Yas Links Abu Dhabi

One of the best links courses I've ever played.

This is a fabulous links course in Abu Dhabi with grassy dunes, tight fairways, very undulating greens and some excellent water side carries. This is NOT EASY and requires technical ability. When we played (Feb 20) there was quite a lot of remedial work going on with a number of fairways however tees and greens were excellent.

It was my first time playing this course, I did play Sadiyaat a few years back and in comparison, I liked this one better.

The Clubhouse, pro-shop and practice facilities are all in good shape, well maintained and clean, the pro-shop has a good selection of branded and unbranded materials. The restaurant has decent food with a nice terrace and friendly staff.

The course was a bit of surprise, it was much better than expected. Though it is not, in my opinion, a true links course, I can imagine it would play quite nice in windy conditions, the day I played was just sunny, no wind in sight. Since I live in the area, I know how hard it is to create and good golf course in the middle of the desert, something that looks and plays authentic and not artificial, in my opinion, they did a great job with this one. In some other country, I might have more remarks, but given the location, it really is a nice achievement. The course is very fun to play and the conditions when I was there were great.

Definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Yas Links is een mooie open baan met links-kenmerken. De baan lag er prima bij, wel op enkele plaatsen op de fairways onderhoud en wat droge plekken (zomerschade). De greens zijn zeer snel, een uitdaging om deze te mogen aanspelen en hierop te mogen uitholen. Mooie uitzichten richting Abu Dhabi, Ferrari-world en Yas Marine circuit. Water en bunkers komen vaak verrassend in het spel.

Located just across Ferrari World and YAS Marina F1 circuit the course designed by Kyle Phillips has kept its original charm. Although around the course the building activities seem non stop to accommodate the ever expanding emirates.

YAS Links was one of the first golf courses in Abu Dhabi and picked a great piece of land. In every hole you see the sea and the dunes with the harsh rough give this course a real linksy feel. The first is a short par 4 to warm up but in hole 2 the course really starts a long par 5 with strategically placed bunkers to force the player to really think about every shot.

Around the turn with the par 3 8th hole the course really takes off. 13,14,15,17 &18 are all great holes located on the water. When playing 17 and 18 we had a 25 mph. wind straight against, even a 3 wood didn't make it to the green. 18 that resembles the 18th at Pebble same story driver,3 wood,5 wood to end up in a bunker 50 meters from the green, a 7 with 5 perfect shots... The green complexes at YAS Links are amazing.

The service in the clubhouse was excellent and the staff everywhere very friendly. if you can choose between Ferrari World and YAS definitely go for the latter.