THE TOP 100 OF YEAR-ROUND SUN
Chris Bertram has played all over the Middle East and North Africa – this is his guide to what you can expect on and off the course in this alluring and eclectic region
The Middle East and North Africa are so often considered as one that the MENA acronym is a familiar one, but when I came up with the idea for this ranking it initially felt slightly forced.
There is no clear golf link between the areas and there are distinct differences between them, starting with flight time. Now, however, I absolutely love this list.
The most common link between them is their climates. The Middle East has hotter temperatures than North Africa, which manifests itself in summers that are pretty much unbearable but winters that are more reliably warm and sunny than anywhere else in the world. In contrast, North Africa is less consistently good in winter but never so hot at any point that it puts you off going.
So, this is the Top 100 – or more accurately a Top 70 – of year-round sun – and what a perfect time to be releasing it. Be inspired by something you see on these pages and you could be playing there in short sleeves in the spring. Or book ahead and have sun-kissed golf to look forward to come November, when the rest of Blighty is complaining about the cold.
Swimming pool sun
NA countries are generally four hours away and those of the ME closer to seven, so there is a time tariff for the guaranteed sun and warmth. Flights are also more expensive to the ME – but you’d be surprised how cheap you can snare a flight to Abu Dhabi or Dubai for if you book in advance – it’s often little more than £300, sometimes a touch less. A train to London from the north of England can sometimes be similar to a flight to DXB.
A flight to Marrakesh is definitely going to be cheaper but if you’re weighing up which of the areas to go for, I wouldn’t base it hugely on flight time and cost; the extra time and cost of getting to the ME is actually worth it if you want what I call ‘swimming pool sun’ as well as ‘golf course sun’.
NA will give you sunshine on the course on at least a few days in any week of the year, but you’ll only be in the pool afterwards for maybe seven months of them. In the Middle East, there is no month you won’t also have the option of lying by the pool.
The king of bling
Off the course they differ too, but both offer something for everyone. The ME is the king and queen of bling and it is very easy to plan a trip to Dubai that costs a fortune with accommodation as glitzy as glitzy gets. But there are also loads of cheaper alternatives; price up five nights at Tulip Hotel in Barsha Heights and try to tell me Dubai can’t be done for a reasonable price (and I’ve stayed there, it’s totally fine!)
You’ll get some flashy options to stay in across the NA countries – Michlifen,
Fairmont Royal Palm, Katameya Dunes and Mazagan Beach are but four examples, all of them World Top 100 Resorts – but you’ll also get more cute possibilities, not least in the riads.
There is generally more history and culture to explore in NA – remember that the UAE was only formed 50 years ago – but the ME also has incredible countries such as Jordan and Oman, which suffer in comparison with precisely nowhere. I’ve been to 56 countries in the world and Jordan may well be my favourite and Oman would be top 20 for sure. Qatar is another with so much to offer – from memorable dune bashing in the desert to strolling around a souk.
The UAE countries of Abu Dhabi and Dubai don’t lack for entertainment away from the course, from water parks to an obsession with excellent food of all types and costs, to attracting world-class sport to the region. What about combining F1 in Abu Dhabi, Rugby Sevens in Dubai or the football World Cup in Qatar with a golf trip?
The ME is also so safe and crime-free that you happily leave your laptop on a coffee shop table while you nip to the bathroom. Women walk home in the dark. And no matter how much imbibing has been done, there will be no booze-fuelled trouble.
Strength in depth
And, finally, how does the golf compare? Glance down the top 10 and you’ll notice a couple of themes. The ME takes the top two slots, three of the top five and six of the top 10. But Morocco alone has the other four slots, illustrating what a powerful golf offering it possesses.
Egypt enters the landscape in the next 10 with two entries, but again the ME dominates, with seven courses from 11-20. That gives it clear dominance at the top of the list, and by way of comparison, the courses in the top 20 would be at least in the conversation for entry into a continental Europe Top 100.
The standard of golf in the ME is high across the board and this list demonstrates that. A World Top 100 entry heads the list and is followed by a contender for the global list, but it is its strength in depth that is arguably most impressive.
As is the case in Belek in Turkey, poor courses just weren’t built here. Seasoned architects of the calibre of Kyle Phillips, European Golf Design, Gil Hanse and Peter Harradine were given healthy budgets and allowed to create some very fine courses Some big names were involved too, from Ernie Els and Nick Faldo to Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman, although of course one always debates quite how much hands-on influence they actually had.
The courses in the third 10 demonstrate the depth perfectly; Arabian Ranches is in this section and, flush with new greens, it is a terrific experience.
As is the case anywhere in the ME, the conditioning is exceptional, with the likes of Els Club in Dubai and Education City as well-presented as pretty much anything in continental Europe.
Morocco is perhaps the surprise challenger to the dominance of the ME, with those four in the top 10 being joined by another four in the next 20 and then a strong representation down the rest of the list. It has 20 of the 70 and it is unheralded courses that give Morocco such an extensive collection. Marrakesh is home to the majority, but most of the outstanding courses are dotted down the Atlantic coast with a few high-fliers inland.
Egypt and Tunisia have suffered a little from cautious tourism in recent years, but this list shows they have much to offer. Cairo is the hub of the former, with three courses well inside the top half, and there’s then a handful of coastal options near Hurghada.
Tunisia offers arguably the most eclectic selection of the whole lot and a revitalisation of its golf tourism is to be encouraged. The diversity of courses in this NA country alone highlights the riches in the MENA region, which for a golf holiday with the sun on your back in every month is hard to beat.
I hope you find the light we shine on its courses useful and that this ranking inspires you to plan a golf break there.