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their card: the creek is all the way up the<br />
left of the short par-4 17th and then<br />
seems to be forever in your mind on 18,<br />
but especially on the approach.<br />
As at the Majlis, the clubhouse is<br />
notable, its design mirroring the sails<br />
of the Arab dhow. As well as excellent<br />
golfers’ grub, at Dubai Creek you will also<br />
enjoy the proactive and efficient, but never<br />
overly fussy, service of the staff.<br />
Jumeirah (Earth)<br />
Well known as the home to the DP<br />
World Tour Championship, it is<br />
everything you would expect from a bigbudget<br />
championship course.<br />
This Greg Norman design at this<br />
European Tour Properties venue<br />
categorically looks the part; undulating<br />
fairways punctuated by white-sand<br />
bunkers and framed by deep-red ochre<br />
borders and mature trees and shrubs.<br />
But it is also a beast at times and is not<br />
overly forgiving. There are blind shots, it<br />
is a long way round, and you are often<br />
hitting to flag on elevated greens beyond<br />
enormous bunkers. It is a step up in<br />
difficulty compared to the Majlis, with<br />
more penal clover-shaped bunkers (that<br />
you often can’t see over the top of), quite<br />
a lot of slope in the greens and evil run<br />
offs around them. Many will absolutely<br />
relish the challenge though, especially a<br />
strong finish that sees the last four holes<br />
play alongside or over water.<br />
The 18th sees a meandering creek run<br />
the full length of the hole, splitting the<br />
fairway in two. A plaque marks the spot<br />
where Henrik Stenson hit an imperious<br />
3-wood to win the 2013 event here; we<br />
can only look on and shake our heads.<br />
Highlights include the 13th, like a<br />
sun-kissed version of the same hole at<br />
Muirfield, while the 15th is akin to Chart<br />
Hills in terms of bewildering bunkering.<br />
Then the 17th is the notoriously noisy<br />
hole in the Race to Dubai finale, with a<br />
raucous stand to the left of the island<br />
green. Finally, the practice facilities here –<br />
part of the ETPI – are without peer.<br />
Emirates (Faldo)<br />
Opened in 1996, it was originally nine<br />
holes and named ‘The Wadi’, from the<br />
Home to the DP World Tour<br />
Championship, the Earth Course<br />
both looks and plays the part.<br />
4<br />
PLACES TO PLAY<br />
These courses aren’t in<br />
Dubai, but are all within<br />
an hour’s drive.<br />
1 Al Zorah<br />
It is a brand-new<br />
course in Ajman,<br />
25 minutes to the<br />
north-east of Dubai.<br />
A Nicklaus Design,<br />
the tidal scenario<br />
changes how<br />
several holes play<br />
depending if they’re<br />
played in morning<br />
or afternoon.<br />
2 Tower Links<br />
In the chilled-out<br />
Ras Al Khaimah<br />
area, it sits in a<br />
marshland of reeds<br />
and mangrove. It is<br />
a good test – but<br />
less championship<br />
golf more charm –<br />
with a lot of humps<br />
and hollows, dog-<br />
legs and slopes.<br />
3 Al Hamra<br />
Also in Ras Al<br />
Khaimah, an hour<br />
from Dubai, there is<br />
also great charm to<br />
it. Surrounded by<br />
waterways, the last<br />
is one of the best<br />
holes in the<br />
emirates, with water<br />
all the way up the<br />
right-hand side.<br />
4 Sharjah<br />
A nine-hole, fully<br />
floodlit course by<br />
Peter Harradine that<br />
can extend to over<br />
7,000 yards across<br />
two loops. Half an<br />
hour from Dubai, it<br />
boasts lots of water<br />
features, wide<br />
fairways and large<br />
bunkers.<br />
114<br />
Golf World May 20<strong>16</strong>
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