Where The Masters Of The Game Play – A Qatar Golf Holiday

Qatar, one of the newest emirates in middle east and western Asia is placed on the north eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Surrounded mostly by the Persian Gulf, Qatar has a rich cultural history influenced by the Persians, the Ottoman Turks and the British. One of the more liberal countries in the middle east, Qatar is also a significant golf holiday destination.

With a booming economy based on the discovery of its Oil reserves, Qatar is poised for immense growth and offers one of the highest standards of living to its citizens. Although covered mostly by sand, Qatar’s geography offers a stunning contrast with the sea, especially on the spectacular Khor al Adaid or the ‘inland sea’, an area of rolling sand dunes on the Persian Gulf. That is why golf tours to Qatar get to see more than golf in this beautiful country.

Golf in Qatar is concentrated in the capital city of Doha, home to the Doha Golf Club. It is a popular sport that receives the patronage and support of the government as well as private organizations in terms of sponsorships and aid in developing the necessary infrastructure. Time your Qatar golf vacation to coincide with one of the richest golf tournaments in the world – The Qatar Masters – a worldwide event started in 1998 to promote the game in the country.

Qatar Masters is hosted by the Doha Golf Club in Doha, the capital of Qatar, every year. The club offers two fabulous, well maintained courses to golf travel enthusiasts – The Championship Course and The Academy Course.  The Championship course, located just 40 kms from the airport, is one of the most challenging courses in the middle east and Saudi Arabia.  At 7312 yards the course plays for a par of 72 from the longest tees and tests your patience and stamina.

The paucity of water in this desert like, semi arid country has not stopped the course architects from complicating the layout with water hazards. Eight artificial lakes have been built to add some wicked water hazards and make an appearance on most of the 18 holes. To add to the challenge for your golf tour, natural rock formations and sand bunkers come into play often making the course a pleasure for the long hitters ($41-$73).

The other course at the Doha Golf Club to include in your golf package is the Academy Course. The Academy Course is a 9-hole, 2844 yards par 3, track complementing the Championship Course. A well maintained course, it offers spectacular views of the West Bay Lagoon and is perfect for beginners or a less adept golfer ($41-$73).

While you are on your golf vacation in Qatar, get a taste of the unique ‘sand courses’ in the capital city of Doha – that would be something to beat your chest about to the boys back home!