The Norman Clubhouse At Jumeirah Golf Estates

World class facility will be a centrepiece of elegance and style

Spread over seven hectares of beautiful landscape, the Norman Clubhouse lies at the heart of the Fire and Earth courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates and with its Mediterranean-influenced design, the building has both elegance and style in abundance. That is, at least, in the design - while the work is ongoing, the building's structure is almost complete and the build out is on a fast track to be ready in time for an opening in September, giving two months of polishing before it opens its doors to the golfing world for the Dubai World Championship.

The Norman Clubhouse is at the heart of Fire and Earth courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Tim Prescott, Director of Development for Leisurecorp and the man responsible for getting those doors open, has seen the project grow from conception, having been involved with Jumeirah Golf Estates since 2004. "When Jumeirah Golf Estates was conceived, it was always going to be one of the golf course developments of our time. Having been involved in development in Dubai for years, I know that this city does not do anything by half! Fire and Earth alone are an extraordinary offering, and such an offering needs a centerpiece which must be more than your average clubhouse - it must be a destination in its own right. So whilst we will cater for the golfers and our members, we are also ensuring we create a leisure attraction which nongolfers will visit."

As such, the 131,000 square foot Clubhouse has been created to cater to all the needs of golfers and other sports people alike with first-class sports and leisure facilities including a fully-equipped gymnasium, tennis academy, yoga and pilates studio, pool and members-only spa. But what about after play, or for the nonsporty among us?

"Looking at the plans day by day, I still cannot believe how many restaurant and bar options we are creating - there will be numerous options for semi-formal and casual dining and entertaining, sports bars, juice and snack bars which will service the swimming and leisure pools. The list goes on," Prescott continues. "Last year we announced that Jamie Oliver will create his first ever restaurant in the Middle East here - that alone will be an attraction in its own right."

In addition, on the lower level will be a private dining room as well as storage for members' private wine collections. And up above? The roof top bar and barbeque will offer stunning views over the course - perhaps the perfect place to watch the finishing of a round at the end of the day. But, with November just around the corner, just how is the development progressing?" Last year was a very successful year for this particular project. We have watched it move up and out of the ground very quickly. The focus over the next few months will be in forging out the interiors to create a masterpiece that will be on show and fully functional in time for November."

There is no doubt that the golf talenton show during the Dubai World Championship will be exceptional and there's no doubt that the Norman Clubhouse, which is truly one of a kind, will be a hive of activity during this spectacular season ending event. Another icon of Jumeirah Golf Estates has definitely been created!