Your Golf Travel - Extraordinary Golf Experiences - Flipbook - Page 13
Destination Dubai
DEFINED BY VARIETY AND OPULENCE,
ON AND OFF THE COURSE
With its emerald green fairways set
against a sandy oasis, as well as a
towering city skyline, golf in Dubai
turns landscape logic on its head.
However, if you’re after top class
links under cloudless skies, with
a heavy dose of pampered luxury,
then the UAE’s party capital ticks
plenty of boxes.
Words by Nick Bayly
For an understanding of Dubai’s
immense commitment to attracting
visitors to its sandy shores, you
needn’t look further than the city’s
real snow indoor ski slope. Despite
snowfall being highly irregular in
the UAE, if people want to ski when
the outside temperature is over 100
degrees, then they absolutely can.
The same principle has been applied
to almost every other aspect of human
existence in the United Arab Emirates,
especially golf, which partially explains
why, in a country where fresh water is
just as valuable a commodity as the oil
that has funded all the development,
golf courses have been built at such
an incredible rate.
With golf now a hugely popular
addition to holidays in the UAE,
Dubai’s rulers would rather you played
here than anywhere else in the world.
You want to see the Pyramids or climb
the Eiffel Tower? Don’t bother going
to Egypt or France, just book a flight
to Dubai. Want to eat in a Gordon
Ramsay restaurant, drink vodka in
an ice bar, sleep underwater, bathe
in goat’s milk, skydive over a manmade island, or watch Little Mix in
concert? You’ve guessed it, come to
Dubai. Golf’s growth in Dubai has,
not surprisingly, mirrored that of the
explosion of the expat community,
which currently represents over 90
percent of the total population of two
million. Many of the UAE’s 20-plus
golf clubs, a dozen or so located
in Dubai itself, survive on a steady
supply or corporate outings, a few
local members and a growing number
of travelling golfers, who can jump on
a plane from the UK and be playing
championship courses in just six
hours.
One thing golfers visiting Dubai can
be assured of is never having to worry
about rain affecting their round. During
the summer months, especially July
and August, temperatures regularly
push past 50 degrees Celsius, which
can be too hot for most to hit the
course. Thankfully, golfing authorities
in Dubai thought this through and have
built a number of courses which can
be played at night under floodlights,
making for more sensible golfing
temperatures.
Due to its location where East meets
West, Dubai has carved itself out a
unique place on the golfing map. It’s
home to a growing number of tour
yourgolftravel.com // 0800 193 6628 // Dubai
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