New Golf Courses Opening in the UAE, 2026
The UAE's 2026 golf news has two strands. A new 18 hole course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, planned as the country's first hotel integrated layout, and a fast growing wave of indoor and entertainment golf venues across Dubai.
Photo via Google.
A new championship course, and a golf entertainment boom
Demand for golf in the UAE keeps outrunning supply, and 2026 is the year the market answers in two very different ways. The headline for the traveling golfer is at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, where a new 18 hole course anchors a major expansion masterplan and is set to be integrated with a hotel, billed as the first golf resort of its kind in the country. For a destination whose marquee courses already fill the winter calendar, a genuinely new championship layout is significant news.
The second strand is the surge in indoor golf and golf entertainment venues, from Trackman equipped simulator clubs to billion dirham interactive range projects. These are not where you build a four day winter trip, but they reflect how quickly the UAE is broadening its golf footprint. Below is what is actually new, with the caveat that resort timelines move, so confirm a course is fully open before you plan around it.
New and announced UAE golf, 2026 at a glance
| Project | Where | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Golf Estates, new 18 hole course | Dubai | Announced as the centerpiece of a multi million square meter masterplan, planned to be the UAE's first hotel integrated golf course |
| Five Iron Golf, Business Bay | Dubai | Second Dubai indoor venue, opened May 2026 with Trackman simulators and a bar |
| XRange Golf Entertainment with Akcel Holding | Across the UAE | Reported one billion dirham program of interactive driving range and entertainment venues |
What is actually new
Jumeirah Golf Estates, the next chapter
The story that matters for a golf trip is the new 18 hole course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, home of the season ending DP World Tour Championship. Announced as the centerpiece of a large expansion masterplan covering several million square meters, the course is planned to be woven together with a hotel so guests can stay, dine and play within a single resort, which the developer frames as a first for the UAE. If it delivers, it adds a true stay and play option to a club that already sits among Dubai's best, and broadens what is, for now, a strong but compact roster of marquee Dubai courses.
The indoor and entertainment surge
Away from the championship pipeline, the fastest growth in 2026 is indoors. Five Iron Golf opened its second Dubai location in Business Bay in May 2026, with Trackman simulators, a bar and augmented reality games, and XRange Golf Entertainment has partnered with Dubai based Akcel Holding on a reported one billion dirham rollout of interactive driving range and entertainment venues across the country. These formats extend golf into the summer heat and into a younger, social market, even if they sit alongside rather than replace the grass courses a visiting golfer comes for.
The wider picture
For the international golfer, the UAE's draw remains its cluster of established Dubai and Abu Dhabi courses playing in near perfect winter condition under floodlights and clear skies. The new Jumeirah Golf Estates course is the one addition with the scale to change an itinerary, and it is worth tracking, but a 2026 trip is still built on the proven names rather than an opening ribbon.
Our take
The UAE in 2026 is expanding in both directions at once, up at the premium end with a new hotel integrated Jumeirah Golf Estates course, and out into indoor and entertainment golf. For a traveling golfer the first is the one to watch, since a genuine stay and play resort at a club of that quality would be a real reason to add a night.
Our advice is to anchor a winter trip on Dubai's established courses and treat the new Jumeirah Golf Estates layout as a future upgrade once an opening date is firm. Our Dubai golf hub and the best golf courses in the UAE list are the places to start, and our team can confirm what is open and in peak condition for your dates before you commit.
Plan a UAE golf trip
Want a winter 2026 trip across Dubai and Abu Dhabi's best courses, with the new Jumeirah Golf Estates layout folded in when it opens? Tell us your dates and group and one concierge will shape the route, tee times and lodging, costed to the head, with no obligation.
New UAE courses, your questions
Are any brand new golf courses opening in the UAE in 2026?
The headline new course is at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, where a new 18 hole layout sits at the center of a wider masterplan and is set to be integrated with a hotel, billed as the first golf resort of its kind in the UAE. Alongside it, much of the 2026 growth is in indoor golf and golf entertainment venues rather than traditional 18 hole courses.
What is the new Jumeirah Golf Estates course?
Jumeirah Golf Estates announced a new 18 hole course as the centerpiece of a large expansion masterplan covering several million square meters. It is planned to be integrated with a hotel for the first time in the UAE, so guests can stay, dine and play within a single golf resort. Confirm an opening date directly before planning a trip around it.
Is indoor golf growing in Dubai?
Yes. Five Iron Golf opened a second Dubai venue in Business Bay in May 2026, with Trackman simulators and a bar, and XRange Golf Entertainment has partnered with Akcel Holding on a reported one billion dirham program of interactive driving range and entertainment venues across the UAE. The 2026 story is as much about these formats as it is about new championship courses.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. UAE course and venue status compiled June 2026 from Gulf and golf media and developer announcements; build timelines are subject to change. Last reviewed June 2026.