Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 16 October 2008 - The acknowledged master architect of golf course design - Robert Trent Jones II (RTJ) - has been commissioned to create a unique 'tidal course' on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island - a natural island lying just offshore the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.

Saadiyat's Reserve course will now join RTJ's multi-award-winning portfolio which spans over 200 courses in 35 countries on six continents and includes facilities regularly ranked by the sport's most reputable media as among the world's top 10 courses.

Robert Trent Jones II has been commissioned by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), one of the leading developers in Abu Dhabi and the name behind Saadiyat Island's transformation into a signature leisure, residential and cultural destination.

"Robert Trent Jones' credentials are second-to-none and are compelling when selecting a designer who can deliver a championship course which is informed by its natural environment and which also makes keen financial sense," said Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC. "Robert Trent Jones' extraordinary designs have a proven history of creating courses of enormous real estate value for developers worldwide."

The power of RTJ's capabilities can be judged by the fact that all leading tournaments - The PGA Tour, The Senior PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, The Asian Tour, The European Tour, The Australian Tour, the World Cup and the World Match Play Championships - have been staged on RTJ courses.

Championships having been contested on more than 100 RTJ courses - a track record which continues with the planned 2010 staging of the Ryder Cup on the Celtic Manor's Wentwood Hills Championship Course in Wales.

The Saadiyat Island RTJ course - the first to be undertaken by the American master course architect in Abu Dhabi - will be in the destination's Saadiyat Reserve District - one of seven distinct districts which make up the emerging destination ranked by an international tourism scouts poll as 'One of the World's Emerging Top 10 Trendy Destinations.'

The Reserve is Saadiyat Island's eco-destination with a landscape characterised by dramatic tidal flats.

"Robert Trent Jones is renowned for his innovative design concepts that integrate course with coastal wetlands and other sensitive environments," said Tabler. "His courses are acknowledged for enhancing habitats while creating playable courses rich with strategic variety. These design traits fit extremely well with our plans for Saadiyat Reserve and also with TDIC's own corporate ethos of strong and tangible environmental stewardship."

Robert Trent Jones II, former President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and son of a course design dynasty launched by his father and which has since built, or refurbished 570 courses worldwide, has been commissioned to produce a 'unique' course which will flood in accordance with tidal movements around Saadiyat Island.

"The distinctive terrain of Saadiyat Reserve presents us with a challenge and an opportunity to deliver a course like no other in the region, if not the world," said Robert Trent Jones II. "The wetlands allows us to give full rein to our vision of creating golf courses where nature works in harmony with the values of the royal and ancient game."

Spread over an area of 130 hectares, the Saadiyat Reserve golf destination will feature the 71 hectare Robert Trent Jones II course, the design of which is due for completion this year with groundbreaking scheduled for early 2009.

Meanwhile, TDIC is progressing well with the championship Saadiyat Beach Golf Course - the UAE's first signature Gary Player course and the Arabian Gulf's only 'ocean' course with several beachfront holes. The course is due to open in the third quarter of next year.

"The two courses will offer distinctly varied playing experiences and will compliment each other with differing shot values and landscape settings," explained Tabler.

The Robert Trent Jones II course will be the third championship course in TDIC's expanding golf portfolio. The company also owns the Abu Dhabi Golf Club - home to the annual PGA European Tour-backed Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

-Ends-

About Saadiyat Island
Saadiyat Island is a natural island alongside Abu Dhabi's coast, celebrating the renaissance of Arabian living; and a place where iconic landmarks and azure Arabian waters create a thoughtful harmony of culture, leisure and business in a vibrant community.

It covers 27 square kilometres, and will be completed in phases up until 2018.  Over 160,000 people are expected to live on the island upon completion.

The island is made up of seven districts: Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Marina, Saadiyat Beach, Saadiyat Promenade, Saadiyat Lagoons, Saadiyat Reserve and Saadiyat Retreat.

Saadiyat Island will host premium brands in hospitality, education and leisure, combined with the world's largest concentration of cultural institutions, all within easy reach. There are plans for luxury hotels, over three million square metres of office space, marinas with berths for 1,000 boats, two championship golf courses, civic and leisure facilities, sea-view apartments and elite villas.

Saadiyat Island is being developed by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), an independent company of which Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is the sole shareholder.

© Press Release 2008