Club Update

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

Dear Members,

Welcome to our latest Viya Golf Update. These last couple of months have quite literally flown by.

I am now officially a resident of Abu Dhabi and very much enjoying life on Yas Island - it truly is an incredible location, with so much to offer for both residents and overseas visitors. Over the last few months, I’ve had the great fortune to meet many of our members at the Club, but I appreciate that I haven’t quite yet met everybody. One thing I’d like to communicate is that I’m very approachable and open to discussions on how we can improve and further develop the great standing that Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has in the market. Please always feel free to reach out to me (at jdanby@viyagolf.com) - I very much look forward to making your acquaintance if I haven’t yet had the opportunity. From a golf perspective, I always love this time of the year. It’s that exciting transition point where we say goodbye to the hot sticky summer months and begin to welcome the cooler winter period, where our courses are beginning to peak and when you as a member start to enjoy the fruits of the labour put in by our amazing Agronomy team. This being said, by no means will we be resting on our laurels. Corey and Bryan have grand plans this winter to further enhance the playing surfaces. As we all know, golf courses are living breathing creatures and require constant attention. If you do happen to see any of the Agronomy team out on the course during your round, please do give them a thumbs up as they gain great encouragement and motivation in knowing you appreciate their efforts.

Please do enjoy the read and take in some of the operational updates. As always if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me personally for further clarification.

New Member Features go live on Viya – Tuesday, 1st November

As mentioned in my update last month, our target date of 1st November for launching online bookings and other member benefits on the Viya App will be met, and so from 6.00am on Tuesday 1st November, I’m delighted to say that you will have access to the following Viya features:

- Membership Card (plastic cards are no longer required) - 5% Viya Points on all purchases (F&B and Proshop) - Live online tee time bookings - Tournament entry - Golf lesson bookings - Online golf shop - Membership renewal

IMPORTANT NOTE: Viya identifies you as a member and your specific membership category, through your mobile number and your email address that you have registered with us when you joined the Club. If you have changed your email address or if you have more than one mobile number or if your mobile number has changed and you haven’t got around to updating us, please do check in with Ann or Chathurika in membership (see contact details below), as soon as possible. If either does not match the records we have for you, then you will not be able to activate your account and access the new features.

Ann, Cluster Membership Manager adaniel@viyagolf.com

Chathurika, Membership Coordinator membership.sbgc@viyagolf.com

Membership Office 02 4043000

How To Use Viya – Web Resource

To help you navigate Viya, we have created a webpage which explains the functionality and provides you with a central resource, to enable you to get the most out of the application as quickly and smoothly as possible. If you have any trouble accessing Viya, activating your account or simply need some guidance on how to use a specific feature, then please do visit the link below or alternatively reach out to Ann or Chathurika who’ll be delighted to support you.

www.viyagolf.com/viyarewards

The next phase of development for Viya is the integration of our corporate network and then the Micros POS system which we use across all of our restaurants. The go live date for this it will be early in the new year. Once the system is fully integrated, this will enable all members to settle all Club purchases onto their membership account, directly within Viya. In the meantime, you will still be able to avail of your 25% discount at the time of settling your bill and receive an additional 5% in the form of Viya Points onto your account, by simply having one of our colleagues scan the QR code within the App at the time of payment.

New Membership Numbers

As part of the integration process of our new membership and tee time booking software (which feeds Viya), we also needed to realign membership numbers, so they are compatible with the system. When you log into Viya for the first time and click on the ‘card’ icon in the bottom left side of the screen, you will see this page now contains some of your personal information including your new membership number. We appreciate that some members do get attached to their membership number, as it takes time to remember, however unfortunately this is a step we couldn’t avoid. The good news is that your membership card is now always with you, as long as you have your phone at your side. We hope that the additional features and services that you will now receive, more than make up for this slight inconvenience. Hopefully you would have had chance by now to read the details of our new membership referral scheme, which offers both the member and the referred new joiner between Aed 1,000-1,500 in credit when a referral is made by a member, results in a new member joining the Club. There are terms and conditions linked to the programme, which Ann or Chathurika will happily talk you through, if you have any questions.

Lady Captaincy

We are delighted to announce, that as of 1st January, for the first time in the Club’s history, we will have a Lady Captain and Lady Vice Captain. In October we reached out to all lady members to ask for self-nominations. The deadline concluded at midnight on 31st October, after which we will review all applicants and make an announcement by the end of November. This is a welcome change and a move that we believe will help positively develop the ladies section and build on what is already a fantastic community feel at the Club.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve received a number of enquiries from members regarding membership prices for 2023. Although a decision on what the 2023 fees will be for new ‘incoming members’ joining from 1st January hasn’t yet been made, we have agreed that the 2022 membership rate card will be fixed for any existing member at the time of renewal, which is scheduled to start from the middle of November. We will also be aligning the membership loyalty programmes we have at our existing operations with the Clubs in Abu Dhabi, as we feel it is essential to reward member loyalty uniformly across all Clubs. Members will receive a credit back to their account based on three and seven years of continuous membership. This new loyalty credit benefit will replace any current discounts in place.

Reminder - Member Rate and F&B Discount at Dubai Golf Clubs

As mentioned in my last Club Update, as of September all Full Golf members of Yas Links Abu Dhabi or Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, now receive a special ‘Viya Golf’ or ‘VG’ rate to play any of the Dubai Golf courses. This rate is 50% off the Rack Rate of the course and is always the lowest rate available in the market. To avail of this rate, you simply need to show your membership card as proof of ID at the time of check-in at the club. From 1st November, this will mean you showing your digital membership card in Viya. Please also remember that you now also receive 25% discount in the dining outlets across all Viya Golf and Dubai Golf Clubs, including Topgolf Dubai, as well as an additional 5% in Viya Points when you show your Viya QR code on the ‘card’ page in the App.

New Menu at Hawksbill

Over the last few weeks Chef Iro, our Head Chef along with his team have been working on a new refreshed menu for Hawksbill Restaurant. You’ll be glad to know that we won’t be removing any of the member favourites, however you can expect to see an elevated offering as well as twists on some existing dishes. The menu is under some final touches, and we will be introducing it in early December. As always, your feedback will be very much appreciated once you have the time to sample the new dishes.

Festive Period

Many of you will have seen the recent festive offerings being promoted at the club. I wanted to highlight that we’re already seeing a lot of interest across the board and so if you were thinking of enjoying any of the below activities, then please do reach out to our F&B team at dining.sbgc@viyagolf.com or 056 6608780. Christmas Tree Lighting | Saturday 3rd December | 6.00pm - 10.00pm AED 165 per person Turkey Takeaway | 21st November – 31st December AED 475 per Turkey Christmas Day Brunch | Sunday 25th December | 12.00pm – 3.30pm Soft Beverage Package AED 250 per person House Beverage Package AED 385 per person New Year’s Eve | Tuesday 31st December | 7.00pm – 1.00am Soft Beverage Package AED 250 per person House Beverage Package AED 480 per person

The above pricing is a set member’s price – no further discount will apply on festive promotions, although 5% Viya points will be issued upon scanning of your QR code.

F1 Brunch at Yas Links

For all F1 enthusiasts within the membership, we have a special F1 brunch at Yas Links Abu Dhbai over the 2 practice days and the main event. Tickets are typically very quick to go, therefore please do book soon to avoid disappointment.

Friday 18th, Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th November 12.30pm – 4.00pm (AED 200/350)

25% Member Discount will apply to the above price including 5% Viya points.

Large Events at Yas Links throughout November

Yas Links Abu Dhabi is extremely proud to be the official venue of several high-profile entertainment related events throughout the winter period. The events are located on our purpose-built event lawn near the main entrance of the club, which also accommodates the tournament village for the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. As you’re reading this, we’ve just concluded the ‘Club Social’ 3-day concert’, which featured Kaiser Chiefs, Clean Bandit, DJ’s and a local Battle of the Bands. Upcoming events to keep an eye out for, are as follows:

Movies in the Park (1980’s Retro Cinema theme) | 5th & 6th November | Movie timings: 5.30PM, 7.30PM & 9.30PM

One Republic Live | Sunday 11th November | Venue opens at 7.00PM

CAS Live | Monday 12th November | Venue opens at 6.00PM

World Cup Fan Zone | 20th November - 18th December | All live games shown

Corporate Events and Overseas Golf Groups at the Club

As covid related restrictions in Abu Dhabi and at the Club begin to ease, we’re beginning to see the return of overseas golf groups and corporate golf events. This is a welcome sight for the club; however, we are also very mindful that there will be times whereby the golf course won’t be available for members, which can be an area of concern. As a club, we will always endeavour to prioritise members whenever possible, however it’s important to appreciate that the facility also exists to service various other market segments, all of which are an important and essential part of the Abu Dhabi economy.

Our focus will always be to move large groups into off peak times (weekdays) to protect as much as possible, the peak times when members typically like to play. This won’t always be possible of course, however for the few times we are required to accommodate a large group during a weekend time, we will try and give you as much notice as possible, so that you can make alternative arrangements to play golf. During times when the golf course is unavailable, please do take advantage of your reciprocal benefits and/or Viya Golf discount across all of our golf courses.

I would like to thank you once again for your valuable time in reading this Club Update. Please do feel free to pass on any feedback to myself, your Club Captain, Vice-Captain or to any member of our management team, and we will review, consider and respond as quickly as possible.

Looking forward to seeing you at the club soon.

With very best regards,

Julian Danby Cluster Club Manager Saadiyat Beach Golf Club