I've started playing more golf since we arrived in Dubai. There are several guys at the business school who play, and so it's a nice way to be social. The golf courses in the country are - for the most part - outstanding. Green fees range from about US$50 up to about $200. [Don't worry, I have a discounted membership at one of the golf clubs that brings down the cost considerably for me :) ].
The courses are worth the high green fees, though. The layouts are challenging, the courses are well-maintained, and the service is outstanding.
Now the fact that golf can be played at all is almost a miracle. The environment is pretty inhospitable, as you can see from the picture below. This is the Emirates Golf Course, the oldest in Dubai. This picture was taken the year the course opened, in 1987. The city has since grown up around the course. The course is still there and hosts the Dubai Desert Classic each year - a European PGA Tour tournament, and also one that consistently attracts the top Americans. A more recent picture of the course (with the cityscape) appears below.
And in case you're wondering just how much water it takes to turn the desert green like this, a recent article in The National, an Abu Dhabi newspaper, revealed that one of the courses there uses about 1.8 million gallons per day during the summer (and "only" 1.3 million per day during the winter).
The courses are worth the high green fees, though. The layouts are challenging, the courses are well-maintained, and the service is outstanding.
Now the fact that golf can be played at all is almost a miracle. The environment is pretty inhospitable, as you can see from the picture below. This is the Emirates Golf Course, the oldest in Dubai. This picture was taken the year the course opened, in 1987. The city has since grown up around the course. The course is still there and hosts the Dubai Desert Classic each year - a European PGA Tour tournament, and also one that consistently attracts the top Americans. A more recent picture of the course (with the cityscape) appears below.
And in case you're wondering just how much water it takes to turn the desert green like this, a recent article in The National, an Abu Dhabi newspaper, revealed that one of the courses there uses about 1.8 million gallons per day during the summer (and "only" 1.3 million per day during the winter).
That is breathtaking. I know my Bob would love the opportunity to play golf there.
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