Fancy a luxury overnight stay for two in the UAE with access to two of the country’s finest golf courses? Look no further!
Golf Digest Middle East’s Play & Stay competition is back — and this time we are heading to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi to offer one of the finest golfing experiences the capital has to offer.
Following the successful inaugural edition in Dubai, GDME Play & Stay — in association with Viya Golf — returns bigger and better.
For just AED 1,295, you and a friend (twin share or double) can enjoy a two-day staycation on Yas Island with one playing spot in each round at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, either side of a luxury pampering at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi – Yas Island on June 9 and 10. Non-golfers can chill at Crowne Plaza’s Cyan Beach or pool and enjoy discounted offers at the Crowne Fitness spa and sauna.
It’s no problem if you’re a couple that golf together or a pair of golfing pals looking for an epic weekend away either. A second spot in either tournament can be booked for AED 150 (Yas Acres) and AED 290 (Yas Links).
Registered players will arrive at the hotel on Yas Island on Friday for a reception, followed a short jaunt for an early evening nine-hole showdown over Yas Acres’ stunning course.
Following a luxurious night at Crowne Plaza, including a Friday night brunch with house beverages at Stills, and Saturday breakfast at Jing Asia, guests will head to the famous Yas Links to blow away the cobwebs in an 18-hole shotgun competition on the coast of the windswept Arabian Gulf.
THE PLAY
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club
First up on early Friday evening is the UAE’s newest arrival on the golfing scene. Yas Acres Golf & Country Club opened last year to a great reception from local golfers and visitors from abroad, and it continues to grow in popularity, having been added to Viya Golf’s growing portfolio of clubs across the UAE.
The nine/18-hole set-up is perfect for experienced golfers, budding youngsters, weekend warriors and those who just like to relax and let the others do the hard work.
The par-36 track will test golfers with long holes, spanning 130 acres, across challenging contours and a low ridgeline that runs through the centre of the course. Some massive bunkers add to the experience and, while the fairways are generous, water is in play on four of the holes to keep you on your toes.
On top on the fully floodlit Fry/Straka-designed nine-hole course — stretching from 2,554 yards to a challenging 3,700 yards from five different tee boxes — Yas Acres has a lot more to offer in the heart of Yas Island.
Away from the course, golfers of all levels can work on their game at the world-class floodlit practice facilities, including two chipping greens, with practice bunkers, USGA-approved putting greens — and the longest driving range in the UAE.
The club also offers a gymnasium, padel tennis, swimming pool, plus three restaurants with views over the course.
YAS LINKS abu dhabi
Saturday’s tournament will be a day to remember regardless of your score as competitiors will follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest golfers at the famous Yas Links. This is a true links golf course, located on the western shores of Yas Island with views of the Arabian Gulf and is home to the DP World Tour Rolex Series Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Designed by American Kyle Phillips of Kingsbarns, Scotland, fame, Yas Links forms the heart of the island’s massive entertainment complex.
As the name suggestions, Phillips fashioned this as a warm-weather links, using two million cubic yards of sand dredged from an adjacent marina to create the shape and contours of the masterpiece, before covering everything with salt-tolerant Paspalum turf.
Amateurs lucky enough to call the UAE home and international visitors in the know have been smitten for years with one of the region’s most popular tracks, which has been home to the HSBC Championship since 2022, when it switched from Abu Dhabi Golf Club after 16 editions. Being a links set-up, the course offers new challenges with the famous Arabian Gulf breezes wafting in over the mangroves and the undulating layout.
Beware the stunningly difficult three-hole closing stretch which has been the scene of many amateur-hour meltdowns.
THE STAY
Crowne Plaza
Friday night will be spent in style at one of Abu Dhabi’s most stylish hotels — the What’s On award-winning Crowne Plaza on Yas Island. Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s top destination island, the hotel resort overlooks Yas Links and has its own private Cyan Beach on the shores of the Arabian Gulf — perfect for sundowners and beautiful sunsets.
As well as all the entertainment venues on the hotel’s doorstep — including F1 racetrack, Ferrari World, Warner Bros and Yas Waterworld, Yas Mall is also only a stone’s throw away for those in need of retail therapy. For Golf Digest Middle East Play & Stay non-golfers who fancy the luxury life without straying too far, the hotel offers an outdoor pool, fitness centre, kids club, dining outlets and a shisha garden. Non-golfing guests can continue to use facilities on Saturday, with late-check-out available.
