AR
Upon reaching the golf club, it was time to switch to a far less reliable drive and peg it up on the first tee. While its first hole is accommodating enough, this is not a course to be taken lightly. MENA Tour Order of Merit winner Joshua White declared it ‘the best’ on the 2014 circuit on his way to consecutive runner-up tournament finishes here last month, high praise indeed given that the tour visits some of the top golf facilities in the Middle East. The professionals enjoy playing here because the playing surfaces are in tremendous condition and you can make birdies – but one small misstep can also lead to scores of a far more dubious nature. I won’t shock you by dwelling on the fact our round took this latter approach, but several of the holes certainly stood out.
The par 5 10th is long enough to occupy a separate emirate, while the three-hole finish of 16, 17 and 18 treads a precarious line between risk and opportunity. If you decide you only want to tackle the golf course once, the club offers an array of alternative activities, with the popular shooting range and even a spot of rugby. It was just as well given my sporting exploits with club and gun in hand, that the latter is confined to spectating.
The Course
The course at AESGC is quietly building a strong reputation off the back of staging several marquee events. Host of the MENA Tour grand final and the Mercedes-Benz International Pro-Am, the 18-hole floodlit layout has matured into a fine test of golf, with many of the tour professionals describing it as the best-conditioned course of the MENA Tour season. It’s a lot of fun, too.
The Car
Golf equipment and sports cars don’t tend to mix very well, but Mercedes-Benz’s brand new 2015 C-Class accommodates a couple of sets of clubs without shirking on performance. An energy-efficient vehicle with extremely low CO2 emissions, the C200 is also the lightest, safest and most comfortable ride ever produced in its class.
The Resort
All rates for the Al Ain Rotana incorporate breakfast and taxes and 18 hole game(s), and include cart & range balls. A one night’s stay in a classic double room and one round per guest: AED 890
A one night’s stay in a classic double room and two rounds per guest (one round on two consecutive days): AED 1,020
Bookings can be made at: [email protected]
