Best Golf Courses in the United Arab Emirates
Looking at the world map, the United Arab Emirates appears as a capital of skyscrapers and magnificent luxury. In recent years, this country has invested many resources in high-end entertainment facilities, particularly golf. Amidst the scorching desert, where the sun dyes the fairways golden and the lake reflects the gorgeous palm trees, there are 10 golf courses in the United Arab Emirates that every iron enthusiast wishes to set foot on at least once in their life. Read this article to find out detailed information about these world-class golf courses.
Part of Yas Island, Yas Links Abu Dhabi is the first links-style golf course in the UAE. Designed by Kyle Phillips, this course offers golfers of all abilities amazing natural surroundings and challenging courses.
This 18-hole course stretches 7,414 yards, with a par of 72, and runs along the west beach of Yas Island, overlooking the UAE Bay. The design offers an interesting and exciting golf experience by combining winding fairways, well-placed bunkers, and demanding greens. In addition, Yas Links has a 9-hole, par-3 course that is used for students and a practice area with modern Toptracer technology.
Yas Link
Within Yas Links, there is no shortage of luxury facilities such as a fitness room, an unlit swimming pool, and areas with lighting equipment. The Vulla Sélène serves various international cuisines with a view of a mangrove area, providing an ideal atmosphere to relax after golf.
Yas Links has hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2024 and is named “The Best Golf Course in the United Arab Emirates”. The course was also ranked in the top 100 best golf courses in the world by Golf Digest, thus acknowledging its position in the international golf community.
Located on Saadiyat Island, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the first beach course in the UAE. Designed by the legendary Gary Player, this 18-hole course is the harmonious blend of natural beauty and world-class golf design, with the unique view overlooking the sparkling blue ocean.
This course makes full use of natural saltwater lakes and coastal dunes, creating a challenging design. With large bunkers and diverse tee places, this course allows players to decide reasonable distances according to their level.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
After a challenging time on the golf course, players can unwind at Hawksbill, where they can enjoy international cuisine in a luxurious atmosphere, all while enjoying a spectacular view of the golf course and beach. Besides, the club also provides golf courses for all level players, instructed by PGA experts; therefore, they can improve skills and techniques.
Many important worldwide competitions find their path here. Under the framework of the Ladies European Tour, this course hosted the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in 2016. In 2023, this course continued to host the UAE Challenge in the Challenge Tour.
Located in the middle of the modern city of Dubai, Emirates Golf Club is the leading symbol of the golf trend in the UAE. Officially launched in 1988, this is the first green course in the area; a bold development in the desert, it quickly became a global golfing destination. The club boasts two world-class 18-hole courses: the Majlis Course and the Faldo Course, each with its own distinct character.
The Majlis Course serves as the throne room of the Emirates Golf Club, akin to a golf palace in the heart of Dubai. As the main golf course of the club, Majlis has long been known as the “royal course of Asian-Middle Eastern golf” thanks to both its history and its level of play. Designed by American architect Karl Litten, the course is approximately 7,301 yards long, par 72, with typical desert terrain mixed with green landscape and an artificial lake. Majlis is not only beautiful; it is also “dangerous” with deep bunkers, delicate greens, and fairways that require precise strategic shots. This is a challenge even for the world’s top players at the Dubai Classic, one of the most prestigious events in the European Tour system.
Emirates Golf Club, the Majlis Course
While the Majlis Course is a daytime course with bright sunlight and a solemn atmosphere, Faldo Course is vibrant, creative and modern, especially with the ability to allow golfers to play at night, an experience rarely seen anywhere in the world. Originally named “The Wadi”, the course was completely redesigned in 2005 by the legendary Sir Nick Faldo. With a length of about 7,052 yards and a par 72, Faldo Course has a more complex layout, more strategic bunkers, and spacious waste areas, creating conditions for flexible and intelligent playing strategies. The highlight that cannot be ignored is the modern lighting system covering all 18 holes, opening up the opportunity to play golf in the evening, when the sun has set but the passion has not yet subsided.
Emirates Golf Club, the Faldo Course
The Els Club, nestled within the bustling complex of Dubai Sports, is a rare gem amidst the desert. Designed by the legendary Ernie Els, this course is the perfect combination of England’s classic links style with the unique desert scenery of Dubai.
The Els Club
The Els Club was launched in 2008 and quickly became the top golf destination for both local and international golfers. This 18-hole course, which stretches 7,538 yards and is a par-72, was designed to cater to all levels, from beginners to professional players. With large fairways, a big green, and strategically placed bunkers, the course demands players to have reasonable tactics and elegant skills.
The course has hosted many significant international tournaments, including the Dubai Open 2014. The course was also named “Best Golf Course in Dubai 2024” by the World Golf Awards and “Best Luxury Golf Destination in the Middle East” at the Global 100 Awards 2024, affirming its leading position in the region.
Set amid the luxurious Emirates Hills of Dubai, Address Montgomerie is considered a “green oasis in the middle of the desert”. This is the perfect destination for those looking for a top-notch golf course and 5-star hotel services.
The course was designed by the legendary Colin Montgomerie; this 18-hole course stretches over 265 yards and highlights the conventional links styles with the unique desert terrain of Dubai. Address Montogomerie challenges players with its large fairway, good maintenance green and strategically placed bunkers. Particularly when playing golf on this course, players can watch the horizon showing the skyscraper buildings of Dubai.
Address Montgomerie
A notable character of Address Montgomerie is the combination of world-class golf experience with luxurious relaxation. Golfers can start their day with a challenging golf round, then relax at a spa or swimming pool and conclude the day with a delicious dinner at a restaurant with a view overlooking the golf course and vibrant city of Dubai. Just come here; all your needs will be satisfied, even the most demanding ones.
Not as noisy as golf courses located in the middle of skyscrapers like Address Montgomerie, nor as flashy with lights and night lights as the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club offers a completely different space: quiet, luxurious, and full of depth. Opened in 1993, when Dubai was just starting to dream of being a “global city”, Dubai Creek is not only a golf course but also a pioneering milestone, laying the foundation for the modern golf movement in this area.
Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
With a total length of 7,009 yards and a par of 71, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club follows the classic design but is still challenging. This is the place for those who enjoy the subtleties of every shot, where tactics and emotions must go together. The course boasts an extremely interesting course map with the winding fairways, shady old palm trees, and placed artificial lakes, putting “pressure” on the position. One of the highlights is the 17th hole, a “trap-filled” par 4, where water hazards and bunkers force players to make extremely decisive decisions.
Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club hosted the Dubai Desert Classic at the end of the 90s, the period when legends such as Lee Westwood or Darren Clarke imprinted their unforgettable golf rounds. Until now, this is still the most favourable golf destination among businessmen, international visitors, and senior golfers.
Standing in the middle of dried desert, the “green majesty of the dunes” appears proudly with the name Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Designed by the well-known architect Peter Harradine and officially opened in 2000, this course has rapidly become the symbol of the perfect combination of nature and modern architecture.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club owns an area of 162 hectares with a total of 27 golf holes, including an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole course. The course terrain winds through tropical bushes, lush green palm trees, and seven beautiful saltwater lakes, creating the feeling of being lost in a paradise in the middle of the desert.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club
The most amazing feature of the club is the clubhouse designed in the form of an eagle with its wings spread out, which is the national emblem of the UAE. Apart from its cultural value, this three-storey construction offers expansive views of the golf course and surroundings, making it a fascinating experience for visitors.
Since 2006, Abu Dhabi Golf Club has been proud to be the host of the prestigious Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, drawing many world players. Each hole is uniquely designed with a combination of lakes, sand traps, and palm trees, providing exciting challenges for players.
Located not too far from the heart of Dubai, Jumeirah Golf Estate is not merely a golf course; it is a true “kingdom” for golf connoisseurs and high-society lifestyle enthusiasts. Dubbed the “Crown Jewel of Desert Golf”, this course is a world-class complex with a perfect combination of sports, architecture, and nature. Designed by the legendary Greg Norman, the course campus spans over 1,100 hectares, including more than 1,500 luxury villas and especially two famous golf courses: the Earth Course and the Fire Course, symbolising two opposing but harmonious elements, like the yin and yang of the golf world.
It is fair to call Earth Course “The Colosseum of Championship Golf”. This is the avenue for the DP World Tour Championship, which is the final round of the European Tour (also called the DP World Tour), where the most excellent golfers of the season compete to find the qualified champion. Both Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm used to set foot on these silky fairways of this course to conquer the prestigious cup!
Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Earth Course
If Earth Course serves as the grand stage, Fire Course showcases players’ exceptional technique. Despite being less well-known than its counterpart, Fire Course is as subtle, unpredictable, and tactical as its name suggests. Regarding its design, the Fire Course is the blend of burning sand, low vegetation, and strong lines. The bunkers here tend to “open up” like ancient traps, requiring golfers to calculate each shot. Fairways at Fire Course are smaller, greens are harder to read, and the overall layout forces players to use a variety of clubs; there is no room for one-way safety. This course is always described by professional golfers as a “tactical course”, where the ability to read the terrain and control spin and club selection becomes more important than power.
Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Fire Course
Many have compared the Earth Course and Fire Course to Wimbledon and Roland Garros in golf to highlight the contrast between them: one side is fast and smooth, one side is harsh and calculating; each has its own irresistible beauty.
If there is a golf course in which nature is not a setting but the main character, then it’s Al Zorah Golf Club, a masterpiece set amid the lush green mangrove forest of Ajman, UAE. Designed by Nicklaus Design, this is the course that has every swing like a brushstroke on paint.
Al Zorah is a “live design” because the round itself changes with the tides every day. Each play is a new surprise: the change of water level, different light, and wind gently breathe on every branch of Paspalum, a smooth grass, and every drop seems to slide on natural silk.
Al Zorah Golf Club
More than millions of mangrove forests surround this course, where several species of birds call home, and water and sky blend like an abstract painting. It is expected to launch a new clubhouse in 2025, which is the contemporary castle in the middle of lush green scenery with a fitness room, swimming pool, and restaurant. Not only a place for golfers, Al Zorah, honoured as “The Best Golf Course in the Middle East”, is a holy land for souls who love sports, nature and tranquillity.
The final name on the list is Dubai Hills Golf Club, a verdant oasis amidst the desert. Designed by European Golf Design and managed by Troon Golf, this golf course gained a reputation among golfers with its technical challenges and outstanding design.
This 18-hole, par-72 course challenges players with its large fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and sparkling lakes. Dubai Hills Golf Club boasts one of the most remarkable views of the famous Burj Khalifa and Dubai’s amazing skyline. Every time you look, you will feel the harmony between modern architecture and nature, between sport and art.
Dubai Hills Golf Club
Apart from the excellent golf course, there is a modern clubhouse that covers 45,000 square feet. Here, guests may savour fine cuisine at Duck Hook, a British-style bar with breathtaking Burj Khalifa views. To guarantee the ideal post-round leisure, the club also provides member-only gym facilities, fully equipped professional shops, and saunas and steam rooms.
More than just a golf course, Dubai Hills Golf Club has also been named the “World’s Best New Golf Course” at the 2019 World Golf Awards and the 2021 UAE Best Golf Course. These trophies demonstrate the quality and level of this course brought to the global golf community.
In conclusion, whether you are starting to play games or gaining years of experience, these top 10 best golf courses in the UAE are sure to satisfy your wish. From excellent-design golf courses to spectacular natural surroundings, spending your golf holiday in one or some of them would not let you down. So, are you ready to pack your clubs and immerse yourself in a fascinating golf round in the UAE? Contact us for further information and create an unforgettable golf holiday!
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