Golf, Desert and the Dubai life with Adrian Otaegui

Adrian Otaegui opens up about his journey from DP World Tour player to UAE resident, his passion for growing the game, and the unique golf scene in Dubai.

In this exclusive Q&A, we sit down with DP World Tour’s Adrian Otaegui, a player who has made Dubai his home for over 14 years.

From his early days as a young pro to now representing the UAE, Adrian shares insights into his life both on and off the course. With an inimitable perspective on the game and his experiences in the Middle East, this conversation offers a rare look at what it takes to balance elite golf with life in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

•••

Adrian, a week off at home must be nice after a stretch of events, even though they weren’t too far from home?

Yes. It’s always nice to have a little break and a week off. I had a bit of time off in December, but I started out this year with four events in a row, which is already quite a lot! One of my goals for this year was actually to try and play a little bit less and prepare a little bit more for each event. But actually, this year has started pretty busy!

It was great to play all four events in the Middle East. Two of the events I actually stayed at home for, such as the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Ras Al Khaimah Championship. So now, a week at home in Dubai to just rest and prepare myself for the next events, which will be in Kenya and then South Africa.

•••

Being in Dubai yourself for close to 14 years, how has that been for you?

Half a life! It’s been great. I turned pro quite young, when I was 18. I had some opportunities to go to university in America, but I knew I wanted to be a golf professional, and I was around 20th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. I thought, in order to learn the job with my dad and my team, playing golf with professionals in professional tournaments was the best way of learning.

Turning pro is a big change. Obviously, playing for money, playing for the points, and it’s very competitive. I got my European Tour card when I was 18 in 2011. I think I was the second youngest on Tour after Matteo Manassero. We thought at the time that Dubai is at the beginning and the end of the season on the European Tour. I knew some people who were living in Dubai already, and the facilities here were amazing. You could practice on world-class golf courses where you actually play the tournaments. So it was like the perfect place to practice. So we said, okay, let’s come to Dubai.

At the beginning, you don’t know many people or places, so it wasn’t that easy. But amazingly, I made good friends very quickly, especially Emirati friends with the players from the UAE National Team. I’m thinking about Hassan Al Musharakh, Abdalla Al Musharrekh, Khalid Yousuf – and we made very good friendships. They were very nice to me and would take me into the desert on the weekends, and we’d always have plans together. So I’ve been very lucky to be close to a lot of Emirati people, and they’ve always welcomed me so well.

•••

Apart from heading into the desert, what else do you get up to in Dubai when you aren’t golfing?

You have so much choice. It’s fantastic. Usually when I’m in Dubai and I’m practising, I don’t do too many crazy things. But when I have some time off, I love to do anything outdoors. I love hanging out with friends; we might have a barbeque, or we might go to the beach. My favourite thing, because I love cars, would be going to the desert with friends, driving the sand dunes, having a barbecue, watching the sunset, playing some music. That’s my perfect weekend.

•••

Do you manage to treat yourself to the odd staycation?

Yes, absolutely! I’m actually staying at the Fairmont The Palm this week with my wife for a few days. You are still “at home”, but you almost feel like you are having more of a vacation or staycation.

They treat us fantastically at the Fairmont The Palm, so we’re having a great time. It’s the perfect place to recharge my batteries, still do a bit of practice, and be able to focus again on the next event.

•••

There must be close to 10 to 15 DP World Tour pros that have decided to take a jump and relocate out here?

It’s funny, over the last few years, there have been so many European professionals that have moved to Dubai, and it feels like it’s a little bit trendy at the moment. But strategically, it really, really makes sense.

Still, even in these last few weeks, lots of players have been asking, “How do I do it? I want to move to Dubai. Can you give me a hand?” I really feel like there’s more and more interest. Dubai is very, very well known and trendy worldwide right now. There are a lot of opportunities here, and life is great here – it’s fantastic.

•••

Having been a resident for 14 years, you now represent the UAE when it comes to golf, how special is that?

It’s great. It’s something I never really thought about, but when the opportunity came, I thought, it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I’ve been working and collaborating with the Emirates Golf Federation for maybe seven to eight years now, trying to help as much as I can with the kids, the next generation, their best pros, doing some clinics, so they’ve known me for a long time.

I think they like the work I do, the values I have for training, practice, and my dedication. Now they want me to spend more time with the players and bring them my experience from the amateur golf world to help them transition into becoming a pro.

I really want to see an Emirati kid in ten years playing on the DP World Tour with me. That would be like a dream come true.

Obviously, for the UAE, the next Olympic Games are very important for the country. They were telling me how important it is for them to have representation in golf in the Olympics, so me trying to bring home a medal is something I really want to dedicate my time to over the next few years, preparing well for the Olympics in Los Angeles.

It’s just a beautiful opportunity that came to me, and it really motivates me.

•••

A couple of years ago, you were saying how much it would mean to play in the Ryder Cup for Team Europe. Obviously, you now can’t do that. It must’ve been a hard decision to make the switch in that sense?

Yes. I would say it was probably tougher, the more I thought about the decision. Obviously, I’ve never played in the Ryder Cup, but I believe it’s one of the most special events in the world. Every time I’ve spoken to a player who’s played in the Ryder Cup, they say it was one of the best weeks of their lives and it was very special. I was quite close to making the team in the last Ryder Cup, but I didn’t make it.

As with any decision in life, you have to weigh up the pros and cons. The decision to represent the UAE, as they want golf to become the number one sport here, is something I believe has a lot of potential. We have a lot of work still to do, but I think it’s very motivating. It’s going to be very challenging, but that also motivates me. So, yes, I’m not going to be able to play in the Ryder Cup, but there are new and different motivations for me now.

•••

Throughout your time here, how have you seen the golf develop for the National team?

At the amateur level and within the National team, it has improved, as seen through some international tournaments they’ve played in, like the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour (Challenge Tour), some of the GCC events, and in Asia as well.

I think it would be great for the players to start competing even more in Europe, and for the more experienced players to expand and compete more outside of the region. Play against different players from different countries on different types of golf courses. Modern golf for professionals involves playing in all sorts of weather, on different grasses and courses, and a true pro needs to adapt every single week. We’ve just come from playing in Doha, Qatar, but next week we’re playing in Kenya, which has completely different soil, grass, bunkers, and greens. You have to adapt every single week.

That’s what I think the juniors now also need to understand. Yes, you play on fantastic facilities in Dubai, but it’s not always like that when you go outside.

•••

What do the plans look like for developing the UAE crop?

Personally, my focus will be to help the elite players on the National team – the ones that really want to make golf their living and turn professional. They’re good golfers and can hit the ball very well, but playing on the golf course and competing is a different thing.

Golf is a very mental game, and you have to manage your golf both on and off the course in terms of preparation and visualization. So, I think those are the areas where I can bring my experience and help.

Then what the Emirates Golf Federation wants is to have a player who can inspire the younger kids as well. Unfortunately, at the moment, there aren’t enough Emirati kids under 13 or 14 years old playing golf, and they are the future of golf in Dubai and the National team. So we want to start working with the schools and golf clubs to get more Emirati kids playing golf.

•••

How would you describe the golf tourism scene here?

Well, it’s huge in Dubai! There are so many world-class golf courses in great condition. The weather is amazing, especially in the winter when it’s cold in Europe and America. They all come here to play golf, and that’s why it’s so hard to get a tee time! Unless you have some good connections, it’s so hard to get a tee time! Weekends? You can forget it!

I just think it would be great to have more courses in Dubai. I think there’s a need for more golf courses. When you go to any golf course, you can see how full the car park is, so there’s a real demand for golf. Obviously, lots of tourists play, but there are also lots of people living here who want to play more golf, which is great for our sport.

•••

In bringing more golf to the region, Sergio Garcia and José María Olazábal are designing a couple of new courses over in Bahrain. What have you heard about those?

Yeah, well, Olazábal has already designed Education City in Doha, which we played a few years ago on the DP World Tour, and I know he’s also designing one in Bahrain now, as is Sergio.

So golf design here is also growing, especially in the Middle East. It’s great to have those great players bring their knowledge and design golf courses in the Middle East – it’s fantastic.

•••

Is golf course design something you would want to dabble in down the line?

Well, actually, a couple of years ago, the opportunity came along, and I’m currently designing a golf course in South Africa. It’s going well, but obviously, it takes time.

Things don’t go as quickly as you would like, but it’s been an amazing learning process. Working with the architects, with the agronomists, and with the owners of the land as well, proposing a few different master plans.

It’s been a challenge, but it’s been a great learning process, and I’m really enjoying it. Hopefully, we will finish that golf course in South Africa soon, and I would love to design a golf course in the UAE or the Middle East.

As I said before, I think there’s a need for more golf courses, and I could add my touch to golf design in this region.

Main image by Harry Grimshaw

This article was featured in the March 2025 issue of Golf Digest Middle East. Click here for a digital issue of the full magazine.