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Golf History in the UAE | |
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Just 20 years ago the UAE would not have been considered a major golfing destination, but it is now an emerging global force. |
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| For many of us, 1983 seems like yesterday so it is incredible to think that it wasn’t really until the early 1980s that golf was promoted to a wider audience in the UAE. And, a little over 22 years later the region boasts some of the best golf courses in the world. Dubai undoubtedly leads the way with an impressive choice for the visiting golfer. Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek, The Montgomerie Dubai, the Desert Course at the Arabian Ranches, the Jebel Ali Resort Course, Al Badia Golf Resort at Festival City and the Nad Al Sheba Club are all first-class courses that have firmly established the region as a world-class golfing destination. The other Emirates are getting in on the act too, with superb facilities in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah offering fantastic opportunities for visitors to spread their wings further afield. Of course the locals would argue, quite rightly, that golf was being played in the UAE way back in the 1950s – when the Royal Air Force Course in Sharjah was founded. And in 1971 the Dubai Country Club officially opened, with a nine-hole sand golf course. Over the next two decades Dubai expanded beyond recogni- tion, as did its potential as a prime golfing destination. In 1983 the first PGA professionals arrived and then in 1988, the eyes of the world’s golfing media were turned on Dubai, with the opening of the incredible Emirates Golf Club. Just a year later, the Emirates Club’s Majlis course staged the first Dubai Desert Classic which was won by Mark James. The UAE was now firmly on the golf radar. Since those early days the Dubai Desert Classic has boasted an impressive winner’s circle that has included Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie, Thomas Björn and Mark O’Meara. The event has always attracted one of the strongest fields in world golf; even Tiger Woods has only managed a tie for second! There is no question that by attracting the planet’s best players, Dubai’s international reach became truly global. Dubai’s portfolio of golfing venues is absolutely stunning. The signature clubhouse at the Emirates Golf Club – modelled on Bedouin tents – remains the most eye-catching in the region and the Majlis and Wadi courses utilise the natural rolling desert terrain for a serious test. The Montgomerie course, which opened in 2002, is also a must-visit. It is a European-style layout that boasts 14 lakes and the largest green in world golf. At 58,000sq.ft, the green on the 13th hole has naturally attracted a great deal of publicity. Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital is also a golfing haven with the spectacular 36-hole Abu Dhabi Sheraton having hosted the European Seniors Tour on its National course. In addition, the Garden course features a floodlit back nine to allow year-round golf. Al Ghazal golf club has established itself as perhaps the world’s leading sand course and has hit the headlines in the past two years by staging the Abu Dhabi World Sand Golf Championship. Big name players like Nick Faldo, Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter have been attracted here to try this credible alternative to golf on grass. Another Emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, has recently cemented its place on the golfing circuit with the recently opened Tower Links Golf Course. The UAE may still be a young upstart as a golfing destination but it is growing up fast. In 2002, Dubai was voted the “Best Emerging Golf Destination” by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. The quality of the golf courses is on a par with the best in the world and the speed at which new projects are evolving it is clear that the region is on a roll. Right now, the UAE is a fantastic destination for any golfer. Imagine, though, what it will it will have to offer the travelling golfer in another 20 years from now. |
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