Yas Links

Yas Links

Where there were rolling dunes and wasteland, there's now a collection of rolling verdant fairways, deep bunkers, wispy rough and inviting, sloping greens with their traditional heartbreaking run-offs. Against all the odds, Phillips has created a modern classic that feels like it's been there for decades.

The par-72 layout plays to a maximum of 7,450 yards and is endowed with nine holes that dramatically hug the coastline, while all 18 holes boast views of the shoreline, making it one of the best courses to play in the UAE. Multiple teeing areas make this enjoyable for most golfers, though the wind and firm, fast-running conditions will test every level of player.

The routing is clever. You start inland, getting a feel for the pace of the greens and the grain of the turf, before the course opens up to the Gulf and the real fun begins. The coastal stretch from the 7th through to the 15th is where Yas Links earns its reputation. The wind can swirl off the water, fairways narrow, and the bunkering gets more aggressive. Miss a green on the wrong side and you're chipping back into the breeze with very little margin for error.

The greens are the real defence. They're not enormous, they've got plenty of movement, and the run-offs are brutal if you're even slightly off line. You'll see balls trickle off the front or side of greens and end up 10 yards away in the rough, leaving you with a delicate chip back to a surface running away from you. It's proper links golf, the kind where a bogey feels like a win and you're constantly weighing up whether to take on a flag or play safe to the fat of the green.

In addition to the championship 18-hole course, there's the nine-hole academy course, a well-appointed clubhouse, golf academy and floodlit practice facilities, all set against dramatic views of the Arabian Gulf. The practice range is excellent, with proper grass hitting bays and enough space to work on every club in the bag. If you're serious about your game, it's worth arriving early and spending time on the short-game area, because that's where you'll save shots out on the course.

Yas Links is also memorable because it's situated on the spectacular Yas Island, strategically located between the coast and city of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The island is home to a range of world-class hotels, theme parks, golf courses, mega malls, apartments and villas. There's Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, featuring the world's fastest roller coaster, and if you want more excitement, the Warner Brothers theme park and Yas Water Park should suffice. This is also the home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Yas Hotel is a unique attraction in itself, with a spectacular aerodynamic gridshell exterior that is a fully programmable cloak of illuminated glass panels, enabling it to act as a light show at night with different shades, colours and animations. Like the fantastic Scottish links-style course in the desert, it's all a little surreal, but it makes a trip here all the more memorable.

If you're building a winter-sun break, it's well worth including Yas Links alongside Saadiyat Beach and Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The three courses are close enough to play over three or four days without spending half your trip in a taxi, and you'll get a proper sense of what makes Abu Dhabi one of the best golf destinations in the region.

Academy Course

The Yas Links floodlit Par 3 Academy Course is the ultimate tune-up before you head out on the main layout. Small, challenging greens demand pinpoint accuracy, and with holes ranging from 83 to 185 yards, every one is both a scoring opportunity and a crucial test for your handicap.

This fully floodlit nine-hole course, also designed by Kyle Phillips, is built specifically to test your iron play and accuracy. It's ideal for warming up, working on your short game or squeezing in a quick nine when time is tight. The floodlights make it a genuine option after dinner, not just a daytime warm-up. If you've arrived on an evening flight, it's a handy way to loosen up without committing to a full round the next morning.

The greens are proper targets, not the big, forgiving surfaces you sometimes get on par-3 courses, so you'll need to flight your irons well and commit to the yardage. Miss the green and you're chipping back to tight pins, which is exactly the kind of practice that pays off when you're out on the championship course the next day.

It also suits mixed-ability groups, since everyone can play from similar yardages and you can turn it into a closest-to-the-pin competition without taking it too seriously. The par is 27, so anything under 30 is a decent score, and if you're dialling in your wedges under lights with a drink in hand afterwards, you're doing Yas Island right.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Yas Links

Yas Links has hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship since 2022, which tells you plenty about the standard of the setup, especially when the coastal wind starts moving. It's a strategic test rather than a brute, with plenty of risk-reward if you chase flags, and the scoring reflects that balance between accessible birdies and punishing mistakes.

The inaugural event in 2022 saw Belgian Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters win at 10 under, edging Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Shubhankar Sharma by one. France's Victor Perez followed in 2023 at 18 under with rounds of 71, 65, 68 and 66, picking up his third DP World Tour win in a tight finish.

In 2024 Paul Waring shot a four-round score of 24 under to beat Tyrrell Hatton by two shots. He established his lead with a course-record 61 on the Friday, a round that showed just how gettable Yas Links can be when the wind drops and you're striking it well. Holding off the field with a 66 in the final round took nerves of steel, especially with the breeze picking up on Sunday.

Aaron Rai secured his second Rolex Series title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, defeating Tommy Fleetwood in a dramatic play-off. Rai sank birdies on the 16th and 17th to tie Fleetwood on the final hole. After missing a winning putt in regulation, Rai didn't falter on the first extra hole, holing his birdie putt to claim his third DP World Tour win.

What the championship proves is that Yas Links rewards accuracy and course management over raw power. The layout gives you chances if you're smart with club selection and respect the wind, but it'll punish loose iron play and anything above the hole on those slick, sloping greens. For the average golfer, that means playing within yourself and taking your medicine when the conditions turn.