Photo: Sephorah Benhamou

Dubai, its sun, its shopping malls, its luxury hotels and…. Its golf courses! A little over 6 hours by plane, I found myself in the middle of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and further south the small town of Al Ayin offer sumptuous golf courses, of impeccable beauty and maintenance.

Playing golf means having a taste for the technical challenge, for the beauty of the site and the aesthetics of the course. In the Emirates, I found it all with an exceptional welcome. First of all, we are taken care of by bag drop on arrival, heading for a magnificent club house. Go to the pro shop where you have reserved your tee and then go to the changing rooms where we are greeted by friendly, eager young women, who accompany you to your locker, in a setting worthy of the most beautiful spas. Then you collect your bags in the cart, equipped with a GPS, and head for the driving range where you can type balls at will, perfect your little game before tee time.

It's departure time, the team is very caring. If it is hot we will have taken care to cover the seat of the cart with a terry cloth. We offer you towels, cooler and bottles of water, a course booklet, sometimes even a pitch change with the acronym of golf, always with a friendly, warm and professional welcome.
Along the routes you will find cool water fountains, kiosks where you can order food and drink, which will be brought to you at the next departure. The dream !

Photo: Sephorah Benhamou

Admittedly, all this is not cheap, but paying a little more for such attentive service, frankly, I do not regret. In two brief stays I had the chance to play exceptional golf courses. I give you my preferences for the beauty of the site, its technicality. My favorite in Dubai is Troon Creek. Located on the side of Bur Dubai, the old quarter, it is both technical with very long pars (the 7, one by 4 index 2, is no less than 475 yards) - better to be a big hitter - and fairways and greens protected by many deep bunkers, lakes with fountains, reliefs. Really superb with its palm trees, its perfect grass with a soft touch. The club house in the lounge bar style on the edge of the green is a superb place to dine after a good game with the DJ in the background and the inevitable shisha if you are an amateur. The changing rooms are perfectly equipped, decorated and impeccably clean. And if you have a hard time, Cyril, the pro, is French!

Second, I loved Jumeirah, located near the district of the same name. He also offers many difficult bunkers. Bordered by trees, with a beautiful and peaceful design, it allows you to park the cart in the shade during departures and the view of the Bourj al Khalifat tower is just surreal. Here too all the facilities around are perfect, the bar restaurant upstairs offers a beautiful view of the course and the driving range. Perhaps a little less difficult than the Creek, Jumeirah nevertheless hosts the DP world tour championship, that says it all…. You have to come in November to see the best players in the world attracted by exceptional endowments.

Then still in Dubai, I found the Arabian Ranch very beautiful. Located on the edge of the desert 20 minutes from the center of Dubai, with a small charming hotel, directly on the golf course. Less trees, lots and lots of sand…. You have to get used to this particular touch. It was under construction during my visit and we imagine that it will be even more beautiful then, when the hills of shrubs have finished growing. A slightly more family-friendly welcome, always of the same quality and two bars on the ground floor to cool off after the trip.

Photo: Sephorah Benhamou

These three golf courses are bordered by superb overpriced villas… .. in a modern and oriental style which blends well with the colors of the desert next door. We only have one desire…. Stay there!

A little outside the city also on the racetrack, we played at night, it's a bit of his specialty, Meydan's 9 holes. Well lit, it is nonetheless difficult and offers great views of the city as well as many bodies of water. Better to play straight if you don't want to lose your ball in the water or in the reeds! Throughout the course we are accompanied by birds, cranes, egrets, it's superb ... We go to hole 1 after a long cart ride, the club house is next to the luxurious Meydan hotel, a popular hotel mainly by the locals, veiled women and men in Emirati white clothes, change of scenery guaranteed!

Then we left Dubai for the oasis of Al Ayin in the South. The highway lined with camels grazing on the rare grass is in itself a journey! Arrived at Danat resort, a superb resort with sports center, spa, swimming pool in exotic gardens, restaurant with music, all in the middle of the desert. We played the AESGC. Flatter and less challenging than the golf courses in Dubai. We go there for golf but also to visit palm oases and immerse ourselves in another world.

Photo: Sephorah Benhamou

Finally after 1h30 drive we are in Abu Dhabi. Very different, this emirate with more European proportions offers several golf courses. We chose Yas, a magnificent golf course by the sea, with long, rather difficult courses, you also have to play with the omnipresent wind. It also offers a compact 9-by-3 hole to familiarize yourself before facing the 18-hole course. Here luxury and perfection are at the rendezvous from the entrance of the club with its flowery oriental patio and refreshed by a body of water. And if you still have energy, just outside you can go to the Ferrari World to do a few laps behind the wheel of a racing car and play James Bond! Do not hesitate to stay for dinner at the Yas club house, the terrace under an awning will protect you from the sea breeze with a beautiful view of the course at the end of the day.
And already it's time to return… .. I have other golf courses to test for the next time…. Dubai remains full of surprises!

Difficult not to appreciate the Emirates, their contrasts, their luxury, their sense of perfection, without that I have ever found it ostentatious, and the climate if we go there before the month of May.
Air France or Emirates serve Dubai very well and the 6:30 am trip remains very bearable.

So ! Are we going to play together in the land of a thousand and one nights for the next season?

See you soon on Swing Féminin for other golf adventures!