10 nights with breakfast at The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel including 4 Green Fees per person at The Els Club Dubai, Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Emirates Golf Club & Jumeirah Golf Estates

Ernie Els, a passionate fan of the great links courses of the United Kingdom, where he has even won two of his four major championships, created in 2008 the Els Club Dubai where he recreated some of these characteristics of British courses in a desert landscape. Thus was born a “desert links”, which was quickly acclaimed by professionals from the media world. The course is laid out in two nine-hole out-and-back loops over 6,800 metres and four sets of tees, giving players a choice of different lengths from which to play. The course offers players a challenging course, with pleasant undulations and strong elevation changes for visual and strategic interest. The vast arrangement of sandy waste areas and native grasses and vegetation between the wide fairways, along with a classic bunkering style, contribute to the links effect. However, it adds large water hazards on the 7th and 15th holes. Fabulous facilities include a bar, restaurant, 450 yard driving range, 2 short game greens and 3 practice bunkers.

Unique in Dubai for its desert Link style, the Arabian Ranches Golf Club is reminiscent of courses in Arizona or California’s Palm Springs, models for its designer, former player Ian Baker-Finch in association with Nicklaus Design. The course was built on 100 hectares of desert, with 26 hectares of immaculate grass and 20 hectares of native flora maintaining the desert look. The result was fairways and greens surrounded by dunes, sand banks and rough with sand and grasses that grow only in the desert offering a fascinating contrast for lovers of this type of golf course. The Par 72 course has a maximum length of 7000 metres with the greens renovated in 2019 to comply with USGA requirements, as well as having 5 different tee positions suitable for all levels of golfing ability. However, Arabian Ranches Golf Club has a few surprises in store for you, such as the spectacular long downhill par 3 17th, where you will have to aim straight, but it must be long and high to reach this majestic and treacherous green bordered by sand, a spectacular hole you will not soon forget. Facilities include a floodlit practice area, a short 9 hole par 3 course, ideal for beginners or for a quick practice round and a fully serviced Spanish Colonial style clubhouse with a few rooms if you want to get away from the big resorts.

Opened in 1988 and the first grass championship golf course in the Middle East, Emirates Golf Club features two world-class 18-hole courses, the Majlis which hosts the Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai Ladies Masters tournaments and the Faldo course (formerly Wadi), the only 18-hole course in the entire region that can be played at night. The Majlis course, Arabic for meeting place, has 6676 challenging yards and was built on ancient desert dunes (expect to play some balls on the sand) on the outskirts of Dubai keeping the desert flora in its most natural state. This Par 72 meanders through 7 fresh and salt water lakes and features large and fast greens. The new course, renamed “The Faldo” (2006) due to the redesign of champion Sir Nick Faldo, attracts players to the challenge of its 6448 meters, both day and night, thanks to the LED lights incorporated throughout the course. Its critical bunkers and 14 strategically placed lakes are a real challenge to cover the distances between the fairways and greens making this Par 73 course where strategy and accuracy are important to get a good score. Both golf courses share a striking Clubhouse, in the form of Bedouin tents, first class practice facilities and even a Par 3 Academy Course offering attractive challenges for novices or experienced players.

Known as the new Dubai, Jumeirah Golf Estates is a luxurious development set amidst two Greg Norman-designed golf courses. This community occupies some 1100 hectares of green space with luxurious homes, leisure facilities and the “Earth” and “Fire” courses rivalling the best golf destinations in the world. The Jumeirah complex is largely flat where the desert landscape has been transformed into a green oasis by a huge plantation of flora along the fairways. The “Earth” course, home of the Race to Dubai for more than a decade, where the best players of the year on the European Tour meet, was built in 2009 especially for this championship. Its slightly undulating fairways, water hazards, bunker placement and tree line provide a technical 18-hole course in a sumptuous setting. Play aggressively on the fairways and your scorecard will be bulging at the end of the round, but think strategically and you will find birdie opportunities. The 6507 metre course from the Champions Tee offers wide, but mostly undulating greens so your long putt shot will be put to the test. The final trio of holes are a spectacle, including the 17th hole surrounded by water, well worth the green fee. The “Fire” course, opened a year after its sister course “Earth”, offers a more varied, fun design and a greater number of holes that the amateur golfer can successfully complete. Its different tee positions offer multiple shot variations, although its large bunkers will be waiting for a hasty shot. Attacking the flag is not always the best option on this Par 72 course where the wind is present and if it is in your favour you can even dream of an “Eagle”. The Golf Club has a Club House, swimming pool with views of the Earth Course, a wide variety of recreational and aquatic activities as well as a wide gastronomic offer with culinary delights from all over the world. The golf academy is run by PGA-qualified instructors and the Pro-Shop is stocked with high quality items.