In recent years, Dubai has grown into one of the world’s premier golfing destinations, with new courses popping up across the city almost as fast as its soaring skyscrapers.
(Photo: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club)
Now home to a handful of the world’s top 100 courses and a host to major world tournaments, Dubai is firmly on the global golf radar. And with its dramatic setting on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, it’s not just the world class facilities that increasingly attract golfers from far and wide – but the scenic surroundings, too. We’ve picked out 5 of the most charming golf courses that Dubai currently has to offer.
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
Boasting a prestigious history as Dubai’s second oldest course, there’s a unique charm to Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Club, nestled between the tranquil Creek and the bustling city centre. Featuring an 18-hole par 71 championship course, a round of golf here takes you on a journey across the fabled landscape of Dubai. Well-groomed fairways lined with date palms and coconut trees, attractive water hazards and shrubbery lends a tropical air to the course as it rolls across thousands of undulating yards. A majestic Clubhouse – designed to mirror the sails of the traditional Arab dhow – is an attraction in its own right, capturing the essence of Dubai’s seafaring traditions with its fusion of heritage and modernity.
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The Montgomerie
(Photo: Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai)
Set in the heart of the prestigious Emirates Hills, The Montgomerie is a design collaboration between eponymous golfing legend Colin Montgomerie and Desmond Muirhead. A links-land style oasis and boasting an imaginative layout that some have described as “Scottish links meets Arabian desert.” the championship course features lush green fairways, landscaped gardens and man-made lakes, and 81 bunkers that pose a challenge to players of all abilities. Adding to the scenery, an incredible 49 acres of water create mouth-watering backdrops and playing challenges. The Clubhouse has guest rooms and a pool for those wanting to stay on-site.
Jumeirah Golf Estates (Fire)
Steeped in spectacular scenery, at Jumeirah Golf Estates there are two top class golf courses, Fire and Earth, to enjoy. But on matters of charm, it is the former that wins out by a narrow margin. Designed by golfing icon Greg Norman, the course exists in perfect harmony with the natural desert landscape. The native grasses exude a golden glint in the sunlight, and away from the immaculate playing surfaces, large terracotta bunkers punctuate the rolling terrain. Meanwhile, tee placements offer variety, with length, direction and elevation constantly changing throughout the course. There are also a wide range of leisure facilities including two swimming pools, tennis and padel tennis courts, a state of the art gym, and several restaurants and bars.
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Dubai Hills Golf Club
(Photo: Dubai Hills Golf Club)
Opened in 2018, making it one of the newest additions to the city’s golfing landscape, Dubai Hills Golf Club is a serene lifestyle destination set within the Mohammad Bin Rashid City quarter, just 15 minutes from downtown. Designed by Gary Johnson, the 18-hole par-72 championship golf course is laid out as two returning nines – the outward half going anti-clockwise and the inward half clockwise manner – with fairways perpetually changing direction to create visual drama and suspense from one hole to the next. Nine of the holes are set against a backdrop of the awe-inspiring Burj Khalifa and downtown skyline. Adding to the picture-postcard surroundings, several of the holes leading back to the Clubhouse are built around a series of man-made lakes.
Emirates Golf Club (Majlis)
The inspiration of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Royal Pavilion – styled in the fashion of a Bedouin tent –the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club opened in 1988, becoming the first 18-hole grass course to open in the Middle East. The layout is carved through the desert, with narrow green ribbons of fairway winding their way through undulating terrain. Large, fast greens are another hallmark, with the slick putting surfaces posing a real challenge to golfers. There’s also a wonderful closing hole which requires an approach shot across a lake to a long and thin double green shaped like a bow tie. The sumptuous Clubhouse is another highlight, with its architectural style continuing the Bedouin theme.
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