Destination Dubai: The Ultimate Golfing Holiday

Dubai is well known for being a lap of luxury. Here you will find world-record breaking buildings, lavish restaurants and a wide range of exuberant activities to enjoy, but what you may not know is that golf in Dubai is phenomenal!

There are dozens of fantastic new golf courses that have been carefully designed and constructed to suit all types of abilities. If you want the ultimate golf holiday, then you can’t go far wrong with Dubai!

No golf holiday in Dubai is complete without visiting these world class courses:

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

Not only is this the first golf course in the Middle East, it remains as one of the most popular courses in this area to date. The 6,967 yard course is a 71 par championship course that has played host to many international competitions over the 20 years it has existed.

Currently the course record is held by Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, who managed to finish at just 63 – that’s a whopping 8 under par! Despite being in a hard desert environment, the fairways are green and well-groomed and there are several attractive water hazards – if it wasn’t for the heat you’d probably never believe you were in the Middle East.

Emirates Golf Club

The Emirates Golf Club easily holds some of the best golfing real estate in the Middle East. There are two outstanding courses here, they are:

- Majlis Course

Dubai is well known for breaking records and this course may well hold the record for most holes-in-one, with 209 being recorded here. At 7,301 yards and par 72, this isn’t a short course despite what the one-shot wonders may suggest.

Every year this course plays host to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and has seen many famous faces playing here, including Tiger Woods and Steve Ballesteros. So if you want to play in the footsteps of the greats then make sure this one is on your checklist!

- Faldo Course

Perhaps one of the trickiest courses in Dubai, this par 72 course features water hazards, bunkers and a length of 7,348 yards. Don’t worry if you aren’t an expert golfer, as there are beginner tees and if you’re careful the hazards shouldn’t pose too much of a risk.

Here you will find the trademarked Faldo bunkers and tees that combine with the rugged and natural terrain to create a course that is unlike anywhere else in the world. If you’re a true golfing enthusiast then you simply can’t afford to not play the Faldo course.

Al Badia Golf Club

This fantastic, 7,303 yard championship course was lovingly designed by world famous golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones II. If this wasn’t reason enough to visit, then the stunning oasis theme, award winning club house and four unique restaurants will quickly change your mind.

You’ll find an abundance of water features, sand and indigenous plants all across this course, both juxtaposing and perfectly accompanying the natural beauty of the Arabian Gulf. The Al Badia course is par-72 and accompanies both championship players and newbies to the sport.

Jumeirah Golf Estates – Fire & Earth

While technically this is two golf courses, the Jumeirah Golf Estates are some of the best around – a fact solidified by the fact that they are the Home to the DP World Tour Championship. Here you will find two very unique and challenging golf courses that will test the ability of even professional golfers. That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible however, there is a new players tee that significantly shortens the length of the course.

Both the Fire and Earth courses are par 72 and stretch to 7,480 and 7,706 yards respectively from the championship tees. These courses take in the natural desert landscape, but add their own special twist with cleverly shaped and sculptured bunkers. You could easily spend your entire holiday on the Jumeirah Golf Estates without becoming bored.

About the Author – My Dubai Stay is the largest operator of self-catering apartments in Dubai, offering a high quality service at terrific value. Many of our apartments are located within a close proximity to some of Dubai’s best golf courses allowing you to wake up and be on the first tee in no time.

Getting to Dubai is pretty straight forward, especially since many UK airports fly direct to this stunning location including Stansted, Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow International, Newcastle and Aberdeen. A flight from the UK usually takes around 7-8 hours.