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Bahrain’s Awali Golf Club rewrites the traditional rulebook with desert innovation.
Tucked inside Bahrain’s oil heartland, Awali Golf Club holds a unique place in Gulf golf history. Established in 1937, it’s the oldest desert golf course in the Gulf, with its roots going back even earlier.
Informal tournaments were already being played in the early 1930s, but the demand from Bapco’s growing international workforce led to a full 18-hole layout and the club’s official founding in ‘37.
Awali Golf Club Bahrain (Image by David Cannon / Getty Images)
What makes Awali stand out isn’t just its age or location. It’s the surface.
There’s no grass on this layout, as the entire course is made of sand. But what about the greens? Nope. Awali has “browns,” carefully moulded putting surfaces made from fine sand treated with a mix of diesel and motor oil. This mix helps keep the sand firm and smooth, though they still have to be relaid every week.
Each brown also has a dedicated “sweeper” to rake and smooth the brown after every group. It’s old-school, manual golf course maintenance.
Awali Golf Club Bahrain (Image supplied)
The tee boxes are artificial turf mats mounted on concrete plinths. Fairways are made of locally sourced sand, compacted and cleaned of rocks. Their edges are marked with either a thin cement line or a sand-and-crude-oil mixture. It’s a setup that mirrors the club’s desert surroundings and its origins within the oil industry, but also a commitment to sustainability and making the most of the local environment.
Awali’s influence spread beyond Bahrain. It was the first of its kind in the region, and similar sand courses were later built by oil companies in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Awali Golf Club Bahrain (Image supplied)
It’s home to the Bahrain Open Championship, the first Open tournament in the Middle East, which began in 1964 for men and in 1988 for women. While the setup may be unconventional for some golfers, the competition is anything but.
Bahrain’s Awali Golf Club is a living example of how golf can adapt and thrive in challenging conditions and where the game of golf continues on in one of the most unlikely settings.
Key Holes
Awali Golf Club Bahrain (Image supplied)
7th HOLE
Par 4 – 474 yards
The 7th at Awali is a long par-4 with danger on the approach. Favour a tee shot slightly left to stay clear of the right fairway bunkers. Big hitters can go for the green with a long iron or fairway wood, but most should lay up around 100 yards short. Penalty areas guard both sides of the green, and anything short tends to kick right. Shallow bunkers behind and right add more trouble near the green.
14th HOLE
Par 3 – 133 yards
The 14th is a 133-yard par 3 from an elevated tee, usually affected by wind—especially a southerly. If you’re not into the wind or can’t generate backspin, land the ball just over the front ridge and let it run on. Bunkers surround the green, and the rough left and right is thick. A shot into the oil pipes behind the green gets a free drop in the designated rough zone.
18th HOLE
Par 5 – 489 yards
A straight par 5 finishing hole, usually into the wind. Most tee shots won’t reach the fairway bunker, so aim at it or just right. Watch for O/B down the right. Your second shot, likely a fairway wood, should be aimed at the green but beware the right-side bunker on approach. The green is guarded by a long bunker right and a steep drop-off behind. If pitching from near the road, check the flag before playing.
Main Image: David Cannon/Getty Images
This article was featured in the July 2025 issue of Golf Digest Middle East. Click here for a digital issue of the full magazine
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