Yas Links Golf
Yas Links golf cart
We recently traveled to Abu Dhabi as part of a group of
40 invited guests (a contingency of golf tour operators,
golf travel writers, golf photographers from all over
the globe) courtesy of a switched-on group of golf
and related businesses who, with the full support
of Department of Culture and Tourism and the Abu
Dhabi Sports Council, showcased its fully integrated
tourism offering spanning golf, entertainment, luxury
accommodations, and extensive leisure activities. A trip
that would span 4 days, 4 rounds of day golf, 2 rounds of
night golf, 4 nights at a wide range of hotels, and exotic
side trips.
Ok with the official mission statement out of the way…
my mission begins.
There is an enigmatic essence to Abu Dhabi. It first
came over me shortly after striking out through the
spectacular dunes between the airport and our first
stop, Al Ain. Barren from a distance, seemingly without
hint of life, yet mercurial in their lifelike and constant
shifting, my problems shrank into bug like insignificance
and opened my mind to something much bigger. It is
no wonder that some of the worlds greatest ancient
philosophers were born of the desert. Clearly, this was
not going to be your run of the mill destination review.
Inevitable visions of “Lawrence” aside, it seemed fitting
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Destination Golf .TRAVEL
that the trip would begin at the inland oasis of Al Ain.
This refuge provided the essence of life in the desert
for millennia, now it provides the life force of another
inexorable re-creation of a desert commerce. Fitting,
as this whole place is crisscrossed with ghosts of 12th
century silk road caravans.
The current incarnation, however, is far different from
any of the previous ones.
In golf travel circles, the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi
has been long treated as a distant cousin to Dubai. Yes,
no doubt that Dubai is wonderful in its excessiveness,
but for a first-rate golf holiday that is out of the
ordinary and offers a dizzying array of experiences from
soothing to extreme and everything in between on a
moment’s notice, I will be looking to Abu Dhabi for a
whole lot of reasons.
From the history to the culture to the pace of life, there
is so much in Abu Dahbi to explore. But, for golfers
the first thing to mention is that the city meets the
traveling golfer’s gold standard of having three golf
courses within a half hour or so of each other that are
all worthy of more than just a round or two or three.
The star of the show is Yas Links. Conducted by my