Dubai has become one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. Springing up out of the desert, glittering skyscrapers have replaced palm fringed huts that were typical just forty years ago. There are six world class golf courses here. Some, right in the heart of the city, some, a few miles out of town. Two are pro golf academies with excellent facilities, plus annual rainfall of just 11 inches per year, which have really put Dubai on the international golf circuit.
If you are going on a golfing vacation, then Dubai offers a different, and perhaps a more adventurous option. But it’s not cheap. The wealth and expense of Dubai’s golf courses is apparent at one of its icons, the Dubai Creek Golf Club. Opened in 1993, the Dubai Creek Club is situated in the heart of the city, and runs alongside Dubai Creek.
It’s a 6,950 yard, Karl Litton design, par 72 with a lot of water and some killer bunkers. It is built on a small piece of land that never feels too crowded. The opening five holes are straight forward enough, but then you come to holes like the 6th. The fairway narrows to about ten yards with a lake on your right and trees to the left; it really starts to test your accuracy.
The 13th is another notable hole. At 545 yards on this par 5, you play your third, if you’ve stayed out of the massive bunkers on the right, onto a not too generous island green. And from there, it doesn’t get any easier. The 17th is the signature hole. If you’re playing off the back tees, you’ll have a 200 yard drive to the fairway over the creek. Or if you can draw the ball, you can stay safe on the right-hand side.
The clubhouse here is pretty amazing. Built in the shape of a traditional sailboat, it has three top class restaurants, swimming pool, holds concerts for the likes of Rod Stewart and Elton John, and was voted “Best Clubhouse” in Golf Digest’s Best of the Best survey.
Another great facility they have here is a high-tech digital swing analysis suite in their golf academy. Visitors are welcome at the Dubai Creek Club all year round. Green fees are around $90, and a handicap limit of 28 applies, so bring your certificate. Of course, this isn’t just the Dubai Creek Golf Club, it’s the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, so you can go out a do a bit of sports fishing also.
30 years ago, practically all of Dubai was desert, but even then there was a golf course, the Dubai Country Club. The country club itself is very much a social center for ex-pats, with golf being just one of its many facilities. What’s different here is that it’s a truly desert course where you carry your own piece of turf, and you putt on browns, not greens. There are pegs on either side of the fairway, and if you’re between the two pegs, then you’re able to use your mat. If you knock it outside of the pegs, then you play it as it lies. So you can have a 200-odd yard bunker shot.
They use a mix of used engine oil and sand for the browns. The role on the browns is actually quite true. Grass bumps a little bit more, so at times it doesn’t stay on the right line, whereas on sand, it’s a bit slower, but it actually stays on the line really well. The rules of sand golf are that once you put the flag back in, you have to use a brush to smooth over the brown for the next golfer. A few loops around the flag are enough, so you don’t have to smooth the entire brown. It can get pretty hot, but if you love golf you’ll play. All of the other club facilities are included in your green fees, which are a very reasonable $25.
The Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is very much a part of life in Dubai. With the Royal Family, having such a passion for the “sport of kings”, it’s not surprising. What’s more surprising is what happens at the course when its not race night. Some golfers on vacation play 36 holes a day, 18 in the morning, and 18 in the afternoon. Here, it’s possible to play 54. 18 in the morning, 18 in the afternoon, and yes, you guessed it, 18 at night.
This is a fully floodlit, 18 hole course, with tee times from 7:30 in the morning to 10 o’clock at night. The big advantage with night golf is that in a country where the daytime temperatures can reach 130 degrees, playing at night is much more comfortable. Although it is easy to follow the direction, it’s a bit difficult judging the distance the ball travels. It’s certainly an experience playing the Nad Al Sheba course at night, as it challenges your accuracy and eyesight. Green fees start at $60, and there is no handicap limit.
Three other golf courses of note in the area are:
- Arabian Ranches, which has green fees from $76. It’s a 7,700 yard Peter Baker-Finch design, which is marketing itself as the best desert course in the world.
- The Montgomerie, built by Colin Montgomerie has green fees from $115 a day, and is home to supposedly, the largest green in the world, at 58,000 square feet.
- Finally the Jebel Ali Golf Resort, a 9 hole par 36 with green fees of $30, that claims to be the best 9 hole in the world.
The Emirates Club is regarded by many as the best course in Dubai. The Emirates has two 18 hole courses, the most famous of which is the Majilis. This is home to the world renowned $2 million Dubai Desert Classic. The first thing you notice when you’re play the Emirates is just how tight it is. The course layout shows very little green, with fast tracks of desert waste, trees and water hazards. Any wayward shots and you’re in deep trouble.
A case in point is the 549 yard, par 5 10th hole, which from the back tee has a 200 yard carry over desert to the fairway. A second shot up the fairway, which narrows to about 10 yards and a third, if you’ve got this far, to a green completely surrounded by bunkers. The 18th is another famous hole here. If you can drive 250 yards with a dogleg, you can save yourself hundreds of yards.
This beautiful course, at a daunting 7,100 yards, has a handicap limit of 28 for men and 45 for women with green fees from $130. It’s very popular, so book your tee times well in advance, and good luck. Golf, like everything else, is booming in Dubai and whether you’re a golfer or not, Dubai is a really exciting place to be.