Press Group selfie,
Abu Dhabi Golf Club
an oasis, just a fast 150 km away, coupled with two of
the world’s major airlines, Etihad and Emirates, offering
direct flights from just about anywhere, and that there
are local partners providing 7 night, 5 round packages
for around USD 1,000.00, make for a powerfully
attractive scenario.”
So there are three, but there is one more which can’t be
ignored despite the fact that it is a bit of a trek through
the desert and some jaw dropping sand dunes to the
town of Al Ain, an inland oasis full of palm groves and
natural springs. The Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf
Club is simply a blast.
Which brings me back to my first impressions of Abu
Dhabi. Al Ain was our first stop. Arriving late, we spent
a too short session on the perfectly maintained tee
at the massive practice range, I am not kidding, the
conditioning of the thing felt like they were closed for
months just waiting for our little group to appear. Next,
we moved over to the lighted Par three course for a fun
9 hole round on turf so lush that my travelling partner,
Zenta Thomas (Destination Golf representative in Asia),
who wasn’t playing, took off her shoes for the entire
round and luxuriated in the sensuous softness while
experiencing at one point, the sound of evening prayers
from the nearby mosque. We were all quite affected
by the thought of playing a game of the modern world
20
Destination Golf .TRAVEL
amidst the timeless sounds of the prayers. Our next day,
it was out to the regulation course for a solid round
on a pretty terrific, as in “pretty and terrific” course
that confirmed its status as well worth the drive and a
night’s stay. I have to say; the hospitality of the staff
was outstanding. Gavin Chappell does a fantastic job of
personalizing the experience including live scoring to
your home club, so friends can track your round. The
special treatment wasn’t just because there were a few
golf writers in our group. I spoke to several people from
different groups unrelated to our visit, who had exactly
the same experience. We were more than a little curious
about the camel racing facility and shooting center on
the grounds but alas, readers of this article who visit
with a little more time on there hands can explore that
activity themselves. I would have liked to have stayed
a little longer at this venue as the place has lots to see
and do aside from camel sprints. They include white
water rafting (seriously) surfing (they make perfect 3
meter+ waves!) Bronze Age tombs in an Archaeological
Park and a well-regarded car museum. This literal outlier
was a very pleasant surprise and we highly recommend
a couple of nights here as part of any itinerary to the
region.
So now that we have established Abu Dhabi’s golf chops,
here is the rest of the story. The place is splendid! Back