Emirates Golf Club: the first grass course in the Middle East

A grass course in the desert

Emirates Golf Club lies in Al Thanyah Third, Dubai, and is a 36-hole complex. It was built in 1988, with the clubhouse and facilities designed and delivered by the Dubai architects BSBG (Brewer Smith Brewer Group), and it is the first grass golf course in the Middle East.

The idea of a completely grassed championship course in Dubai came from two businessmen who lived in the city full time, the American Larry Trenary and the Briton George Atkinson. The course itself was designed by Trenary’s friend, the American architect Karl Litten, who was based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Emirates Golf Club was the first grass golf course in the Middle East, and its clubhouse and facilities were designed by a Dubai practice.

From sand dunes to fairways

Litten’s first visit to Dubai was to evaluate and design a course for the property around the Jebel Ali Beach Hotel, to the south of the city. That plan stalled, and years later it was presented, together with a second Litten design much closer to the city, to the ruling family of Dubai.

Approval followed, and approximately 175 acres (71 ha) of sand dunes were designated for the golf course, clubhouse, majlis and maintenance area, a few miles out of the city centre. The complex was finished and open for business in 1988.

At the opening a guest of honour was presented with a solid golf tee and a golf club with a gold shaft, to hit the very first ball. The drive travelled about 200 yards (180 m) down the middle of the driving range, in front of a large crowd.

The Dubai Desert Classic

The Majlis course is where the Dubai Desert Classic is played, a European Tour event. Founded in 1989, it was the first European Tour event to be staged in the Arabian Peninsula. In 1999 and 2000 it was held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club instead.

The tournament is part of a wider strategy to develop both professional and casual golf tourism in Dubai. It has historically had one of the strongest fields on the European Tour, and is now one of six European Tour events staged on the Arabian Peninsula. On 26 January 2020 Lucas Herbert of Australia won the final here.

In September 2021 the event was added to the Rolex Series, and in January 2023 it was confirmed that Hero MotoCorp would become its title sponsor from that year.

The 1995 edition is notable as the first live event broadcast on the Golf Channel, an American pay-television network. The Omega Dubai Ladies Classic, a Ladies European Tour event, is also played at the club.

Our advice: check with the club about visitor access ahead of time, and if you want to see the course in tournament mode, plan a trip around the Dubai Desert Classic, which has been played here since 1989.