Abu Dhabi Golf Club
For more than two decades the home of European Tour golf in the capital, the National Course is a Peter Harradine design played beneath one of the most recognisable clubhouses in the game, a building shaped like a falcon with its wings spread wide. Lush, generous and made for big hitting in shirtsleeve winter weather, it is the course every visiting golfer to Abu Dhabi wants to play.
Photo: Abu Dhabi Golf Club via Google.
The verdict
Abu Dhabi Golf Club is the championship anchor of golf in the emirate. The National Course, designed by Peter Harradine and opened in 2000, hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship year after year, a flagship European Tour event with a winners' board that reads Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Tommy Fleetwood and more. It is a par 72 of around 7,600 yards from the tips, with broad emerald fairways, paspalum turf that stays lush against the desert, and lakes that come into play down the closing holes.
It is generous enough off the tee to let a confident player open the shoulders, but the tour setup, the water and the well bunkered greens give it real teeth from the back markers. Most visitors play it forward and have a thoroughly enjoyable round in the warm winter sun. Add the falcon clubhouse, the floodlit practice range and the polish you expect of a Gulf flagship, and it makes an obvious centrepiece for an Abu Dhabi or combined Abu Dhabi and Dubai golf week.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club at a glance
- Opened
- 2000
- Design
- Peter Harradine
- Type
- Desert parkland
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,600 yds
- Green fee
- From AED 450
Design, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the club and tournament records. The National Course was designed by Peter Harradine and opened in 2000, a par 72 of around 7,600 yards, and hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the European Tour. Green fees are indicative, running from around AED 450 in summer to about AED 850 to 950 at peak winter for a 2026 visitor round, with twilight rates lower. Always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The National Course is a classic Gulf championship layout, an oasis of green carved into the sand with mature planting, palms and water rather than the rugged desert edges of some neighbours. The fairways are wide and the turf immaculate, so the round feels expansive and the ball flies in the dry heat, but the test sharpens as you go, with lakes and deep bunkers protecting the better green sites.
The closing stretch is where tournaments were won and lost, with water down the last that has forced many a decisive final swing under pressure. From the back tees at around 7,600 yards it is a genuine examination, which is exactly why the European Tour kept coming back, while from the forward tees it is an enjoyable, scoreable round for a visiting golfer.
Above it all sits the falcon clubhouse, wings outstretched over the 18th, one of the most photographed buildings in world golf and the perfect finish to a round. It is a course built to impress, and it does.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Open to visitors every day with advance booking; a high end public access championship course |
| Green fee | From around AED 450 in summer to about AED 850 to 950 at peak winter for a 2026 round (indicative); twilight rates lower |
| Booking | Book ahead, especially in the cool winter season when the course is busiest |
| On the day | Buggies included, floodlit driving range, full clubhouse and dining under the falcon roof |
| Getting there | At Sas Al Nakhl, around 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and close to the city and Yas Island |
| Best months | November to April, the cool dry season; summer rounds are best played early or under floodlight |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from the club and public listings; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Abu Dhabi gives you a wide choice of high end bases, from the city's waterfront hotels to the resorts of Yas Island and Saadiyat, all within a short drive of the club. It is an easy, polished destination for a winter golf week, with first class hotels, dining and culture beyond the course.
Many golfers pair Abu Dhabi with Dubai, an hour or so up the coast, for a two emirate trip that takes in several of the Gulf's best courses. Abu Dhabi International Airport keeps long haul connections quick and direct.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi.
An Abu Dhabi golf trip
We make the National Course the centrepiece of your Abu Dhabi week, pair it with the best of the emirate and Dubai, and set you up in the right hotel with transfers and tee times. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Abu Dhabi Golf Club questions
Who designed Abu Dhabi Golf Club?
The National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club was designed by Peter Harradine and opened in 2000. It is a par 72 of around 7,600 yards, best known for the falcon shaped clubhouse and for hosting the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the European Tour.
What tournament does Abu Dhabi Golf Club host?
Abu Dhabi Golf Club hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for many consecutive years, a flagship European Tour event won by major champions including Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Tommy Fleetwood.
How much does it cost to play Abu Dhabi Golf Club?
Indicative 2026 visitor green fees run from around AED 450 in the hot summer months to about AED 850 to 950 in the peak winter season. Twilight rates are lower. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Where is Abu Dhabi Golf Club?
It is at Sas Al Nakhl in Abu Dhabi, around 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and an easy drive from the city's hotels and from Yas Island.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.