The serene atmosphere of the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club is a safe haven for residents and golf aficionados who are looking for a quick getaway from the hectic schedule of city life.
The golf Club, located along Dubai Creek, opened in January 1993 and was designed by UK architect Brian Johnson who based it on the sails of a traditional Arab dhow.
Soon enough, the club became one of the landmarks in Dubai, which captured the essence of the emirate's seafaring traditions.
In December 1998, the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club was featured on the Dh20 note and reflected the emirate as being a destination for tourism and for golf as well, while the reverse of the Dh20 note has the picture of a traditional trading dhow.
George Kasparis, 27, a professional golfer at the Creek Golf and Yacht Club who has lived in Dubai for four years, explained that golf has become extremely popular among Emiratis.
"The game has also grown within the Emirati population, largely thanks to the efforts from the Emirates Golf Federation who have a number of initiatives in place to encourage children to take up the game," he said, noting that he has worked alongside the golf federation on a number of programmes that are specifically catered to Emirati junior golfers.
Major impact
Kasparis started playing golf when he was 11 years old, and when he joined the golf club, noticed that Golf was still more popular than in Dubai than in the other Emirates.
"Emirates Golf Club was the first grass course in the region when it opened over 23 years ago and is home to the Dubai Desert Classic, an event that was also held at Dubai Creek in 1999 and 2000. The Race to Dubai has also had a major impact on the game here and in the Middle East, generally in terms of raising the profile of the sport and encouraging golfers to visit the region," he said.
The golf club has a variety of options to residents in taking up the sport, which include ladies mornings as well as a junior development programme that introduces children from four years old to the game of golf.
Sai Ganesh, 10, is one of the junior golfers at the golf club, and took up the sport after his parents encouraged him to do so. "When I started, I did not really have a role model but now that I enjoy the game more, I want to play like Tiger Woods," he said.
Ganesh is keen on becoming a professional golfer, and plays in almost all of the Par 3 tournaments every year.
Duncan D'souza, a 15-year-old who has lived in Dubai for seven years, started playing golf after his father introduced him to the game, and also wants to be a professional golfer one day.
"I play about three or four times a week but I would love to play more often. My father also plays golf very regularly, and my friends definitely think that the game is interesting and a few of them want to start playing golf too."
The Golf Club is well known to golfers from around the world and also has received a large number of tourists from all over the world who visit the area to play golf.
From its golf courses, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of the creek, which cuts through the centre of the city between Deira and Bur Dubai. The creek is a historical part of Dubai and visitors can take an abra (small water taxi) and view the old trading port and the dhows from the water. A cruise to Al Maktoum Bridge will pass many of the city's historic, as well as modern landmarks.
Although the importance of the creek as a port has diminished with the development of the Jebel Ali Port, smaller facilities, such as Port Saeed, continue to exist along the creek that provides a port to traders from the region and the subcontinent. Located right off the creek bed opposite the golf club lies the Creek Park, which covers more than 96 hectares and is quite popular among residents due to its strategic location in the city.
Dolphinarium
One of the park's popular attractions is the Dolphinarium, located at Gate 1, which offers a live dolphin and seal show as well as a chance to swim with the dolphins.
Shaikh Majbur Rahman, 23, from Bangladesh, is a regular visitor at the park as he likes to take long strolls with his friends and sit under the shade of trees while catching up on the latest news from friends.
"We all like to meet up once a week and relax at the park. Over here, you can walk for a long time and relax while looking at the creek and the boats that sail by. It's a very peaceful place because you can see the buildings lit up at night and get away from all the noisy traffic and crowds of people, that are typically found in the shopping centres."
Abdul Majeed Savaan, 51, has been working at the park's cafeteria for the last 12 years, and remembers how much the area has changed before the economic boom.
"There were no buildings around here and you could see large areas of undeveloped land. Even though the park did not have that many trees, seating areas or facilities, families and couples would always come to relax here," he said.
Savaan added that the Creek Park had always been a popular recreation area for residents and while people tend to visit from the last week of September up till May, the summer months generally tend to be quiet beca everybody tries to stay away from the sweltering heat.
World class
The Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, which features on the Dh20 note, has been voted as one of the top 100 must-play golf courses in the world by UK magazine Golf World. The club opened in January 1993 and was designed by UK architect Brian Johnson who based it on the sails of a traditional Arab dhow.
The club has played host to numerous tournaments and events, including the Dubai Desert Classic in 1999 and 2000. Located in a strategic area of the city, the 18-hole golf resort stretches out on the banks of Dubai Creek opposite the Dubai Creek Park and near Al Garhoud Bridge.
