65 The seventh is a bite-off-as-muchas-you-can carry over a sandy ravine to an angled fairway. Play too safe and you’ll have a longer approach over a large bunker that protects the frontleft of the green. The last two holes of each nine were constructed first, and all feature water and a vibrant palette of desert planting, giving them a lushness that is in contrast with the raw desert feel of the rest of the course, and in particular holes twelve to fifteen, where construction of housing is not yet under way. The highlight of that stretch is the thirteenth, which, according to the club’s general manager Elliot Gray, evokes a feel of Cypress Point. It’s a short par three, maybe an eight iron if there’s no wind and you’re playing from the appropriate tee, fronted by a cluster of bunkers. A ridge runs through the green making the backright pin position a very tough par. Most of the greens are large and have plenty of movement, with waves and swales that extend into the surrounds creating plateaus within the greens; small, tough targets to hit to avoid the risk of three-putting. The course has plenty of width and is playable and enjoyable for average golfers, while pin placements can be set to ensure a stern challenge for better players. From the very first hole and on multiple occasions throughout the round, central hazards force players to consider their strategy from the tee. The boldest of these is on the massively wide par-four sixteenth, where a cluster of palm trees sit in an island of sand in the centre of the fairway. A drive up the right side gives the best line into the green, but also brings water into play. On the scorecard, the variety offered by Dubai Hills is clear to see. There are only two occasions in the round with consecutive holes of the same par, each of those cases being a short par four “ The course has plenty of width and is playable and enjoyable for average golfers, while pin placements can be set to ensure a stern challenge for better players” The routing changes direction frequently, creating a big reveal for each hole
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