Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

The sixth hole gives a clear sense of the task at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Salt water runs the full length of its right side, asking for a committed tee shot rather than a cautious one. Across the 18 hole, par 71 Championship Course, water remains a regular consideration, with the Creek influencing four holes and lakes coming into play elsewhere. Fairways rise and fall through shaped mounding, while date palms define lines from the tee and sharpen the sense of where a miss may finish. From the back markers the course measures 6,857 yards, so there is enough length to test stronger players, but its interest lies as much in positioning and approach play as brute distance.

The finish deserves attention. Both the 17th and 18th are par fours with the Creek running along the left, and the final hole adds a long bunker on the right, further water beyond it and a green with distinct tiers and slopes. It is a closing stretch where a good score is still very much in play, provided the ball is placed on the right side of each fairway and the approach is judged carefully. Thomas Bjørn’s redesign has helped give the layout its modern shape, while the club’s earlier role as host of the European Tour Desert Classic in 1999 and 2000 reflects the standard of the test.

After the main round, the floodlit nine hole par three course stays open daily from 7am until 10pm. It works well for an evening loop, a short game session or a gentler introduction to the club’s golfing facilities. The Peter Cowen Golf Academy provides coaching support, while the sail-shaped clubhouse, designed around the form of a traditional Arab dhow sail, is home to restaurants for a meal and a drink overlooking the waterfront.