Rolling Hills Golf Course – Grass Course Set to Open
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Author: Byron Hebert
Released 29 April 2004
RHCC 15th Green
Photographs by Aramco ExPats
The anticipation of the opening of the new Rolling Hills grass golf course is growing by the day. Cart paths have been completed and the lights for the back nine are up, with testing to be completed shortly.
The course design was selected from several proposals submitted by golf course designers from around the world. The proposal by Calum A. Todd, a Scottish golf course architect, was recommended by RHCC and was accepted by the Company. The Company then hired Bruce Toepel, an experienced golf course agronomist, construction manager and superintendent, to oversee construction and operation. Bruce followed the original hole-by-hole design, but made several improvements and adjustments to the tees, bunkers and greens based on elevation, rock outcroppings and contour. Progress has been steady and surprisingly fast since construction started in January 2001 with the removal of the oiled sand. Over a nine month period the materials were scraped to a depth of 20 inches and removed. New sand low in salt content (sweet sand) was filled in and in 2002 the course began to take shape. And now we will soon be enjoying the remarkable transformation from an oiled sand course to a championship grass golf course. Throughout the entire process RHCC has worked closely with Dhahran Recreation on the many issues that had to be resolved, from greens fees, to the member Golf Cart Inspection Program, to determining the Slope, Rating, Hole Indexes and hazard locations. It has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
RHCC Hole # 4 (Old Dolly Parton from Other Side)
Annual RHCC Membership is currently SR 525 for singles and SR 825 for families. RHCC Membership benefits include discounted annual green fees, 7-day advance tee-time booking, entry in the RHCC Handicap System, tournament play and club socials. RHCC Membership discount rates for greens fees are also available to other SAGA affiliated club members.
Green Fees are paid annually or paid at the drop in rate of SR 150 per round for Adults and SR 75 for Juniors (under age 21) during the week, and SR 250 and SR 125 respectively during weekends and Holidays. There is no 9-hole rate.
The annual anytime play rate for RHCC Members is SR 4,500 for Adults and SR 2,250 for Juniors; for Non-RHCC Members the rates are SR 5,500 for Adults and SR 2,750 for Juniors. The annual weekday only play rate for RHCC Members is SR 3,000 for Adults and SR 1,500 for Juniors; for Non-RHCC Members the rates are SR 4,000 for Adults and SR 2,000 for Juniors.
These rates were established to help cover the increased course operating costs and may be adjusted in subsequent years.
The finishing touches are now being completed on a Yardage Booklet (or stroke-saver) which we hope to include with a future article. The course stats for the Men are:
- Blue Tees: Slope 127, rated at 72; 6650 yards
- White Tees: Slope 122, rated at 69.5; 6141 yards
- Red Tees: Slope 116, rated at 68; 5816 yards
RHCC Green # 18
Determining the Slope and Rating is a fairly complex process. A small Team was put together to evaluate each hole from each tee box according to USGA instructions. The Team consisted of Team Leader Charles Acklin, Rem Seil, Mubarak Al-Ghamdi, Dave Evans and Byron Hebert. Over 1,500 data points were collected. This included determining the effective length of the course factoring in plus yardages or minus yardages for roll, elevation changes, forced lay-ups and dog-legs and prevailing wind conditions. The measured length from the Blue Tees is 6650 yards, but the effective length turned out to be 6793 yards considering the sum of each of the plus and minus factors. In addition, the Team evaluated 10 other factors, referred to as Obstacles, so adjustments could be made for the stroke values for both the scratch and bogey golfer. These factors were Topography (stance and lie), Fairways (width), Green Target, Recovery and Rough, Bunkers, Out-of-bounds, Water Hazards, Trees, Green Surface and Psychology. A scale of 1 – 10 was used (10 being the largest adjustment) to rate each factor for each hole, from each tee box for both the scratch and bogey golfer. All the data was then plugged into the USGA formulas to determine the Slope and Rating.
RHCC Fairway # 13 from Ladies Tee
Using this data, the individual Handicap Indexes for each hole were also considered. A Team consensus was determined and the initial Handicap Indexes for the Men's holes were established. Of course these indexes may change after several months of actual play. But a starting point was needed so tournaments could be played.
The Lady's Tees are still in the process of being rated. The Team includes Team Leader Charles Acklin, Janet Knowlton, Irene Jeager, Tracy White, Beatriz Niemeyer and Byron Hebert.