Golf has led me to some of the most beautiful locations around the world, from an Open at St Andrews to a WGC event in Shanghai. I’ve been incredibly fortunate, and I felt that same sense of luck last month, standing on the empty Yas Links golf course at sunrise – widely considered the best course in the Middle East.
My quest as a golf journalist this time was to uncover the details behind the process of getting the course ready for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this November. A two-month date change may not mean much to the average fan, but to those behind the scenes it’s a big challenge worth documenting.
“I’ve been thinking about this for 18 months,” Corey told me as we whizzed around on a buggy while most people were still asleep. “We’ve been doing work since the last event to get ready for this tournament.
“Day to day, we cut grass and everything looks pretty, but we’re really trying to cut straight lines, and get our clean up cuts on tees to be really precise. We’re trying to get all the guys trained up on how we want to cut all the tournament lines. That’s what our focus is on one month out from the tournament, trying to get all the lines burnt in so they look really good on TV.”
Corey knows that the condition of the course, as seen by millions worldwide, will ultimately define its reputation. If it looks pristine on TV, it could attract international visitors eager to experience it. But if it appears poorly maintained, it risks driving people away. It’s a delicate balance between perfection and failure.
“From an agronomy standpoint, the growth is going to be the toughest part for us this year,” he added. “Coming in to November it’s still going to be hot. To get these surfaces to be tight and play linksy is going to be a lot tougher than the previous January tournament.
“We’re going to have to do a lot more cutting than previous years. Even during tournament week and leading in trying to get the turf to slow down so we can get it tight and really try to promote what is different here being a warm season grass is a linksy, runny feel.
“There was nothing better than in the January tournament when you saw players putting from 20 yards out and playing those different linksy shots, like the stingers they were playing on 16. We want to be as good as we were the last tournament, it’s more difficult but we’ve just got to work a bit harder.”
Despite the new climate challenges for 2024, the New Zealander remains full of passion and optimism about the task ahead. In just half an hour with him on the course at the crack of dawn, it was clear how many daily challenges someone in his role faces. Preparing 18 holes to perfection is one thing, but managing a large international workforce adds another layer of complexity.
“Looking after our staff is the biggest challenge for me,” he continued. “This year coming out of summer where it’s still hot, managing the staff and making sure they are being well looked after is key. It’s deciding when the right time is to start to do more, timing that right is important.”
Corey, who has also previously worked in Qatar,, also relies heavily on experienced team members like Senior Superintendent Jack Balfour, along with key figures like Ely, a senior foreman from the Philippines who has worked at Yas Links for seven years. They are part of an international team which has over 90 people.
“Ely is one our key guys and other senior foreman because they have to translate and guide a lot of our guys around the golf course,” said Corey. “I’ll be honest I can’t do it. Obviously I can point and things, they say okay but then they go and do something else. That’s why Ely is really key for us when we’re running 90 guys from all around the world who all speak a variety of languages. It can be tough.”
There is clearly more than what meets the eye when it comes to greenkeeping, especially at the level Corey finds himself in the industry. There are the club’s members, the visiting tourists and of course, obviously, Rory McIlroy and co. It’s a mammoth job.
Our golf courses in the Middle East are among the finest in the world, but even they evolve over time as well. Improvements are always being made, like the 2023 addition of floodlights on the back nine at Trump International or the redesign of the 13th hole at the Faldo course in 2022. Yas Links is no exception.
“It was a struggling golf course when I came in,” continued Corey, who first joined Yas Links in 2019. “Yeah, it had the prestige and everything, but a lot of the original design aspects had been lost.
“The team has worked really hard since I’ve been here to get the course condition to where it is, but now we’re starting to work on some of the original Kyle Phillips design stuff and get that back. For example, now we’re trying to get all the bunkers back to how they were for the upcoming tournament.
“We’ve managed to find old photos and even Google Earth on street view you can see original photos from 2012, so we’re trying to match that up to get bunkers back to the way they were.”
Some golf courses have stood the test of time for decades, so I was surprised to learn that Yas Links had already lost some of its original design elements in just over 10 years since its’ 2010 debut. It’s a reminder that maintaining a course, especially one as renowned as this requires constant attention to detail.
With such meticulous upkeep, it’s no wonder that hosting a prestigious Rolex Series event at Yas Links comes with its share of pressure. However, it’s also a privilege. For greenkeepers, though, the real victory goes beyond a well-prepared course. It’s about ensuring that the course remains as iconic and playable as ever. But, what would Corey and his team consider a true win?
“Success for me this year would be able to have a celebration with the team after the tournament, and we’re all happy,” he said. “To have guys like Rory McIlroy say some good things, the Tour, or whoever. To exceed the players expectations, that would be a success for the golf course.”
It’s as simple as that. A moment to reflect, celebrate, and appreciate the team’s collective hard work would be the true reward. As the leader at Yas Links, Corey plays a crucial role in a much larger collective team effort, helping to ensure the course is tournament-ready and well-maintained throughout the entire year. His team are the hidden heroes who keep the game we all love to play and watch ticking along. Without them, golf would not be possible. Thank you.
