This week the LPGA Tour concludes its season with the LPGA Tour Championship Presented by Rolex at The Houstonian Golf and Country Club in Richmond, Texas. GCSAA Certified Golf Course Superintendent Tom Werner has the golf course playing firm and fast after drying out the last few weeks from a soggy October. He says that unless the wind kicks up, there should be some good scores. The bermudagrass greens are rolling 11 feet on the Stimpmeter and the bermudagrass rough is two inches high.

No. 17, a long par 3 over water and usually into the wind, is considered the signature hole. The Houstonian is a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and is working toward Audubon certification. It features 10 acres of wetlands, numerous native and naturalized areas and is the winter home to many migratory birds.

Meanwhile, the European Tour’s Race to Dubai reaches its destination with the inaugural Dubai World Championship presented by DP World at Jumeirah Golf Estate’s Earth Course in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. GCSAA members Mark Tupling and Adam Calver have the bermudagrass greens rolling 11-12 feet on the Stimpmeter and the bermudagrass rough 2-3 inches tall.
     
Fully grassed since April 2008, Earth has been closed to the public as Jumeirah Golf Estates has given Earth an unprecedented two full seasons to mature before making its debut at the Championship, providing the look and feel of an established course but conditions more pristine than most professional players will have experienced in their careers. The winners will share a US $7.5 million purse and those finishing in the top 15 on The Race to Dubai will split another US $7.5 million bonus pool.

The parklands of Europe and North America inspired the setting of the Earth, with dense vegetation punctuated with water features providing the backdrop to architecture reminiscent of a charming Southern Italian village. Earth’s signature hole will probably be No. 17, a 195-yard, par 3 with a tight, island green surrounded by bunkers. Jumeirah Golf Estates follows several environmental best management practices, a stringent integrated pest management program and subscribes to the E-par environmental management system.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World - the parent company of Leisurecorp, the owner and creator of Jumeirah Golf Estates - is a member of the Advisory Council for The Environmental Institute for Golf, GCSAA’s philanthropic organization. Jumeirah Golf Estates is a residential golf development in Dubai with four 18-hole, environmentally friendly golf courses. Two of the courses, Fire and Earth, are designed by Greg Norman, who is on The Institute Board of Trustees and chairs the Advisory Council. A third course, Water, is designed by Vijay Singh and a fourth course, Wind, is a collaborative effort of Norman, Pete Dye and Sergio Garcia. Singh, Dye and Garcia are all members of The Institute’s Advisory Council, and all donated portions of their design fees from the Jumeirah Golf Estates project to The Institute.