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The Awali Golf Club (AGC) clubhouse was buzzing. Members were tucking into plates of chicken curry as the raffle prizes were being handed out and a witty Bahraini good-naturedly heckled the winners from the sidelines.
If the atmosphere could be bottled they could sell it as laughing gas in the souq. The club is so famed for creating a cracking environment that when former Bapco employees return to the island to visit friends they often say that they miss the after-match moments the most.
It’s not surprising, the clubhouse, situated down a desert track at the back of the posh Royal Golf Club at Riffa Views, has a rich history of multi-cultural harmony and sporting success.
The AGC is made up of families connected to the national oil company and other golf-mad enthusiasts willing to put their golfing talent to the test on a course made of sand, a lump of artificial grass to tee off from and the legendary Awali bounce.
The club is staging a 10-day Festival of Golf from March 28 to April 6 as part of its 75th anniversary with the 50th Bahrain Open Golf Championship and the 25th Bahrain Ladies Open Golf Championship.
But there is another important milestone too. The clubhouse, once a rickety shelter from the sun, is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
It started from small beginnings, a tool shed offering shade to golfers who took their 19th hole refreshments with them in a cool box, relaxing after their game and no doubt ruing missed putts, bad shots and generally chewing the fat.
The club’s Captain Andy (Ace) McAlpine said: “This year marks the 60th anniversary of the current structure although there have been various improvements and additions over time.
“The clubhouse has a bar, a small kitchen, restrooms for both ladies and gents. We also have separate ladies and gents locker rooms, where our members can store their clubs and avail themselves of the showers and rest room facilities.
“The facility of a clubhouse is of paramount importance to the fabric of the golf club, as it serves as a focal point for the pre, and après, golfing activities. After each competition we hold a prize presentation where the sponsors of that competition are entertained and encouraged to present the winners with their prizes, cups and medals.
“Without the clubhouse the Awali Golf Club just wouldn’t enjoy the social excellence it does today. Indeed, many members when leaving the island comment on the social aspect of the club and many I have spoken to on return visits, tell me that the social side of the club is what they miss the most.”
With African & Eastern, one of the main festival sponsors and boasting links with the club dating back to 1972, providing the prizes for the weekend’s golfing competition, the party was sure to go with a swing, helped by two musicians playing the keyboards, drums and saxophone.
Kate Gibson, one of the company’s managers, was on hand to present the prizes and admitted visiting the clubhouse was one of her favourite tasks.
One old trophy still on display in the clubhouse provided happy memories for the captain’s son, Graham, 33, who was visiting from his Australian home in Melbourne.
The former St Christopher’s School pupil had his name inscribed on it twice for winning the Junior Foursomes Trophy back in 1991 and 1992.
His elder brother Byron, 43, visiting from England, was also the talk of the clubhouse after volunteering to have his locks shaven alongside club member Farooq Ahmed, 61, to raise money for the Friendship Society for the Blind kindergarten championed by charity fundraiser Dreena Rogers, MBE.
The club boasts around 300 members and will continue to attract even more if Mia Wright, the social member on the club’s committee, cooks up the chicken curry and rice using her own family recipe on a regular basis. It was exquisite.
Onny Martin, the AGC’s webmaster, has been piecing together an article about the clubhouse and architect Paul Hamilton has also uncovered a bundle of drawings that were used to add to and modify the golf course and infrastructure.
It is known that the course was first laid out as 9 holes, becoming 18-holes in 1940. Archived images show a shaded terrace which was constructed in late 1958 and in 1966 a covered air-conditioned seating area was provided.
The current bar, wood panelled and of a U-shaped design, was installed in 1968, and it was probably at this time the rear entrance to the room was introduced. Further details will be added when the research is complete.
