Published: 27 August 2026
Hudayriyat Island has never needed much persuasion. Long before the first fairway was laid, it had already established itself as the address in Abu Dhabi for people who take their leisure seriously. Surf Abu Dhabi draws wave riders from across the region. The Velodrome hosts competitive cycling at an international standard. The Sports Village pulls in athletes and weekend enthusiasts in equal measure. The island's identity, in other words, was already defined by movement, water, and a particular kind of energy that few addresses in the UAE can credibly claim.
Hudayriyat Golf Estates, the flagship development by Modon Properties, takes that existing identity and gives it a new centre of gravity: a master-planned community with the distinction of being the UAE's first golf-led development situated directly on an island.
The Course
At the centre of everything sits a 95-hectare, 18-hole championship course designed by Lobb + Partners, an internationally recognised firm with over three decades of experience crafting award-winning golf destinations across the globe. The layout adheres to international PGA standards, making it capable of hosting professional tournament play from the outset rather than as a future aspiration.
The terrain has been engineered to make the most of its island setting. Sweeping fairways give way to landscaped roughs and scenic water channels, with the design calibrated to channel the natural coastal breezes that come off the Arabian Gulf — a detail that experienced golfers will appreciate, particularly during the cooler months when the island is at its most compelling.
Integrated directly into the course infrastructure is a flagship Golf Academy, providing professional coaching, performance clinics, and structured programmes for players across all levels. For those taking the game seriously — or beginning to — it removes the need to look elsewhere on the island for instruction.
The Community
A course of this standard demands surroundings that match it, and Hudayriyat Golf Estates has been planned accordingly. The Country Clubhouse serves as the social and culinary core of the development — fine dining, a luxury spa, a dedicated wellness centre — functioning as both the natural end-point to a round and a destination in its own right.
What distinguishes the estate from comparable golf developments elsewhere in the region is its physical connection to the broader island. A 2.3-kilometre green spine links the course directly to Hudayriyat's active sporting infrastructure — Surf Abu Dhabi, the Velodrome, 321 Sports, and multi-sport courts for padel and tennis. That connection is not incidental. It reflects a design philosophy in which golf is one discipline within a wider sporting life rather than the only one on offer.
Within the gated perimeter, the development also accommodates a private on-site school, community retail, pet-friendly parks, and modern coworking spaces — the practical foundations that distinguish a functioning neighbourhood from a leisure concept.
The Residences
Approximately 1,260 luxury residences are distributed across the community, all carrying Andalusian-inspired architecture — rendered white facades, arched entries, dark timber shutters — that sits comfortably within the island's established aesthetic without feeling out of place.
The property mix is structured across two broad tiers:
- Townhomes — 3- and 4-bedroom configurations, positioned for buyers entering the golf community market without compromising on scale or finish.
- Villas and Mansions — ranging from Fairway Villas through to ultra-exclusive Golf Mansions, each positioned for unobstructed views of the fairways, marina, or the Arabian Gulf beyond.
Life Beyond The Course
Hudayriyat's appeal extends well beyond sport. The island is evolving into a destination where recreation, dining, waterfront experiences and creative pursuits sit alongside one another, giving it a distinctly contemporary character. Its landscaped public spaces and expansive coastline provide a setting for slower moments, while its growing collection of lifestyle destinations brings people to the island well beyond the golf course.
Marsana forms the island’s main social hub, combining a public beach, marina, splash park, skate park, cafés and food trucks, while Bab Al Nojoum offers beachfront glamping. 321Sports provides professional-standard pitches and training facilities, while OCR Park adds the UAE’s largest permanent outdoor obstacle course.
Circuit X expands the adventure offering with Splash, Skate, BMX and High Ropes parks, alongside flagship venues Surf Abu Dhabi and Velodrome Abu Dhabi. Across the island, cycling routes, the 15-kilometre Trail X mountain bike network and the 5.5-kilometre Hudayriyat Heritage Trail keep sport and nature closely connected.
This breadth is perhaps what makes Hudayriyat particularly compelling. A morning can begin with golf or a cycle along the island's extensive routes, continue with time by the water or at one of its dining destinations, and end with an evening spent enjoying the waterfront atmosphere. It is a lifestyle built around movement, but not defined by it.
In Closing
Hudayriyat Island built its reputation on the premise that serious leisure deserves serious infrastructure. The golf course — and the Hudayriyat Golf Estates community built around it — is the most thoughtful expression of that premise yet. For those drawn to an address where the game is woven into daily life rather than available at a distance, it makes a compelling, and in the UAE, genuinely singular case.
