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Experience

The Best Golf Courses in the Middle East

The best golf courses in the Middle East pair championship design with winter sunshine, from desert links in Abu Dhabi to clifftop fairways in Morocco. Here is our shortlist of the finest golf resorts and clubs, chosen for the quality of the course and the comfort around it.

Updated

At a glance

Golf at a glance

Best season
October to April
Green fees
From approximately US$150–US$400 at top courses
Tour events
Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Abu Dhabi Championship, DP World Tour Championship
Dress
Collared shirts and tailored shorts; check each club

Why golfers come here

Three decades ago there was barely a blade of grass in the Gulf. Today the region hosts several of the richest events on the DP World Tour, and its courses are designed by Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Kyle Phillips, Ernie Els and Greg Norman. Winter is ideal: dry, sunny and in the mid-70s Fahrenheit, while much of the US is cold.

A golf vacation here usually combines two or three courses with a beach resort. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the obvious bases, but Oman, Qatar, the Turkish coast at Belek and Morocco each offer world-class rounds. Start your planning with Dubai, Abu Dhabi or the finest resorts in the region.

A links fairway and bunkers running down to the blue waters of the Gulf at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Photo: Tashmetova808 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Our shortlist

Our shortlist of the finest courses

Emirates Golf Club – Majlis Course

Dubai, UAE

The first grass course in the Middle East and still the most famous, home of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Its Bedouin-tent clubhouse is a Dubai landmark.

Official site ↗

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

Dubai, UAE

A parkland course on the creek with a sail-shaped clubhouse and views across to the old city. Good for a relaxed round near Deira and the airport.

Official site ↗

Jumeirah Golf Estates – Earth Course

Dubai, UAE

Greg Norman's design hosts the season-ending DP World Tour Championship each November. Fast greens and big bunkers test every part of the game.

Dubai Hills Golf Club

Dubai, UAE

A modern championship course set below the Downtown skyline, with floodlit holes for evening rounds. Surrounded by some of Dubai's most sought-after villas.

Official site ↗

Al Zorah Golf Club

Ajman, UAE

A Nicklaus design threaded through mangroves on Ajman's coast, quiet and beautifully kept, about 30 minutes from Dubai.

Yas Links Abu Dhabi

Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Kyle Phillips' true links course on the water's edge, regularly ranked the best in the region. Several holes play right along the shoreline.

Official site ↗

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Gary Player's beachfront layout, where dolphins can sometimes be seen offshore. A short drive from the Louvre and the island's five-star resorts.

Official site ↗

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Long-time home of the Abu Dhabi Championship, now played at Yas Links, recognized by its falcon-shaped clubhouse. A demanding championship test.

Official site ↗

Doha Golf Club

Doha, Qatar

Qatar's championship course, carved through desert with seven lakes, and home of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Official site ↗

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia

A Saudi championship course on the Red Sea shore at King Abdullah Economic City, host of major tour events.

Official site ↗

Al Mouj Golf

Muscat, Oman

Greg Norman's links course on the Muscat coast, many holes running beside the Sea of Oman. Nearby, Ghala Valley Golf Club sits among the mountains.

Official site ↗

Royal Golf Dar Es Salam

Rabat, Morocco

A royal course set in cork-oak forest outside Rabat, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and host of the Trophée Hassan II. See our Rabat guide.

Official site ↗

Carya Golf Club

Belek, Türkiye

Belek's heathland-style course near Antalya, one of a dozen top courses on the Turkish Riviera. Use our Antalya guide to choose a resort.

Official site ↗

Montgomerie Maxx Royal

Belek, Türkiye

Colin Montgomerie's design at Belek's most luxurious all-inclusive resort, a favorite of European golfers in spring and autumn.

Official site ↗

Resorts and practical tips

Golf resorts and practical tips

Most clubs welcome visitors with a handicap certificate; book tee times directly with the club or through your hotel concierge. Morning tee times sell first in high season, and twilight rounds are a pleasure on floodlit courses. Rental clubs at the top courses are good quality, though serious golfers often bring their own on Gulf carriers, which usually carry golf bags as part of the allowance.

Golf also shapes the property market: many of the region's best villa communities, from Dubai Hills to Jumeirah Golf Estates, are built around fairways. If owning a home on the course appeals, see Dubai Luxury Real Estate.

Ultra-Luxury Real Estate · Own Here

From a stay to a home of your own

Across the Middle East, the finest resorts and the finest homes now sit side by side, and many international buyers own before they ever visit.

Ultra-Luxury Tourism & Ultra-Luxury Real Estate

Luxury Real Estate in the Middle EastEvery guide, country by country.The 66 TerritoriesEach with its Founding Partner Agency and Developer.Branded ResidencesHomes run to the standard of the world's finest hotels.Can Foreigners Buy Property?The rules in all fourteen countries.

Checked October 2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.