Garcia’s excitement and raw energy, Pete Dye’s experience and wisdom, and Greg Norman’s power and skill converge to ensure that Wind will be among the world’s most challenging and satisfying courses.
Sergio Garcia
The European hero of the 2006 Ryder Cup, Sergio Garcia’s rise in the game has been phenomenal. A golfer since the age of three, Garcia won his first club championship at 12, and at 16 became the youngest player ever to make the cut at a European Tour event. Turning professional at 19, Garcia—also known as El Niño—quickly made a name for himself, winning his first PGA Tour tournament in 2001 and six European Tour titles since. The Wind course is Garcia’s first foray into course design.
“I love the demands of links golf. A great links-style course means it is both a physical challenge and a mental test—and offers the most enjoyable golf there is. That’s exactly what we want to create with Wind at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”
—Sergio Garcia
Pete Dye
Widely accepted as the one of the world’s greatest golf architects, Pete Dye has created some of the game’s most iconic courses in a career stretching more than five decades. In 1963, Dye visited Scotland and its golf courses with his talented wife Alice—also a highly respected designer—and gathered a vast amount of inspiration and understanding. From the very beginning, Pete received plaudits from all over the golfing community for his unique designs, and his work since has shaped the future of golf course architecture. His reputation is that of a creative genius, and he has been recognised by being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
“The Dubai desert provides what every golf course designer dreams of—a completely blank canvas on which to work. I’ve always believed the traditional elements of real golf in Scotland offer the greatest test for golfers, and that is what we want to create here.”
—Pete Dye
Greg Norman
Over his storied career, Greg Norman won 86 professional events around the world and was ranked number one in the world for a record-breaking 331 weeks. In addition to his playing career, “The Great White Shark”—named for the determination and single-mindedness of the legendary predator—has created a diverse and successful business empire spanning apparel, wine, specialty meats, events and sports marketing, and real estate. Norman has also become one of the world’s leading golf course designers, with Greg Norman Golf Course Design holding a portfolio of 65 open-for-play courses and an additional 53 projects in various stages of development.
“I don’t know of another project anywhere in the world that has brought together three internationally recognised figures to collaborate on one golf course. Sergio Garcia brings enthusiasm and excitement that is contagious, and there is nobody in the world today that knows more about golf course design than Pete Dye.”
—Greg Norman
