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Field of dreams Even with Dubai's ever-changing skyline, the formidable Emirates Golf Club still commands the respect it has earned over the years as the original 'desert miracle'. |
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| With two championship 18-hole courses, a testing 9-hole course, two large floodlit driving ranges, excellent shortgame practice facilities, floodlit tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, various dining facilities, squash courts, exercise studio and a fully equipped gymnasium, the Emirates Golf Club is in many respects the Wentworth of the Middle East. The clubhouse design of Bedouin tents provides the core image of golf in Dubai. This is due to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who donated the land for the building of this impressive course and thus paved the way for golf in the region. Within a year of opening, the Majlis course hosted the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic in February 1989. This European Tour event boasts five Major champions in Ballesteros, O’Meara, Els, Olazábal and Woods among its list of winners. The indigenous desert flora makes the course picturesque, and the large greens make it formidable. There is little let up and you are kept thinking right to the 18th where a good drive on the large dogleg sets up a major water carry to the green. This has witnessed both inspirational and watery finishes at the 16 Dubai Desert Classics so far. The second course here is the Wadi by Faldo. This provides a test for both experienced and lesser golfers. A feature to this course is the wadi (‘valley’) which weaves its way throughout the design and adds character to the layout. This is a course that never lets you relax. True to Nick Faldo’s golfing philosophy, you are forced to think about every shot. |
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