Special report: Bargain tee time

Dubai: It has long been a talking point around the clubhouses of the UAE - just why does it cost so much to play golf here?

Why, when it costs £130 (Dh790) in peak season to play the most famous links in the world - the Old Course at St Andrews - should it cost more than that to play the Els Club, the Montgomerie or the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club?

They are all fine courses, but given the choice we all know where we would rather spend our hard-earned dirhams.

Part of the problem is the climate - there is no shortage of rain in Scotland, but here millions of expensive gallons of water need to be poured on to courses daily to keep them from turning into dustbowls.

But if any good has come from the recession, then it is that as the clubs and golfers feel the pinch, the desire to keep players on the fairways - and therefore spending on food and beverage and in the pro shops after their game - has led to tumbling green fees and special offers across the board.

And as our analysis below of the peak "rack rate" at many of the country's clubs shows, though prices are yet to come back to the pre-boom days of 2005-06, the trend is steadily downward.

Remember the prices below are the maximum you will pay. In practice there are many ways to shave some dirhams off those prices. The number one way is to join the Emirates Golf Federation.

If you are a member of a UAE club you are automatically a member. Otherwise, for around Dh500 a year the EGF will administer your handicap, meaning you can play at any course without having to be a member, and your membership will grant you generous discounts at all clubs in the UAE.

For example, the peak rate at Emirates GC's Majlis course is Dh825 but that comes down to Dh745 for EGF members.

Another way is to avoid peak times - most courses reduce green fees from Sunday to Wednesday. An EGF member will pay Dh495 to play Dubai Creek for example on a Monday, but a non-EGF member playing on Saturday will have to fork out a whopping Dh795.

Why not travel a little further to enjoy cheaper golf? Tower Links in Ras Al Khaimah is a real challenge at a peak rate of Dh440 and Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club remains the best value - EGF members can play 18 holes for just Dh200 Sunday to Wednesday.

With new courses coming on stream in the next two months - Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Gary Player's Saadiyat Island and Yas Island links - increased competition means the downward pressure should continue.