Doha steps up the pace of golf development

Qatar has one grass course, the Doha Golf Club.

The only grass course on the Persian Peninsula, it also boasts two 18-hole sand-and-gravel courses (Qatar Petroleum at Ras Abu Aboud on the outskirts of Doha and Dukhan Golf Course 60 km west of the capital).

Although the first course to be built at Dukhan dates back to the late 1940s, to entertain the American and British expatriates who arrived in force during the first oil boom, Qatar has fallen behind some of its neighbors, notably Dubai, when it comes to golf, and is trying to make up for it. Like the PSG soccer team, golf is a key element in the development of tourism promoted by the Qatar Tourism Authority.

As a result, two new golf courses have sprung up in the desert to boost the golf offer. The 18-hole Qatar Foundation Golf Club and the Lusail Golf Residential, due to open in 2018 with a Greg Norman-designed course.

**The Doha Golf Club, a precious showcase

While waiting for the Lusail Golf Residential, golfers can enjoy the Doha Golf Club, a haven of peace and greenery, just twenty minutes from the local downtown and the high-rise hotels pointing their ambitions into the Qatari sky. Opened in 1997 (architect Peter Harradine), this course is listed in the Rolex guide to the "1,000 best golf courses in the world". In addition to the 18-hole course, the facilities include a 9-hole academy and driving range.)

The tone is set as soon as you arrive and walk up the driveway to the clubhouse, lined with manicured lawns, flowers and flags of the Qatari Olympic Committee, fountains cooling the atmosphere, which is no luxury when temperatures exceed 50 degrees. Between October and April, the weather and the time of year are ideal for enjoying this complex, challenging, varied, fun, well-tended course (500 people in all), which plays with nature and the nerves of its visitors.