215 - Dubai Creek

Location: Dubai, UAE

Rating: 8.3

What do you do when you have an 8 hour layover in Dubai? Head to the golf course, of course!

Travelling from Cape Town to Edinburgh via Dubai, I had a short stopover and thought what better way to use the time than be stuck in an airport. I rung up a few and luckily Dubai Creek had a slot available this Friday morning for a shotgun start and being just a week before the Dubai Desert Classic, there was actually a famous name in the field.

Set in the heart of this bustling metropolis and running alongside the creatively named Dubai Creek river, the course offers a nice release to some tranquility amidst all the chaos.

The professionalism of the club is clear from the outset. As you arrive one of the staff is ready to greet you, I had a travel bag with me and they were kind enough to look after it. Upon check in at the front desk you are provided with a key for your locker and a complimentary water bottle. A really nice touch!

Once you are changed and ready to experience the heat of the desert you can head out to the practice facilities which are exceptional. There’s a big wide open driving range, big chipping green and huge putting green. It could almost fit the full playing field on at the same time.

Heading out on the course we were in our assigned buggies, wouldn’t recommend walking in that heat. Even at 7:30am it was starting to get incredibly warm.

Out on the course and it is a really nice design, loads of cool and interesting holes, most independent of each other. The 6th hole has a really cool floating tee box to a fairly narrow fairway and the final stretch of holes are pretty tough with the river running down the left hand side, returning you back to that iconic clubhouse which I’m sure we’ve all seen on TV.

A really enjoyable (albeit very expensive) experience on a course in superb condition. I was lucky enough to play with two members and everyone throughout the day was incredibly friendly and helpful.