Great year-round weather, fantastic resorts and courses designed by legendary names like Sir Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Ernie Els have made Dubai a bucket-list destination for golfers.
Millions of tourists from across the globe visit Dubai each year to enjoy the sunshine, shopping and family fun. Discover Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, the Bastakia quarter, The Palms, Ski Dubai, Dubai Mall and Wild Wadi Waterpark, as well as the world-class service and facilities. Here’s our quick guide about where to stay, and play.
St. Regis Downtown
Opened in 2021 and located on the expansive Dubai Water Canal, the five-star St. Regis Downtown is a short walk to the world’s largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall, and has amazing views of the Burj Khalifa. Infinity pools, a luxury spa, top-class dining options and the legendary St Regis butler service come as standard, as well as the famous brunches.
One & Only Royal Mirage at Jumeirah Beach
Five-star resort on a stretch of pure white sand facing the bay of Palm Island, overlooking the Arabian Gulf. This Arabian style resort is made up of three distinct areas, The Palace, Arabian Court and Residence & Spa, each with unique rooms and several themed restaurants. With fantastic dining and oasis-like swimming pools, this is the ideal location for a luxurious golf holiday.
Park Hyatt Dubai
Five-star luxury waterfront retreat which sits adjacent to the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. It’s minutes away from the city centre and world-class shopping, and The Majlis and The Montgomerie Golf are among several courses nearby. It’s a low-rise, sprawling resort boasting a 100-yard infinity lagoon leading into a beautiful private sandy beach, an award-winning spa, luxurious rooms and suites facing the creek and marina, and several top-class restaurants. It’s ideal for an opulent, indulgent trip.
The Address Montgomerie Dubai Golf Resort & Spa
Surrounded by the villas in one of Dubai’s most luxurious residential areas, Emirates Hills, this five-star boutique hotel is ideal for golfers looking to get away from the busy town centre. The rooms are luxurious, and there’s only 21 of them giving this resort a private and secluded feel. There’s a deluxe spa, outdoor pool, four restaurants, and an on-site 18-hole championship golf course.
The Championship Course at Montgomerie Golf Club
Part of The Address Montgomerie Dubai Golf Resort & Spa, this is a links-style course that encompasses over 265 acres, about a third of which is beautiful landscaped gardens. Designed by Scottish golfing legend Colin Montgomerie the course features 114 lakes, 81 large bunkers, huge and speedy greens and highly manicured fairways. Typical of many golf courses in the area, the views of the Dubai skyline are breathtaking.
Dubai Creek
The 18-hole layout at Dubai Creek is one of Dubai’s flagship golf courses. Opened in 1993, it has gone on to receive international acclaim and has twice hosted the Dubai Desert Classic. A course named after the mass of water it sits beside, it’s blessed with fairways like carpets. The attention to detail is high class and the fantastic final two holes will live long in the memory.
Emirates Golf Club – Majlis Course
The flagship course at Emirates Golf Club, the Majlis was the first grass course in the Middle East and now hosts the Desert Dubai Classic on the DP World Tour. Undoubtedly one of the finest venues in the United Arab Emirates, it’s set against the dramatic backdrop of Dubai’s iconic skyline. Desert dunes frame the course, with salt water lakes forming the primary hazard on several of the holes. The daunting closing hole with lakes and a bow-tie shaped green provides a memorable finish.
Faldo at Emirates Golf Club
The Majlis Course is world famous, but its sister course, the Faldo, re-designed by six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo in 2005, has emerged from its shadow, particularly at night. It’s fully floodlit thanks to LED floodlights throughout the course and it’s Dubai’s only 18-hole night course, with the city’s glittering lit up skyline acting as a dramatic backdrop on several holes. There’s plentiful bunkering, wide fairways, large greens, and 14 smartly positioned lakes. This par-72 course has proved to be immensely popular with tourists.
Jumeirah Golf Estates – Earth & Fire
Greg Norman’s first Middle East design, the Earth Course is part of the prestigious Jumeirah Golf Estates, a huge residential golf complex. Each year, the course hosts the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, the climax of the Race to Dubai. Norman called the last four holes, played alongside or over water culminating in a meandering creek running the full length of the final hole, “the most challenging mile in golf”. It’s a parkland-style course with rolling fairways and brilliant white bunkering.
The Fire Course is less famous than Earth but is nonetheless highly regarded due its risk-reward layout, manicured fairways and great variety of holes. It has brilliant views of the surrounding complex and plays slightly easier than its older sibling with lower set greens and less punishing bunkers. It’s also more wild and rugged with a links-like feel.
The Els Club
From comprehensive facilities to an immaculate and superbly-designed golf course, The Els Club is a treat. Four-time major winner Ernie Els took inspiration from some of his favourite courses in the world when putting the layout together. The bunkers on the second hole are like those of Royal Melbourne, the greens are reminiscent of Pinehurst No. 2, and the general links-style set-up has a British feel to it.
It is such a beautiful Golf Club.