Downie worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ![]()
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