Dubai boasts a vibrant golf scene, with plenty of courses and high-profile professional golf tournaments making it the perfect place for golf enthusiasts. Professional and amateur Nigerian golfers interested in playing golf in the city will be spoilt for choice with the array of tantalising offers. Golfing in Dubai, like shopping, the favourite pastime in the city is at the tourist’s convenience.
All 12 golf courses in Dubai are within close range of one another. You can move from one course to another within 25 minutes. What’s more, the city’s golfing proposition is available throughout the year and a consummate golfer can play from day till night.
If you are a big fan of the game, you can also enjoy a front-row view of world-class golf in Dubai at a budget-friendly price. The DP World Tour Championships is a free-to-attend event while the Omega Dubai Desert Classic is accessible at 75AED (N7, 392).
Nigerian golfers, pro and amateurs can fly in their golf equipment by travelling via Emirates. The airline accepts golf equipment, including golf clubs as part of your standard baggage allowance, though total dimensions (length + width + height) of the entire sporting equipment must not exceed 300cm (118 inches).
Those who would rather buy their golf kit and paraphernalia can purchase custom-fitted clubs, bags, apparel or accessories at eGolf Megastore––UAE’s largest golf retailer serving golfers since 2011––where new and pre-owned equipment can be procured at affordable prices and online purchases are delivered to buyers anywhere in Dubai within 24 hours. They also offer a trade-in service on your unwanted clubs as part of your purchase.
It is also instructive to know that Dubai hosts many golfing events annually. One of these is the DP World Tour Championships, a prestigious golfing tournament that marks the end of the European Tour Race and invites the leading 50 players to take to the greens for a highly competitive match with a prize fund of $8 million.
The five-star sporting event in the scenic Jumeirah Golf Estates is a key fixture in Dubai’s golf calendar and makes the most of Dubai’s fabulous winter weather. This year’s edition, from November 21 to 24, is expected to welcome some of golf’s biggest stars, including two-time winner Rory McIlroy and last year’s winner Danny Willett – all vying for a $3 million prize, the highest in golfing history.
Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic is another important golfing event in the city. The first full Ladies European Tour event ever to be played in the Middle East, the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic is the flagship tournament on the Ladies European Tour and the world’s first professional day-night golf tournament. It will feature the top players in the circuit, including last year’s winner Nuria Iturrios, as well as Cheyenne Woods, Caroline Hedwall and Esther Henseleit amongst others in November 2020.
Notable golf courses in the city include Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club––a par-71 course whose features include undulating fairways, demarcated by mounds, date and palm trees and water––and JA The Resort, a champion-standard 9-hole Par 35 golf course, located within the grounds of JA The Resort in Jebel Ali, with unique landscape graced by the presence of peacocks, guinea fowl, partridges and occasional Arabian gazelle roaming the fairways.
Other courses to look out for are Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Jumeirah Golf Estates and Emirates Golf Club. Those desirous of an upscale experience can check out The Address Montgomerie Dubai, The Els Club and of course, Trump International Golf Club.
Dubai Hills Golf Club, the newest entrant to Dubai’s golfing scene is an18-hole par-72 championship course that spans 7,283 yards. The course meanders through a series of valleys and wadis with Downtown Dubai as its backdrop.