Flanked by the unspoilt shore of Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club offers a golfing experience unlike any other in the Middle East. It represents the Gulf’s first true beachfront course, a Gary Player masterpiece where championship challenge and breathtaking natural beauty find common ground.
Ever since its opening in 2010, during which the inaugural Saadiyat Beach Classic was hosted by Player himself, this club has captivated the world’s elite golfers and discerning travellers. Today, Saadiat Beach Golf Club is not merely a place to play golf; it is an aspirational destination managed by Viya Golf (Troon) that attracts enthusiasts from across the globe, all eager to test their skills overlooking the azure expanse, white sand beaches, and even the occasional gaze of wildlife along the fairways.
Architecture & Course Design
Legendary golfer Gary Player, the designer of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, brought over half a century of expertise and a passion for bold yet playable courses. Player’s design team, led by architect Jeff Lawrence, was challenged to craft a layout worthy of Abu Dhabi’s high standards on a site of virgin dunes and salt flats. The upshot is a par-72 championship course that stretches over 5,290 yards to an astonishing 7,784 yards at the tips, offering length and versatility that can test the mettle of even the longest hitters.
The course’s signature imposing bunkers (over 60 in total) were strategically placed to both awe and intimidate. In fact, while Gary Player generally avoids extreme difficulty for the course’s sake, here he intentionally introduced visual bravado – vast sandy waste areas, flash-faced bunkers, and a links-like openness – to create a memorable challenge that still respects the stunning natural setting.
Equally impressive is the clubhouse – an architectural jewel envisioned by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry (in what would be his first-ever golf clubhouse project). The 18,000 square-metre clubhouse is an architectural marvel set just off the 18th green, which was designed by Abu Dhabi’s developers as a new international landmark. Broad terraces extend outward under sweeping glass canopies, inviting guests to enjoy panoramic views of the course and coastline in open-air comfort. The architect described his vision as “an ephemeral mirage floating above the greens”. Notably, designers used natural stone and metallic forms inspired by Saadiyat’s dunes, all while integrating energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies.
Coastal Setting & Views
Spread across more than 300 acres of island nature preserve, the layout winds through dunes and along pristine shorelines. Six of the holes offer panoramic vistas of the azure waters, and while the course edges the shoreline, play is oriented inland, allowing uninterrupted views of the sea without introducing coastal hazards during teeing off. At the short 17th hole, dubbed “The Arabian Oasis,” the back tee is perched directly by the sand, presenting an unforgettable view of sunlit shoreline. It’s easy to lose oneself in the moment here as the sky seems wider and the water bluer on Saadiyat than almost anywhere else in the region, creating a calming contrast to the intensity of the game.
The course resides within a cluster of 5-star properties, including luxurious resorts that dot Saadiyat Island’s coast. The coastal winds, carrying a hint of sea salt, can shift from a whisper in the morning to a challenging gust by afternoon, ensuring that each round is attuned to nature’s rhythm. The marriage of high-end luxury and the raw coastal environment is what gives Saadiyat Beach Golf Club an almost sensory, immersive quality.
Amenities & Clubhouse Experience
The experience of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club extends far beyond the 18th hole. Upon finishing a round on this challenging course, golfers step into the clubhouse where indoor-outdoor spaces allow for relaxation under lofty ceilings or out on the terraces – drink in hand and sweeping views of the course and the sea beyond. In the balmy evenings, the terraces become a social hub where stories of the day’s best shots are shared.
Inside, the clubhouse spares no detail in pampering its patrons. It features two gourmet restaurants that range from elegant fine dining to a casual 19th-hole. There is also a stylish clubhouse bar and ample indoor seating where one can cool off without ever losing sight of the shores. For those seeking rejuvenation or a break from golf, the club houses a premier spa facility which offers wellness treatments ranging from sports massages to holistic relaxation therapies. The pro shop is stocked with top-of-the-line equipment, apparel, and bespoke Saadiyat Beach Golf Club merchandise, so visitors can take home a piece of the club’s exclusivity.
A boutique hotel with 26 deluxe suites is part of the complex, making members' and tourists' accommodations just steps from the fairways.
Events & Tournament
From the outset, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has been a staple of Abu Dhabi’s high-profile social calendar. The club’s grand opening was heralded by the Saadiyat Beach Classic, a charity pro-am (professional-amateur) tournament hosted by Gary Player. The event drew a star-studded field, with legendary names such as Rory McIlroy and European Ryder Cup heroes including Darren Clarke and Sam Torrance alongside celebrities from other arenas.
In the years since, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club has become the host venue of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in 2016, making history as Abu Dhabi’s first-ever Ladies European Tour event. Over the course of that tournament and subsequent editions, many of the world’s top female golfers have competed on Saadiyat’s fairways, securing a coveted berth on the professional roster.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club received recognition at the World Golf Awards by industry publications for being one of the finest courses in the region. It was voted “Best Golf Course in the UAE” in 2015 and later honoured as “Best Course in Abu Dhabi” in 2019.
Environmental Stewardship
Early on, developers worked with ecologists, making the protection of native flora an integral part of the club’s development strategy – replanting indigenous dune grasses, rehabilitating a network of saltwater lagoons, and ensuring that the course’s footprint would enhance rather than compromise the local environment. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the only Audubon Certified Cooperative Sanctuary golf course in the UAE and the first in the entire Middle East.
The agronomy team made sure that recycled water is used to irrigate fairways and greens while introducing salt-tolerant turf varieties that thrive on effluent water with an irrigation system that ensures precision watering to eliminate waste. In recent years, the club has moved toward becoming plastic-free, and the clubhouse planned to meet rigorous sustainability standards (Estidama).
The wildlife sanctuary, surrounding the course, is a protected haven for a variety of species, some of which are rare or endangered. A herd of over 100 Arabian mountain gazelles roams freely across the course. Hawksbill sea turtles return year after year to lay their eggs in the sand. The club coordinates with conservation authorities to protect these nesting sites and often dims or turns off lights at night during hatching season so as not to disorient the baby turtles on their moonlit journey to the sea. Out at sea, just beyond the breakers, humpback dolphins and sea birds thrive in the protected marine waters; their sporadic sightings add up to the beauty of the scene. All told, there are over 190 species of birds that have been observed at Saadiyat Beach, including migratory and native species.
A Final Reflection
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s main draw is in the way it effortlessly marries championship golf, environmental responsibility, and location. As a course, it meets international tournament standards while offering golfers variety and challenge shaped by natural coastal conditions. Tee times are available throughout the day, including sunrise and sunset slots, accommodating both early-morning rounds and late-afternoon play. The intertwining of tradition and technology is equally notable as coaching is supported by TrackMan ball-tracking radar, video analysis, on-course instruction, and golf fitness screening, reinforcing the club’s position as both a competitive venue and a cornerstone for long-term player development.
