Dubai has a reputation problem among serious golfers. It is seen, not entirely unfairly, as a destination for people who want to post photographs of themselves next to expensive cars rather than to play meaningful golf.
This reputation is wrong, specifically between December and February, when the emirate offers some of the finest golf conditions in the world at temperatures that are otherwise unavailable to British golfers anywhere closer than a 10-hour flight.
The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates is the flagship. It's a Greg Norman design that has hosted the European Tour's season-ending Race to Dubai finale since 2009. The course is wide enough to be forgiving for mid-handicappers and complex enough to demand respect from low handicappers. In December it plays at 26°C under clear blue skies. If you've spent November hacking through mud at your home course, the Earth Course in December is close to a spiritual experience.
Yas Links in Abu Dhabi — a 45-minute drive from Dubai — is the counterpart that elevates the trip. It opened in 2010 and is consistently ranked in the top 50 courses in the world. It is a true links course: an anomaly in the Gulf, and a brilliant one. The wind off the Arabian Gulf can make it genuinely challenging. It is, in my view, the better of the two courses in terms of pure architecture.
The logistics: Dubai is 7 hours from London. Time zone is GMT+4. Jet lag is minimal. The flight is comfortable on any major carrier. Emirates makes it seamless. January is the peak month for Dubai golf — book hotel and tee times 3–4 months in advance.
The honest cost: flights £500–800pp return. Dubai hotel £180–250 per night (5-star, downtown or golf resort). Tee times £100–180 per round. A 5-night trip, 3 rounds, is approximately £2,200–£2,800pp all in. This is not budget travel, but for what is on offer in January, it is fair value.
One more option: Abu Dhabi Golf Club's National Course is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship venue and is slightly cheaper and slightly less busy than the Earth Course. It rounds out a 5-round UAE trip beautifully if you want variety beyond the two headline courses.
James Kinloch
Golf Travel Specialist · View profile →
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