Slumping economy puts Woods’ first golf course design on hold in Dubai

Woods says Dubai golf course on hold

DUBLIN, Ohio — The first golf course Tiger Woods is designing might not be the first to open.

Woods said on Friday that construction on Al Ruwaya Golf Course in Dubai is on hold because of the economic meltdown in the United Arab Emirates, pushing back the scheduled opening by at least six months.

The course was to open this fall, but Woods said it could be next summer.

The “Tiger Woods Dubai” includes 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces and a 360,000-square-foot boutique hotel. It also is to feature at 139,000-square-foot clubhouse and a golf academy. The developer is Tatweer, a division of Dubai Holding, which is owned by the emirate and its ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.