Emirates Majlis Course

Emirates Majlis Course, on the record

Emirates Majlis Course: Karl Litten (1988). Par 72, 7,301 yards. Patrick Reed won the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic here with 274 (−14).

Updated October 24, 2026

Club

Emirates Golf Club

Where

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Opened

1988

Design

Karl Litten (1988)

Par

72

Length

7,301 yards (the championship setup)

Access

Semi-private

Superintendent

Matthew Perry, Superintendent, Emirates Golf Club (confirmed 2025-01-14)

Greens

Bermuda (TifEagle)

Course record

61, Ernie Els

Website

dubaigolf.com/egc/golf/courses-and-academy/the-majlis-course

The champions here

35 editions on the record, by event, newest first.

Stories

• First grass course in the Middle East

  The Majlis opened in 1988 as the first all-grass championship course in the Middle East, designed by American Karl Litten, and has hosted the Dubai Desert Classic since 1989.

  Source: Dubai Golf Majlis page · PlanetGolf

• Els's 61

  Ernie Els holds the course record of 61; his only bogey that round came at a short par 3 whose green is 44 yards deep.

  Source: Dubai Golf Majlis hole notes

• Golf Channel's first live tournament

  The Desert Classic, first played on the Majlis in 1989, was the first European Tour event staged in the Arabian Peninsula; its 1995 edition (19-22 January) was the first live tournament televised by the newly launched Golf Channel.

  Source: Golf History Today · Wikipedia: Dubai Desert Classic

The place

• LandmarkBedouin-tent clubhouse

  The clubhouse is designed as a cluster of Bedouin tents, and Sheikh Mohammed's Royal Pavilion, also in Bedouin-tent style, sits behind the 8th green.

  Source: Top 100 Golf Courses

• Feature · hole 18Bow-tie green at 18

  The par-5 18th, whose fairway turns left 90 degrees, finishes with an approach across a lake to a long, thin double green shaped like a bow tie.

  Source: Top 100 Golf Courses · Dubai Golf - Majlis Course hole guide

• Design · hole 7Over the lake at 7

  The par-3 7th must carry the full length of a lake; from the back tee it is just under 170 yards to the front edge of one of the flattest greens on the course.

  Source: Top 100 Golf Courses · Dubai Golf - Majlis Course hole guide

Changes to the course

• 1988Opened

  Karl Litten

• Changes

  continually altered and upgraded for the Desert Classic (lengthened, narrowed, steeper bunkers) - no dated project found

  Source: PlanetGolf

The tour here

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour weeks at this course since 2017.