Emirates Golf Club, the Middle East's first all-grass eighteen hole golf course, and a longtime European Tour venue, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

American architect Karl Litten designed Emirates' Majlis course, while the club's second course was redesigned in 2005 by Nick Faldo's practice. The Majlis has hosted the Dubai Desert Classic since 1989.

European Tour chief executive George O'Grady said: “It was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's vision to turn Dubai into a major golfing destination that proved the catalyst for what has been a remarkable 25-year journey. The inaugural Desert Classic in 1989 saw professional golf played in the Emirate for the first time, and Karl Litten's design masterpiece has been the foundation for the tournament to grow in stature and become one of the leading events on the European Tour.”

The club has recently completed a major renovation programme, including a complete replacement of the Majlis course's irrigation system. The multi-million pound upgrade, which uses over 40,000 metres of piping is intended to save water by increasing the efficiency of irrigation. The new pump station allows up to 6,500 gallons of treated sewage effluent water per minute to travel through the network.

Also part of the renovation was a programme of greens recapture, returning the course's greens to their dimensions in Litten's original design. Dubai Golf CEO Christopher May said: “While we are in a period of celebration we are also very conscious about our future, and our responsibilities to the wider environment.”