Ayla Oasis Golf Club in Aqaba, Jordan, is the first 18-hole golf course in the country and was built in an extreme dry climate with poor-quality irrigation water. Greg Norman Golf Course Design and agronomist Charles Graham needed evergreen greens that could tolerate heat, high TDS water, and dry winds while using native silica sand. Working with Profile Products, they specified a rootzone blend of 85% sand and 15% Profile Greens Grade™ containing Profile Porous Ceramic (PPC) to improve water and nutrient holding, drainage, and aeration. The solution supports consistent, high-quality greens, reduced water use, and long-term maintenance savings.
Key Points
- First 18-hole par-72 championship course in Jordan, built on over 120 hectares in a very dry environment with poor water quality and high levels of total dissolved salts.
- Profile testing showed a rootzone mix of 85% sand and 15% Profile Greens Grade™; the PPC particle is 74% pore space with 39% capillary (water) pores and 35% non-capillary (air) pores to boost water and nutrient holding while facilitating drainage.
- PPC-amended greens drain quickly to limit unwanted elements from poor-quality water, yet improve water-holding—critical under summer temperatures up to 42 °C with high, dry winds that put major heat stress on turf.
- The course is described as a “premier” and “new go-to destination,” with no dry-spot issues where the Profile mix was used and around 20% less water usage reported for those areas, contributing to consistent, predictable, and more cost-effective maintenance.
