“The primary challenge is managing extreme heat”

By Alistair August 26, 2024 09:49

Corey Finn, the cluster director of agronomy for Viya Golf, in which he looks after the courses at three major golf facilities in the UAE – Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club – discusses preparing for tournaments and sustainability in the Middle East.

Can you tell us about your background and your journey to becoming the cluster director of agronomy for Viya Golf?

I’m originally from Invercargill, New Zealand, at the southern end of the South Island. I began my career in greenkeeping at a small 18-hole golf course where I worked as an apprentice for three years. At 19, I moved to the US to participate in the Ohio State International Green Keeper Intern Program in 2005 and 2006. During this time, I worked at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA, and Sea Island Resort in Saint Simon’s Island, GA, where I was involved in significant tournaments like the LPGA Michelob Ultra Ladies Golf Tournament and the PGA Tour’s McGladrey Classic.

Returning to New Zealand, I worked at a private golf course and assisted in the growth of the Hills Golf Course in Queenstown, hosting three New Zealand Opens. After a year in Ireland working on the reconstruction at Galway Bay Golf Resort, I took my first managerial role at Doha Golf Club in Qatar as assistant superintendent, overseeing DP World Tour events from 2012 to 2016.
I also worked a stint in Fiji, where I became the superintendent at Laucala Island Golf Resort, owned by the late Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of Red Bull. After a year, I transitioned to Abu Dhabi, where I worked under Clinton Southorn at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club as a senior assistant superintendent. I later became the golf course manager at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and eventually the director of agronomy, managing three clubs, multiple tournaments and the Yas Acres opening.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Hosting tournaments is a major drive for me, particularly the Abu Dhabi Championship, now a playoff event for the Race to Dubai.

Each golf course I manage has unique aspects that make them special, such as Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s Audubon certification – a man-made ecosystem that supports diverse wildlife including migratory birds and gazelles.

I also enjoy working with diverse teams, it exposes me to various countries and cultures; we have staff from all over the world in our team right now.

Managing and supporting them to take a keen interest in the presentation and playability of our golf courses not just for tournaments, but for day-to-day play, is extremely rewarding.

Yas Links is ranked as a Top World Golf Resort by Golf World magazine and serves as the host venue of the Abu Dhabi Championship. How much work goes into getting the course prepared for a Rolex Series Tour event, and what are usually the biggest challenges along the way?

Over the past five years, we’ve made continuous improvements to the golf course, culminating in hosting the Rolex Series Tour event. We must begin the preparation for the next tournament as soon as the previous tournament ends. This includes day-to-day maintenance, extensive renovation work in summer and specific preparations starting from August. Luckily, we have an amazing team, and everyone is highly dedicated and takes ownership of the golf course.

Managing increased on-site activity is a challenge, like the construction for grandstands and hospitality units, and coordinating intensive maintenance work like cutting and bunker rebuilding.

How do you envision the future of golf in the Middle East, and what role do you see Viya Golf playing in that future?

I hope to see continued growth in golf and golf tourism in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Golf Club is just down the road and is well-known, so hopefully we can feed off each other to drive the business and continue to promote the destination internationally, and develop the local market.

Viya Golf aims to be a market leader in course conditioning and unique course design, so will need to stay at the forefront in terms of keeping up with technology. There is also a significantly increased focus on sustainability and the type of equipment we use. The climate is perfect for most of the year, meaning the region will remain attractive as golf continues to get more popular. Yas Acres Golf & Country Club Abu Dhabi is paving the way as one of the best conditioned golf courses in the UAE; if not the world, it’s a sensational nine-hole course. It’s probably the Augusta of nine-hole courses!

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has been leading the way in the region with some of the best sustainability practices and environmental conservation processes. The club has also recently retained its designation as a ‘Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary’ through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. What steps do you take to ensure environmentally friendly practices continue to the highest standard?

We’re proud to be the first and only Audubon-certified ‘Wildlife Sanctuary’ in the UAE. Key initiatives include converting fairway Bermuda grass to seashore paspalum, which requires less water and allows us to use recycled water. We focus on using preventative chemicals and minimising fertiliser use to protect the environment, which is another key aspect of our job and our mission in this part of the world.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is also a crucial habitat for wildlife, including 194 bird species and numerous gazelles. Our beach serves as a breeding ground for hawksbill turtles, which are crucial to the ecosystems and a really important species to protect. We maintain no-spray zones throughout the golf course and surrounding areas and prioritise environmental conservation in our maintenance strategies.

What are the biggest challenges you face in maintaining golf courses in the Middle East, and how big a role does the weather play in your maintenance strategies?

The primary challenge is managing extreme heat, which affects both turf health and staff welfare. We use appropriate grass types for the heat, and we also have to do our daily moisture checks, firmness checks, stumping checks for speed. In terms of looking after our team, we follow strict working hour regulations during peak season, so our staff are looked after. We provide hydration and health management training for the whole team.

Every region has unique challenges, and in the Middle East, managing water use and staff health during summer is critical.

You have previously worked in different parts of the globe, including New Zealand and Fiji. What drew you to Abu Dhabi, and how does it differ from working in other parts of the world?

The opportunity to manage large, high-profile golf courses and continue my professional growth drew me to Abu Dhabi as I always wanted to become a director of agronomy. When I was 17, I set a goal to become the superintendent of a Top 100 golf course before I turned 35. I think I achieved it at 36!

One obvious difference is that golf courses here are bigger, more well-known and therefore require more maintenance to keep the excellent standard. The climate obviously differs from place to place, too.

Here, I oversee three different courses, running three different teams as cluster director, which is a significant step up from my previous roles. The chance to work on tournaments and build my CV has been invaluable – I’m really happy here in Abu Dhabi. The end of season tournament here has moved from January to November, which means starting our preparation in August, which is a new challenge compared to our usual schedule of starting in October. I get a lot of the credit, but the team at Yas Links Abu Dhabi have been sensational for me. The credit it deserves to go to them, to be quite honest.

I’ve had career development every couple of years in Abu Dhabi, which has obviously kept me here now for seven years and will probably continue to keep me here for a few more years yet!

Yas Acres is the most recent addition to Viya Golf’s portfolio and has been receiving fantastic feedback from local golfers and international guests. How do you manage the balance between maintaining the course’s aesthetics and ensuring it plays well?

Turf grass health is my top priority first. Healthy turf allows us to push for better playability, such as faster greens and fairways. We receive strong support from our owners, which enables us to conduct necessary maintenance and cultural practices, which could mean closing the course like we just did at Yas Links Abu Dhabi for a few days to get on top of the turf condition.

Each course, like Yas Acres, has unique characteristics, such as sloping greens, which require careful management to ensure they remain playable as we can make them really quick. Like I said earlier, we are required to carry out daily moisture checks, firmness checks, daily stimp readings checks for speed. This solid foundation means we can do all the pretty things you see on TV, and ensure the aesthetics match the turf health! You can’t have one without the other, and it is important we get this balance right.