Dubai-based Hydroturf International has won a contract to supply Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum grass to returf the front-nine greens at Nad Al Sheba Golf Club, Dubai.

The company operates the UAE’s first commercial turf farm located in Ras Al Khaimah, covering a 250,000 sq m area, which yields approximately 1 million bushels per year.
Sea Isle 2000 has also been used on both fairways and greens at Al Badia, Festival City, Tower Links Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah and the Sahara Course, Kuwait.
“We are delighted that Nad Al Sheba Club have again chosen Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum grass for returfing the front-nine greens,” says Hydroturf managing director Colin Baxter. “The club went through the same exercise in 2003 when the same variety of grass was used for the first time in the UAE to returf the back-nine holes.”
Elaborating on the benefits, he says: “Paspalum grass – which can tolerate high-stress environments – offers a solution that both maximises cost savings and minimises environmental damage. Another significant benefit of using Paspalum is that it reduces the level of fertiliser usage. The savings in chemical usage alone will diminish the adverse impact on the environment.
“In hot and dry environments, such as that of the UAE, water is a precious commodity and many projects, which were halted due to the high costs of irrigation, have now become economically feasible using this variety of grass,” says Baxter.
Being deep-rooted, Sea Isle 2000 is more resilient to different stresses unlike the shallow rooted ultra-dwarf Bermuda grasses.
Says Rob Gradishar, course maintenance director, Nad Al Sheba Club: “For our specific course and its heavy play, the Sea Isle 2000 is much more able to cope with our different stresses.
“Additionally, it takes less water to maintain, is much better adapting to poor quality irrigation water and it also looks great.
Dubai-based Hydroturf International operates throughout the GCC and Egypt and has offices in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Cairo, Jeddah and Riyadh. Hydroturf’s first golf project was undertaken in Saudi Arabia in 1991 and since then, the company has developed into the leading supplier of irrigation, turfcare machinery and golf carts to the Middle East Golf Market.
The British-managed company, whose the products are premium brand market leaders in their particular sector - provides products and services to the irrigation, turf care and leisure industries in the Middle East.
“Our trading territory stretches from Egypt to the Gulf states, to Pakistan and Azerbaijan,” says Baxter.
The company deals in a variety of equipment ranging from water purification and reverse osmosis systems; variable speed drive pumps; irrigation systems and design; commercial turf; organic and slow release fertilisers; turf care machinery; to golf and utility vehicles.