Indoor Golf in the UAE could be a reality

Jon Standing is a man on a golfing mission. He has recently been promoting his Indoor Golf Arena project to investors and parties in the UAE again with various talks still ongoing with parties in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Jon originally thought of the idea back in 2006 and since then has worked tirelessly on bringing IGA to life and on moving the project forward. The first Indoor Golf Arena is due to be built in Amsterdam in 2016 and he has backing established from the major players within Golf in the Netherlands.
We sent Jon over a few questions to describe more about what the project involves and how it could benefit the UAE Golfing scene.

What is the Indoor Golf Arena?
Indoor Golf Solutions International is a co-operation between Dutch companies Outstanding Enterprises and Zwarts & Jansma Architects, founded in 2009 to introduce the global golf market to a new and exciting concept  Indoor Golf Arena, the worlds largest Indoor Golf Centre and the most advanced facility for golf coaching directed at becoming a Regional Education Centred or an Official Indoor Golf Facility of the PGA’s of Europe.
The concept has a footprint of approx. 16,000 m2 and combines golf with recreation, education, business, wellness, and high-end (short) stay.
It also incorporates a number of USP’s, including a 4-star boutique hotel, over 11.000 m2 Southwest Greens\u00ae synthetic turf practice facilities designed by Nicklaus Design and 20 ProTee Golf Simulators.

Are there any other countries in Europe or the Americas that have shown interest or that you have targeted?
Besides development in the Netherlands, the long-term vision of IGSI is to develop a number of Indoor Golf Arena’s worldwide, with a focus on both mature markets as well as future hotspots.
Emerging Golf markets currently under review include Sweden, Stockholm, France, Paris, Canada, Toronto, Russia, Moscow, Qatar, China and of course the UAE.

Can you list some of the positive benefits for The United Arab Emirates?
Firstly the UAE is ahead of other Middle Eastern countries when it comes to golf and the UAE golf market represents the most sophisticated in the region.
The golf participation rate of 0.026 percent is particularly low when compared to the rate in Europe and as such there are hopes of significant growth for golf leading to the need for additional facilities.
The development costs of an Indoor Golf Arena are likely to be recouped over a shorter number of years while compared to a traditional golf course.
Developing Indoor Golf Arena is less land intensive, water intensive, capital intensive and time-consuming than in the case of a traditional golf course.
With water critical for the UAE, with no rainy season, Indoor Golf Arena provides a golf facility which shows to be environmentally sensitive and responsible.
Indoor Golf Arena provides so-called segmentation and with ‘pay for play golf’ and will give everybody access to affordable golf. As such, Indoor Golf Arena will further deepen access to the game at all levels and help attract tourists at the same time.
The Indoor Golf Arena will provide the UAE with year-round, whether independent and environmentally controlled, recreational and professional training facilities.
An extensive research has already been conducted and a specific \”Green Building Program\” has been defined for the climate.

Can the IGA be adaptable to maybe suit a different design or smaller space?
Indoor Golf Arenabis flexible in functionality and design and can be tailor-made to meet local requirements.
A full size, indoor 9 hole par 3 pitch&putt golf course could be accommodated on a 30.000 m2 footprint. A smaller version, based on e.g. golf simulation and ball flight tracking technology, is also possible. Jon’s aim with Indoor Golf Arena is to encourage the world-wide development of high-quality, state-of-the-art and authenticated indoor golf centers and UAE Golf Online would like to thank him for his time and to wish him good luck on his European and Middle East quest with this exciting project.