Rory McIlroy. Getty Images

Have you secured your Yas Island Golf Staycation yet?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to compete on these two great golf courses and enjoy a night’s stay with evening brunch & breakfast included.

FOR ONLY AED 1,295 you and your friend will get:

• One spot in nine-hole tournament (individual stableford format) at Yas Acres Golf & Country Club with 5pm shotgun on Friday June 9
• Evening brunch for two with house beverages at Stills
• Overnight stay for two at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi – Yas Island
• On Saturday June 10, breakfast for two at Jing Asia & one spot in 18-hole tournament (individual stableford format) at Yas Island Abu Dhabi

Book now to secure your spot before it’s too late. Time is running out, so act fast!

The post Play & Stay: Now you can win a Pro-Am spot at the 2024 Dubai Desert Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Saadiyat Beach GC is Gary Player’s ever-challenging coastal gem in Abu Dhabi, with the monster 16th giving players fond memories — or nightmares.

The 16th hole at Saadiyat Beach

Yas Links Abu Dhabi is the famed home of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and it has its memorable challenges, too, including the signature 15th, which is the start of one of the toughest stretches of finishing holes in the Middle East, invariably playing straight into the prevailing wind that sweeps across Yas Island.

The 15th hole at Yas Links Abu Dhabi

Yas Acres is the newest arrival on the UAE golfing scene and has quickly gained popularity with its fully-floodlit course offering a challenging test for golfers of all standards day or night.

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club

With an early-bird offer, customers are able to sign-up before May 15 to receive:

• 2 x 18-hole midweek vouchers valid at the home club until December 31.
• Viya Golf Rates at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Yas Links Abu Dhabi & Yas Acres Golf & Country Club between May 15 and 31.
• Membership Benefits:
• Seven days’ access to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s 18-hole championship golf course and practice facilities from the start of June to the end of September.
• Discounted golf rates at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club.
• Summer Golf Pass holders’ guests receive member-guest golf rates at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club.
• All Saadiyat Beach Golf Club Summer Golf Pass holders will avail complimentary access at Yas Links Abu Dhabi during the dates of golf course maintenance.
• 20 per cent discount across Viya Golf & Dubai Golf restaurants including Hawksbill at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Hickory’s Restaurant at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Roots Bar & Kitchen, Acres Grill House and The Black Room at Yas Acres.
• Earn 5 per cent back in Viya Rewards Points on every spend.
• 10 per cent discount on hardware and 15 per cent discount on soft goods at Viya Golf Proshops.
• Access to club golf tournaments for official EGF Handicap holders.
• Member Profile on Viya App with up to 10 per cent back in spendable points to use across over 100 locations across the UAE.
• Special full memberships offer for all Summer Golf Pass Holders.

Where: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi

Sign up: www.viyagolf.com/saadiyat/membership/summerpass

The post Summer-time is here with Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi Golf Pass appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Yas Acres Weekender has teed up a perfect way to take an extra day off to help celebrate its grand opening, where you can spend some time with the family, while still getting out on the course, either as a player or spectator.

From Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 October, the Yas Acres Weekender offers four days of family-fuelled fun at the newest golf club in the UAE portfolio on Yas Island, with activities and events including golf, padel tennis, watersports — alongside the launch of the club’s two new restaurants and the Big Acres Brunch

With something for everyone, there are some not-to-be-ignored offers in place over the weekend, including discounted rates on golf, starting from AED200 with drinks included. There is also a 9-hole Ladies Day on Saturday, with pre- and post-game coffee, snacks and fizz. There is a real treat on Sunday with the Festival of Golf, which is free to enter and includes a 7am Par 3 tournament, followed by a long-drive event, nearest-the-pin challenge and putting competition.

Away from the course there is a 50-per-cent discount on padel tennis each day and the Saturday kids’ pool party. There will also be a craft market and plenty of kids activities.

With the kids well fed and rested, Sunday sees the launch of the Acres Big Brunch from 12.30pm-3pm, along with the ever-popular Picnic on the Range, which opens at 8am and starts at AED50 per person.

For those not in the know, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club opened earlier this year on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and has quickly earned a reputation for golfers of all abilities, thanks to its 9/18-hole layout and a nifty floodlit set-up to help avoid the heat.

The Yas Acres Weekender will let visitors see the full facilities the Country Club has to offer, as the official grand opening also marks the launch two new F&B outlets: Acres Grill House and The Black Room, with music and refreshments to suit all tastes.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s on offer over the four-day bonanza:
Thursday
All-day Al Forno at Roots, 9am-10pm
Yas Links Ladies v Saadiyat Ladies
Complimentary padel clinics and tournament, 5pm-8pm
The Black Room launch, 7pm-10pm
Friday
All-day Al Forno at Roots,  9am-10pm
Kids art & crafts corner, 5pm-7pm
Society Championships, 5pm shotgun start
Yas Acres Grill House launch, 5pm-11pm
Pitching challenge, 5pm-7pm

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club offers activities such as swimming, padel tennis and a gymnasium

Saturday
All-day Al Forno at Roots, 9am-10pm
Craft market, 11am-8pm
Ladies Golf Day, 9am shotgun start
Kids Pool Day (free entry 12 and below), 11am-3pm
Viya Golf & Dubai Golf Challenge, 1pm-5pm
Sunday — Community Day
Picnic on the Range, 8am-10pm
Par 3 Challenge, 7am-10.30pm
Long Drive Challenge, noon-2pm.
Nearest to the Pin Challenge, 3pm-5pm.
Putting Challenge, 3pm-5pm
All-day Al Forno at Roots, 9am-10pm
Acres Big Brunch with live music and kids’ entertainment,12.30pm-3.30pm

What
Yas Acres Long Weekender
Where
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
When
Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 October

More info: viyagolf.com/weekender

You may also like: 
Viya’s Christopher May on portfolio expansion
Yas Acres joins the club

The post Something for the Weekend at Yas Acres Golf & Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith

Clash of the captains

Emirates Golf Club celebrated its annual Captains Matchplay Challenge which saw 32 pairings compete for the title, representing either Amarjeet Radia’s Lady Captains Team or Abdulfattah Sharaf’s Men’s Captains Team. It was the Lady Captains team who were victorious by four points, prevailing 10.5-7.5.

New-look in Ajman

The Al Zorah clubhouse design

There was some exciting news out of Ajman as construction work began at the clubhouse at Al Zorah Golf Club, with the aim of transforming it into the leading tourist and golfing destination in the northern Emirates. The clubhouse at the Troon-managed course will offer full leisure facilities, including a gym, golf shop, tennis courts and swimming pool, plus food and beverage outlets will offer visitors a choice to dine, socialise and relax within the club.

Dubai Ladies take centre stage

Sara Chadwick, Jacqueline de Vries and Sheila McIlroy won the Park Hyatt Dubai Ladies at Jumeirah Golf Estates

Jumeirah Golf Estates hosted The Park Hyatt Dubai Ladies in a three-player cha-cha-cha format over the Fire Course. The format is the best score on hole 1, best 2 scores on hole 2, best 3 scores on hole 3 back to best score on hole 4 and so on. Sheila McIlroy, Sara Chadwick, and Jacqueline de Vries came up with the goods to win with 79 points (7-under), ahead of Trudi McMullan, Rim Sun Lee, and Anna Abbott with 77 points.

Success at Yas Acres

Mousa Shana’ah triumphed at Yas Acres

Over at Yas Acres, Mousa Shana’ah overcame Ji Li, Paul Rezko and Jonathan Selvaraj to win the Gem International Amateur Golf Tour by a commanding seven strokes.

Hole-in-one at Hamra

Patrick Stevens

Patrick Stevens, the 2022 Al Hamra Golf Club Champion, had another reason to celebrate after hitting a hole-in-one on the Ras Al Khaimah Par 3 course.

Black on top at EGC

Emirates Golf Club Gents Tournament of Champions winner Gary Black

It was a busy time at Emirates Golf as the Gents Tournament of Champions also took place, with 30 golfers competing on the Majlis Course in a strokeplay format. Gary Black’s net 67 was good enough for top spot.

Fine on Faldo

Emirates Golf Club Ladies Mutt & Jeff champ Haide Wright

Not to be outdone, EGC held its Ladies Mutt & Jeff Competition , with 16 golfers battling it out on the Faldo Course in a Stableford format. Haide Wright took the honours with a better back six over Fiona Berry.

Peter Cowen Academies bring down curtain

Peter Cowen Academy Dubai Junior Medal Grand Final winners

The Peter Cowen Academy Dubai Junior Medal Grand Final took place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with the last event of the season seeing 22 juniors from JGE, Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club compete. Winning the best net score was EGC’s Jameel Choudry, who just edged out Dubai Creek’s Audrey Wulff. Best Gross went to JGE’s Ties Wolters.

You might also like:
Dubai Golf Trophy: The best weekend
Pros regain the Dubai Golf Trophy
In the mix: Olivia Jackson
Impossible pin position causes havoc at high school event
WATCH: Dubai golfer’s insane par save
Shiv Kapur hails Asian Tour opportunities thanks to LIV Golf and Saudi Golf
Bland to play LIV Golf, even if it means ban
Rickie Fowler considers LIV Golf options
Stellar line-up set for Newcastle
Laura Davies dusts off the clubs for Belgian Ladies Open

The post The Gulf Club: Your round-up of action from golf clubs across the UAE in May appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By GolfDigestME.com

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club Community Week

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, the latest addition to the UAE’s expansive and impressive golfing portfolio, is officially opening its doors — and you are invited to celebrate in style with a week of special events.

Following its inauguration in December, Yas Acres is now offering the public the chance to come along and see why it is creating such a buzz in the local golf community and beyond.

From Monday April 18, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club will host a week’s worth of free activities to show just what they have to offer.

These events include:

• Ladies’ Day with free clinic, drinks and bites
• Men’s Evening with free clinic, longest drive competition and whisky tasting at the Cigar Lounge Experience
• Get into Golf evening with PGA professionals with BBQ and drinks
• Introduction to Padel with discounted court rental and on-site Mexican F&B offers
• Friday Pool & Movie Night for the Family to enjoy the fantastic leisure facilities with accompanying snacks
• Yas Acres Golf Open individual and team competitions
• Community Open Day for all to enjoy the best that Yas Acres Golf & Country Club has to offer

The week begins on Monday with Ladies Day as Abu Dhabi’s female golf enthusiasts, non-golfers and Yas Acres residents are invited to a free clinic, followed by drinks and bites. There will also be a ‘shopping soiree’ with entertainment.

The men take over on Tuesday with their own free clinic, followed by a slice of luxury with cigars and whisky tasting.

Other highlights from the week include a ‘Get Into Golf’ day on Wednesday with a further complimentary clinic, as well as access to the driving range where there will be music, a long-drive competition and Trackman access.

Thursday and Friday will promote some of the club’s other facilities with a free ‘Introduction to Padel’ evening and a ‘Pool & Movie Night’ respectively.

The weekend means only one thing — back to the course itself for some competitive golf. The Yas Acres Open will be attended by a string of VIPs where players will battle it out for the Gross and Net titles for both men and women and the inaugural plaques and trophies will be distributed.

To round things off, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club will host its first ‘Community Open Day’, with picnics for juniors and families, along with music, fun activities and Par 3 and mini-golf competitions.

About us

Yas Acres was inaugurated in December and the Fry/Straka designed nine-hole course stretches from 2,554 yards at its shortest to a challenging 3,700 yards.

Golf is available day or night thanks to the course being fully floodlit, with generous fairways, sizeable greens and plenty of water offering a fun yet challenging experience for golfers of all levels.

There are five tee grounds for each hole at Yas Acres, with decks available to suit golfers of all standards. Facilities also include an impressive driving range, access to pros for lessons, padel tennis courts, a gym and swimming pool.

Community Week Timetable

Monday, April 18 – Ladies’ Day
9am-11am: Ladies Golf Clinic
11am-2pm: Shopping Soiree
11pm-4pm: Mimosas and tapas
Sign up here

Tuesday, April 19 – Men’s Evening
6pm-7pm: Men’s Golf Clinic
7pm-8pm: Longest Drive Competition
7pm-9:30pm: Whisky and Cigar Experience (Cigar Lounge Experience for AED 100 per person; Malt whisky tasting with Whisky Master and on-site cigar roller)
7pm-10pm: Pass around food and whisky
Sign up here

Wednesday, April 20 – Get into Golf
From 9am: Fitness activities at the Studio
5.30pm: Mixology and BBQ at Roots Bar & Kitchen terrace
6pm-7pm: Get in to Golf Clinic (with PGA Pros)
7pm-9:30pm: Driving Range Access
Sign up here

Saturday, April 23 – Yas Acres Golf Open
Nine-hole team and individual competitions
Best two of four team scoring
Gross Men’s and Ladies winner recognised with official Yas Acres Open Plaque and Trophy
Sign up here

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club offers other activities such as swimming, padel tennis and a gymnasium

PRICES
Admission is free to all activations, F&B supplements apply. Golf Tournament participation rates dependent on local golf memberships.
Special daily rate of AED 100 per nine holes bookable via the Troon International app using code ‘GITG’
Click here for more information

LOCATION
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Opening times
Golf: 9am-9pm
Dining: 8am-midnight
Padel: 9am-9pm

Website
www.yasacresgolf.com

AT A GLANCE

What
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club Community Week

Where
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

When
April 18-24
Monday 18 – Ladies’ Day
Tuesday 19 – Men’s Evening
Wednesday 20 – Get into Golf
Thursday 21 – Introduction to Padel
Friday 22 – Pool & Movie Night
Saturday 23 – Yas Acres Golf Open
Sunday 24 – Community Day

Price
Admission is free to all activations, F&B supplements apply. Golf Tournament participation rates dependent on local golf memberships
Special daily rate of AED 100 per nine holes bookable via the Troon International app using code ‘GITG’

The post Join the fun at Yas Acres Golf & Country Club Community Week appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Generous landing areas off the tee, the sumptuous, shadow-enhanced fairway ripples that are a trademark of her big sister, sizeable greens and plenty of water to keep you honest.

Those are the initial takeaways from the first images from Yas Acres, the long-anticipated sister course to Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

Details, including official opening dates, are being kept close to the club’s chest but know that the images here are sneak peeks of the 1st and 9th holes, the latter captured under lights. Both are par 5s, 544 and 535 yards from the black championship tees respectively, and likewise rated stroke index 2 and 1. There are five tee grounds for each hole at Yas Acres with the 1st playing as short as 399 yards and the 9th 383 yards.

A view from the 1st tee

Looking back down the 1st fairway

Night golf is coming to Yas Island!

Stay tuned for further details of the Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design which stretches from 2554 yards at its shortest to a challenging 3700 yards.

The post Coming Soon… Yas Acres appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Golf in the Middle East is entering its annual sweet spot – when the mercury dips and the big professional tournaments roll into the region as the event season heats up.

Join us as we preview the Saudi Ladies International with an exclusive – and inspirational – chat with Golf Saudi ambassador and reigning Women’s British Open champion Anna Nordqvist.

Enjoy a sneak peek of Yas Acres, the long-anticipated new baby sister for award-winning Yas Links Abu Dhabi. Get the lowdown on the five-month rebuild of the Majlis greens at Emirates Golf Club and catch up with Josh Hill after the Dubai amateur sensation’s busy UK summer campaign.

We find out how Steve Stricker’s Americans won back the Ryder Cup and why Europe should be very afraid. There are even tips from winning Ryder Cuppers Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, along with a deep dive on the golf balls of 2021. Are you playing the right sphere for your game?

All this and much more in the October 2021 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided or download the bumper Octoberber 2021 issue FREE to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the October 2021 issue of Golf Digest Middle East FREE today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.