Yas Island is a landmark $36 billion development by Aldar Properties. Home to the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, the island also features major attractions such as Yas Waterworld, Ferrari World and the acclaimed Yas Links golf course.
Yas Links has earned international recognition: Golf World included it among the world’s top 100 courses, and Golf Digest placed it at No. 24 among courses outside the United States. The facility is immaculately maintained and professionally staffed, from the clubhouse team to the course and locker-room attendants.
As the Middle East’s first true links-style course, Yas Links was the first collaboration in the region by designer Kyle Phillips. With more than 25 years of experience and notable projects such as The Grove in London, Dundonald in Troon and Kingsbarns near St. Andrews, Phillips is known for courses that respond to their natural terrain and create distinctive playing experiences.
The island provides a unique golfing environment: exposed and often windy, it supports a rich ecosystem of water birds, marine life and coastal flora. I visited Yas Links with Wayne Tallman of the Global Traveler Advisory Board. We flew to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways and managed to set aside other obligations to explore the course.
Hole 1 | 378 yards, par 4
Starting with a par can boost confidence. Wayne let me take a “breakfast ball” off the first tee, and after an initial miscue I corrected my drive to the right, near the fairway bunker. Wayne’s ball found the bunker further right, costing him a par. My mid-iron to the green landed just right of the pin and left me with a long putt. A solid stroke left the ball within easy range for a tap-in par. In the background, Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld frame the view.
Hole 3 | 442 yards, par 4
This hole is the first to confront the Arabian Gulf. From the tee the fairway looks narrow and exposed, and on our day the wind was gusting to about 30 mph. Strong, precise drives were required to keep the ball from being pushed into the dunes. Both of our tee shots found the fairway—mine just right of the left fairway bunker and Wayne’s slightly farther right. As the wind continued to influence shots, I reached the fringe of the green while Wayne overshot and faced a back-of-the-green comical three-putt. I escaped with a par after navigating the windy dogleg.
Hole 5 | 405 yards, par 4
Wayne earned a birdie here while I struggled in the dunes. We were moving along quickly and let a following group—German expats—play through, then caught up to them on the hole. Wayne’s drive landed right-center in the fairway. My drive, however, pulled left and disappeared into the dunes. An awkward search ensued as I and the other players looked for balls among the sand. My ball was sitting up, but my recovery continued the trend of bunker and dune trouble while Wayne finished strong, birdieing with a precise approach within two feet.
Hole 8 | 186 yards, par 3
This par-3 sits close to the water and can be unforgiving. Wayne found the left side of the green with a solid shot. The green’s contour runs left to right, a feature I learned the hard way. My tee shot looked pristine but rolled right and found a bunker instead of the cup, narrowly avoiding the water. From trap to trap, my hopes for a sandy par vanished.
The clubhouse © Yas Links
Hole 15 | 482 yards, par 4
Golfers typically approach holes either methodically or impulsively; Wayne and I tend toward the latter. Hole 15 begins a challenging run toward the clubhouse. Although the landing area is generous, we complicated matters with split fairway placements—my ball in the rough right and Wayne’s left over the fairway bunker into thick rough. With my ball sitting up I bucked convention and hit a 3-wood, gaining 60 yards and avoiding the right fairway bunker. Wayne’s recovery left him about 90 yards out. I adopted a links-style bump-and-run with a 7-iron to the green and, despite the chaos, managed to walk away with a par.
Hole 17 | 201 yards, par 3
This striking par-3 requires carrying a horseshoe-shaped bay to reach a green that juts into the Arabian Gulf. With the wind at our faces we chose fairway woods to ensure we cleared the water without sailing over the green. Both tee shots landed on the left side of the green and required long, careful putts, but we both secured pars on this demanding hole.
Hole 18 | 646 yards, par 5
The finishing hole is long and scenic, wrapping around the sea in a dogleg toward the clubhouse. The fairway offers the course’s widest landing area, but with the strong gulf wind we still found trouble. My drive finished in rough hardpan to the right, while Wayne outdrove me by about 50 yards and stayed in play. A 3-wood regained momentum for me, and Wayne positioned himself within striking distance of the green. I misread the fast, tightly mown turf and rolled off the left side of the green into the deep blue, ending my day in the water. Wayne fared better, landing on the right fringe and settling for a bogey to cap an otherwise delightful round.
Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Yas Island
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
tel 971 2 810 7710
yaslinks.com