- Emirates Golf Club (Wadi Course)
- Reviewed by:
Review Summary:
It's good, but not as great as we were hoping. There are some very interesting holes - #13 and #14 are particularly memorable - but we prefer the Majlis Course and the very playable Dubai Creek. Definitely worth playing if you have the time, but if you're in Dubai on a short break then there are better options.
| Address | Dubai, UAE |
|---|---|
| 007 booking hotline | +852 2180 2963 or book-on-line |
| No. of Holes | 18 |
| Yardage/Par | 7,328 / 72 |
| Designer | Karl Litten; Extensive remodelling by Nick Faldo (2006) |
| Course Transport | Carts (GPS) or Walking |
Proshop / Scorecard / Restaurant
Introduction
The Wadi Course is the second course at Emirates Golf Club (the first being the Majlis which hosts the Dubai Desert Classic every year) and re-opened in October 2006 following extensive remodelling work by the Faldo Design Group. The club is conveniently located just 20 minutes away from the hotels and resorts of Jumeirah Beach. We stayed at the Mina A’ Salam(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) which, as you can see, is really rather nice (not cheap though!)
Fairway & Green maintenance
Very good, almost excellent. Will no doubt improve once the course matures a little.
Caddy Service & knowledge
You can hire caddies and walk or you can take the cheaper option and hire ultra-modern and sophisticated golf carts which you can drive on the fairway. Each golf cart features GPS which is just as well because there aren’t too many yardage markers on the course. Having said that, we’re not sure how accurate these GPS carts are, but you can get a yardage book from the pro shop if you don’t trust the things. We only say that because we lined two carts together from the same spot on the course and they both gave different yardages…….quite a few yards off in actual fact – would make a difference if we were really good players.
Course Design
Anyone who has played a Faldo-designed course before will know that the six-time major champ likes his bunkers. The Wadi Course is no different. The bunkers here are vast, numerous and a little different than the traditional style of trap. In fact, the fairway waste areas look like they’ve been carved out of the course by a drunk wielding an extra sharp pair of scissors. This is not meant as a criticism at all, because they’re certainly interesting to look at (and play out of), but their irregular shapes take a bit of getting used to. The greenside bunkers are relatively deep and feature extensive mounding.
Bunkers aside, there’s no doubt that Faldo has toughened up the course considerably. From the blue tee the layout measures a mean 6,900 yards so, unless you’re firing on all cylinders with your driver, it might make sense to swallow your pride and play from the whites which come in at a far more manageable 6,139 yards. The Arabic word wadi means a dry river bed which only contains water during times of heavy rain. Whether or not Faldo realized this or not is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: his ‘wadi’ is full of water. The wet stuff makes an appearance on the vast majority of holes, and it is very much in play meaning higher handicappers could well struggle.
The Wadi’s setting, while pleasant, is not quite as appealing as the Majlis with Dubai’s radpidly expanding skyscraper-dominated skyline making an appearance on several holes. The surrealness of the course continues as you drive around in your cart. This is the first place we’ve played that has traffic lights for cart driving golfers.
Photos
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The opening hole is fairly long and quite intimating because of a hugh waste area in front of the tee box. The approach needs to carry another waste area to an elevated green with water on the right. Bet you’re glad you warmed up on the range first!
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A long par-3 with water on the right.
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A ‘straight forward’ looking par-5. More water on the right.
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This is a short dogleg right with water on the right all the way to the green. Some fairly hideous real estate catches the eye here.
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Par-5. Lots of water, lots of sand. Avoid both.
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A long par-4 that doglegs slightly to the left. Need to carry the bunker on the left or play short of it. Green is elevated and surrounded by bunkers…needless to say, this is a tough hole.
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A dogleg right with a narrow landing area.
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The shortest hole on the course. Two big bunkers on the front and left. Long is better than short here.
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Longer hitters need to be careful here as the fairway runs out at about 260 yards. Second must be played over water to a fairly receptive green. Short, sweet and number 18 on the stroke index.
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An extremely long par-4. Bogey is never bad.
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Straightaway par-4 with waste areas on both sides of the fairway.
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A short par-3 but not that easy…..need to carry water and bunkers to a very narrow green.
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A fairly long par-5. It’ll take three good blows to reach this green in regulation.
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A very interesting hole. Waste area on the right side of the fairway and part the green is hidden behind a small mound. Water comes into play short right of the putting surface.
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This hole reminds me of the Shenzhen Golf Club. The green is elevated and well protected by bunkers.
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Another long par-5. The tee shot is straight forward but need to watch out on the second shot as water on the right is in play.
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This is a bit of a monster par-3. When we played the wind was against…almost impossible to hit the green.
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No let-up on the closing hole. Trouble everywhere, but you should be fully warmed up by now. Good hole.
007’s Rating
It’s good, but not as great as we were hoping. There are some very interesting holes – #13 and #14 are particularly memorable – but we prefer the Majlis Course and the very playable Dubai Creek. Definitely worth playing if you have the time, but if you’re in Dubai on a short break then there are better options.
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