Yas Links: A Great Course With One Loud Problem
- Gunnar Kobin
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
On the western side of Yas Island, you can find Yas Links on your way to the course. You will get to see the Ferrari World and the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit. As you drive, the sound of the cars will be heard before the course's clubhouse comes into view. This will be important later.
The architect of Yas Links is Kyle Phillips. He is also the architect of Kingsbarns and The Grove. Phillips took on a flat piece of land that had just dirt and a racetrack, and was instructed to create a world class links course. Phillips did just that. Leaving the 18th green, I was thinking that this is the best golf course in the UAE, and the second best links course I've played after Kingsbarns. The course earns this high praise.
Now let’s get to the noise.
The Racetrack Problem
The Yas Marina circuit operates paid driving experiences throughout the day. Tourists can pay money to drive real F3000 single-seaters or real F1 cars or drive real Aston Martin street cars on the F1 layout. I know because I have done an experience. I have done an F3000 experience, which cost me about 500 euros, and they filmed the experience and gave me a video clip of the experience at the end, and I had an incredible time. It is one of the bucket list things they do and is 100% worth it.
That being said, I have no complaints about the existence of the racetrack. It's amazing. I will gladly do it again.
What I do have complaints about is the fact that I am trying to putt a 5-foot putt on the 9th green and there is a V8 engine tearing it up somewhere behind my left shoulder. It is a constant result of the cars. You hit a drive and the engines are revving. You walk to your ball and the engines are revving. You are trying to read the wind on a par 3 and the engines are revving. It gets to you. By the back 9 on the 5th hole I was thinking a ton about how much I wanted to play at the Yas Marina circuit on a day that the track was closed. It was a Monday, so you should check things if Monday is a thing.
This part of the round can explain the lack of authentic reviews. It's noticeable and annoying. It's also rather funny that everyone who plays 18 holes will encounter it. I will wear noise-cancelling earbuds next time and it will be 100% serious.
This part of the post is also the easiest to explain: It's golf.
Phillips was a smart designer.
The routing is smart. You start away from the coast and play a couple of holes to warm up before making your way to the Arabian Gulf. The back nine plays next to the coast and is without a doubt the most photogenic part of the course. The use of mangroves as a design element for the course and as a hazard is excellent. If you hit it short to the left of the green, you will spend a good amount of your time looking for your golf ball in the mangroves.
The fairways are wide, which will give you the impression that you can hit your driver on every hole. In reality, your score will be highly dependent on your iron play. The fairways are sloped in such a way that hitting the ball to the right or left side give you a really bad angle to the green. Good strategies will be required on every hole because the right side may be more advantageous than the left side for your approach.
The turf is hard, so it makes the ball roll fast. Bump-and-run strategies are good to use around the greens. Many courses in the Middle East tend to overwater the course, but the lack of overwatering here is what separates Yas Links from being just another links-themed course.
The fast greens are also cruel. Many shots result in three-putts. By the back nine, I was lagging shots from over 20ft in the attempt to two-putt.
Final two holes are also signature holes.
Hole 17 is a long par three over water. There are no bail-out options surrounding the hole, and the green is surrounded by deep bunkers. I was lucky and had a following wind, but the hole had a downhill putt and a ridge in the middle of the putt, so I was almost guaranteed to miss. This hole is hard for the wind, but many amateurs often receive a double. I suggest not fighting the wind, but instead, take a larger club, aim for the center part of the green so you will receive a par, or double for the next hole.
18 is a long, challenging, curving par 5 along the water that has the clubhouse watching, ready to finish off your day. The hole design with the green tucked away makes the second shot very tricky. I laid up, hit a wedge to 15 feet, then finished my day with one final three-putting.
All but one of the par threes on this course play over a body of water, so you might want to manage your golf ball inventory.
## the clubhouse and extras
Clubhouse is amazing. Hickory's Restaurant is on an upper floor with a view over the mangroves and the 18th green. It actually has good food, and it's the price you would expect for a golf course with green fees this expensive.
The practice areas at this course are truly amazing, with an illuminated range that has Toptracer, a short game area to practice a couple of things that actually line up with the issues in your game, and a 9-hole illuminated course that you can play in the evening after your main round, which is perfect for a more lengthy golf trip.
The service matches the general standard in the UAE. You pull in to valet your car and your shoes are cleaned for you as you eat. It can likely get a little over the top for some, but I enjoy it.
The Money
If you think it’s expensive playing golf in the Middle East, think again. Yas Links is one of the most expensive golf courses in the Middle East. It is more expensive that Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Whether Yas Links is worth the premium and the overall price depends on your travel plans. If you want to play the best golf course in the region once, then yes, it is worth the price. If you want to play a number of golf courses in the region and would like to play a number of courses, then Yas Links is a course you should definitely scratch off your list.
Try to book your tee time in advance as it fills up quickly in peak season between the months of November to March. Weekend tee times book up very quickly.
Should You Play It?
I would say yes. Yas Links is the best golf course in the UAE and It is not even close to being in second. If you like looking at and playing unique golf courses, you should definitely play Yas Links, as Yas Links is unique.
However, your expectations should be adjusted. You are playing golf beside a race track, Golf will be brilliant, your setting will be a little absurd, and somewhere around the 12th hole you will accept that the engine noise is just part of the deal.
Or you will drive the F3000 yourself the day before like I did, and then you will at least you will know what you are listening to.
Read about other UAE courses here:
