Golf
With fabulous courses carved out of the desert and along spectacular coastlines, a diversity of experiences characterise Abu Dhabi’s great golf offerings. Abu Dhabi golf courses allow you to enjoy a totally unique experience every day of the week. Whatever golf experience you’re looking for, whether it’s championship-ready parkland, ocean or links facilities, a gentle urban centre course, or an attempt at the emirate’s longest-hole, Abu Dhabi has got it all. Six pay-and-play courses – all with certified PGA professionals on the books – ensure variety and truly memorable playing, while some of the finest clubhouses deliver luxurious post-round relaxation.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Imagine taking in the calming sight of the brochure-blue sea, closing your eyes for a few moments, inhaling deeply and then taking your best shot. Discover new levels of peace while playing your best game at the undeniably stunning Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. A masterfully-designed course by professional golfer Gary Player for golfers of all levels, the carefully positioned tee boxes ensure the total yardage starts at 5,290.
Yas Links
On the west shores of Yas Island, Yas Links Abu Dhabi, an award-winning golf course designed by Kyle Phillips, one of the world’s leading golf-course architects – is Arabia’s only true links course, in line with the traditional links golf commonly associated with the coastal towns of Scotland and Ireland. Yas Links features a 7,450-yard par 72 course, utilising five teeing grounds per hole, with all 18 boasting breathtaking ocean views.
Abu Dhabi City Golf Club
Open to members and visitors, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club – which has the only two-tiered driving range in Abu Dhabi – sits conveniently in the heart of the city and is an ideal venue to escape the hustle and bustle, or cap off a day of business meetings or sightseeing. If you’re in the city for business and work late hours, you’ll be glad to know the overhead lights cater for tee-times until 9pm. There’s a notoriously difficult test through Holes 7-9. Dubbed Amen Corner by locals, the Par 3, Par 5 and Par 4 trio is arguably Abu Dhabi’s closest match to the harrowing Holes 11-13 stretch at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, designed by Peter Harradine in 1998, is a 27- Hole Championship course that opened its doors to golfers and non-golfers alike in May of 2000. The impressive clubhouse, built in the shape of a falcon with its wings outstretched, overlooks the golf course. With lush fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and generous greens, the 27-hole championship course has hosted 16 consecutive editions of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship.
Al Ghazal Golf Club
Enjoy a challenge that few golfing destinations can offer: sand golf. The uniqueness of Al Ghazal is not limited to the colour of its fairways; this eco-friendly course, which is an unofficial reserve for Abu Dhabi’s abundant natural fauna and surprising wildlife, even features an old falcon trap. This championship-length Par 71 has a good mix of tricky Par 3s, 4s and 5s, while the smooth ‘browns’ provide some of the truest putting surfaces anywhere.
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club
A spectacular addition to the Abu Dhabi golf scene, this Fry/Straka-designed golf course is situated at the heart of Yas Acres community. The world-class 3700-yard, 9-hole golf course serves up both a challenging game and a breathtaking backdrop for the community. The floodlit par-36 course will test golfers with its compelling contours and long holes, spanning 130 acres. A major design element of the golf course is a low, meandering ridgeline that runs through the centre.
Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club
In the shadow of the soaring Jebel Hafit mountain in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi’s lush garden city and heritage heartland, sits the area’s first 18-hole facility. With water in play on 12 holes, this serious but conquerable Par 71 course also includes the Arabian Gulf’s longest Par 5 – the mammoth 678-yard Hole 10. To complement the 18-hole mainstay, there’s also a floodlit, nine-hole, Par 3 Academy Course, ideal for a round of night golf.
