As the Arabian Gulf’s first and only ocean course, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club features several beach-front holes with spectacular views of the Gulf’s glittering, crystal blue waters. The home of the annual Saadiyat Beach Classic that attracts some of the world’s top golfers in a pro/celeb-am format is organically designed so that golfers don’t ever have to play the same hole twice.

Course Design

The course design has been set up to cater for all types of players starting at 5290 yards, going up to 7,806 yards, which allows the course to challenge the world’s leading golfers. A 317-acre par 72 beach / links style Championship golf course, it features three lakes and 67 bunkers.

The club’s 18-holes are of varying difficulty, from challenging par 3s with gently contoured greens, to par 5s with strategically positioned bunkers and water features aligning the immaculately shaped fairways.

The club’s practice facilities include a 15 acre long-game area including putting, chipping, bunker practice facilities with full lighting.

Practice Range

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, which is operated by Troon Golf, incorporates a distinguished practice range, as well as a Golf Academy and an iconic clubhouse. From the array of native grasses, to its sensitivity to local turtle habitat, the course has been designed to strict environmentally friendly guidelines and has just applied to become Audubon certified - an award winning education and certification programme that helps golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf.

The Golf Shop at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is also one of the Middle East’s first retail outlets to sell a complete range of eco-sensitive golfing apparel and equipment, from sustainable bamboo golf shirts to 100 per cent environmentally-friendly golf balls and fully biodegradable tees, to ensure you are ‘green on the greens’.

The Hawksbill Restaurant, named after the protected turtle species that use Saadiyat Island as a hatching spot, provides a truly unique dining experience and a refreshing alternative to the obligatory post-game venue for a quick bite and cool beverage.

The Golf Institute by Troon Golf at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is a custom-designed, state-of-the-art learning centre where all facets of your game can be worked on with our highly skilled instructors.

Unique Clubhouse

The centrepiece for Saadiyat Beach Golf Course will be the Frank Gehry-designed clubhouse which will boast unique design statements, which incorporate Saadiyat Island’s stunning natural beauty, to create an instantaneously recognisable international landmark.

The clubhouse, which is scheduled to be completed in 2012, overlooks the scenic Arabian coastline and will include a boutique hotel with 26 deluxe rooms, two restaurants, a spa and a pro-shop.

About MENA Golf Tour

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is all set to welcome the MENA Golf Tour players on September 25 for opening event of the tour which consists of the four tournaments.

The tournament, which carries a prize fund of $50,000, will set the tone for what promises to be an absorbing four weeks of golf.

A superb new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour seeks to create “new windows of playing opportunities” for all MENA ((Middle East and North Africa) national professionals and amateurs which will not only hone their golfing skills, but will also enhance the overall development of golf in the region.

The top three professionals and the leading amateur from the Order of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.

Affiliated to R&A, the worldwide golf governing body based at St Andrews, and the Arab Golf Federation, the tour is open to all MENA National and International Professional and Amateur golfers. The handicap limit for the amateur golfers is one and below on joining the tour as well as at the start of each tournament.

The starting field for a tournament will comprise 100 players, including invited MENA members and host countries. Of the 100 golfers, 60 per cent will be Professionals and the rest Amateurs. In the event of a tournament being oversubscribed, the first 90 (50 professionals and 40 amateurs) entries will automatically be accepted and the balance will compete in a pre-tournament qualifying event for the remaining 10 places (five professionals and five amateurs).

For more details and location please visit the club website www.sbgolfclub.ae