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Cheapest way to play golf in Dubai and UAE in 2023
Dubai is an incredible destination for golf. With top quality courses in the city centre, easy access for foreigners and a warm welcome, Dubai is a top destination for golfing holidays. But the incredible quality of life in the UAE also means high prices and that goes without saying for tee times, between $150 and $400 for most and well above that for some of the best courses. During our last stay we played 8 different courses, if you do the math 2x8x250= 4000$. All this was possible thanks to some very simple tricks that allowed us to get away with less than half that amount.
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Dubai creek golf club
Introduction
First of all, this article is not sponsored and is only the result of our experience on this subject.
Our trip to Dubai was scheduled for the end of 2022 and I was in charge of finding the best way to pay the least amount of money and play the most interesting golf courses (Natascha has played several times before but this was my first trip to the Emirates). The internet can sometimes be a source of confusion when it comes to finding price information and honest recommendations (I mean not sponsored).
But by an incredible chance I met Édouard in Switzerland. I was looking via a facebook group for a partner to play golf during the week in Switzerland and the only answer I got was from this golf adict who had just arrived in Switzerland after 14 years of living in Dubai. What a coincidence!
After having made him discover several of our magnificent Swiss golf courses and having spoken to him about our future trip to the United Arab Emirates I asked him the question, what is the cheapest way to play golf in Dubai and UAE?
Édouard gave me several good plans to avoid paying a fortune and which golf course to play first, the most important of which is the one that will make you save the most money.
These are the two applications Troon International and Viya.
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The troon International App
This app is totally dedicated to golf and has a double functionality. You can buy the Troon card or book a tee time as a guest.
The subscription will cost you AED 895 for a year (about 250$/€) and gives you access to the lowest prices in Troon affiliated golf courses. This is what they say on their app:
Access online tee times with the Troon Executive Card in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and India. The Troon Executive Card is your ultimate pass to golf at great Troon golf courses, ready for you to play at the lowest rates. Play golf in Ajman at the stunning Al Zorah Golf Club or Night Golf venues including The Track, Meydan Golf. Book online tee times and play golf in Dubai at exceptional golf courses including The Els Club Dubai, Dubai Hills Golf Club and Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai. The Troon Executive Card will also give you access to play Troon golf courses across the Middle East, including Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia and Madinaty Golf Club in Egypt.
Unfortunately we can’t tell you the exact tee time rates with this card as we haven’t bought it but you will get between 30 and 40% off your tee time.
We did not buy it for the simple reason that the number of golf courses in Dubai affiliated to Troon is 4. You will have to play 5/6 tee times to get the benefits of this card.
The advantage is that when you book with the card the discount will apply to the other 3 guests (if you book to play 4 of course).
You can still book your tee time as a guest on the app and get a much better price than on site.
To come back to the number of golf courses available with this app, in Dubai there are 4: Dubai Hills, The Els club, The Montgomerie and arabian ranches ( I don’t count the 9 hole of Meydan) it’s very few for the number of golf courses that Dubai offers ( more than 15).
This card is interessant if you are a resident or live in the gulf countries, the card is valid for other golf courses in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other countries in Asia.
About the use of the app, it is quite well done. It is very easy to navigate, find and select what you need very quickly.
To book a tee time you will get a very quick overall depending on the date you select all the available golf courses and the minimum price.
Once booked your payment will only be made 24 hours before your tee time so you still have time to cancel without charge.
I would not recommend it if you are coming for a week’s holiday as it is too expensive unless you are camping for 7 days on the Montgomerie fairways.
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Dubai Hills club house
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The 18 a The Els club
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Dubai Hills golf view
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One of our main tips for saving on the price of your tee times are with the Twilight rates. They start between 13:30 and 14:00 depending on the golf course and will reduce the price from 800+AED to 300AED (200+$ to 90$). The sun sets around 18:00 so it is important to be on the 18th before 18:15 if you want to finish. But having played most of the time around 14:00 it is really easy to finish the 18 (the pace in Switzerland is faster and without golf cart).In addition, you will enjoy the warmth of the early evening and the beautiful sunset.
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The Viya App
Much less old school than the Troon app, Viya is more wellness oriented and allows you to book gym memberships, restaurants and many other offers that we didn’t have the time to test.
It gives you access to the most mythical golf courses in the Emirates.
By taking over the Saadiyat beach and the Yas links in Abu Dhabi of Troon, Viya has expanded its catalogue and is becoming very attractive for golfers on holiday.
You don’t have to pay an annual membership fee, everyone gets the same rates and most importantly, you get 10% cashback on all your bookings (restaurant, bar, golf,…).
We were not aware of this and it was a great surprise after playing our 18 holes to see that instantly 1000 points (equivalent to 100AED) were available on my app.
Of course you can only use these points for your next booking, but it allowed us to play our second day of golf at Yas link Abu Dhabi for 670AED (180$ or 90$/person).
The downside of the app is that it can be quite complicated to use as it is a bit messy. It takes a long time to get to the booking page, but once you have done that you can choose several golf courses to compare availability and prices for the selected period.
Another downside is that when you register on the app you are asked for your mobile phone number for verification, but until you are in the UAE you will never receive this verification message and you will not be able to access the app until then.
To sum up Viya is a very good app if you can get the hang of it, once you get past that difficulty it is complete, accurate and cheap. All the time, when you make a booking it is definitive.
We strongly recommend you to download it for your next trip to Dubai.
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Saadiyat beach golf club
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Dubai Creek gold club
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Yas Links Abu Dhabi
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If you also have tips about the Cheapest way to play golf in Dubai and UAE in 2023 please let us know in the comments. 
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