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I can still remember the photograph published just a couple of years ago. The ‘Big Easy’ himself was standing on a patch of sand, a concentrated stare into the distance gave way to his trademark grin.
The stretch of harsh desert terrain that he was peering into was to become the very first Els Club, a course he himself said would be championship standard, adding that Tiger Woods and Greg Norman would “have to go a long way to beat this golf course”.
With great excitement and a little curiosity I approached The Els Club – situated in the middle of the construction chaos that is Dubai Sports City – after all, its own website describes it as a ‘desert links’.
Howling gale force winds, dangerous dog legs and fairways are my impressions of a typical links course.
These images could not have been further from my mind as I smashed (and duffed) a few balls down the pristine green practice area in the intense Dubai heat.
But believe it or not, a links course it is, and even on a scorching hot day, the Els Course had its own summer surprise – Wind.
OK, so you’re not going to encounter swirling storms blowing in off the Atlantic coast, but there is certainly wind. And more than enough to make you have to play to the conditions.
On more than one occasion my gung ho (or fearless and brave) approach to golf saw me misjudging distances and falling short, going long or being pushed left and right.
But the wind is not the only challenge. The teasing dog legs encourage you to drag out the driver when you really should be tipping your hat to safety and the cavernous pot-hole bunkers gape menacingly.
Food for thought
You really have to think your way round the Els Club.
The third is an example of everything good about the course. A wide fairway gives plenty of landing room but anything short of 250 yards leaves an almost suicidal 4-iron to a small domed green flanked by four snarling bunkers.
If you are long and straight (assuming you cleared the fairway bunkers) you have the chance to go at the pin.
But the challenge now is how to stop the ball dead on a green when a slope I’d think twice about skiing down awaits anything off target.
Refreshingly for Dubai, the obsession with having half of the course submerged in water seems to have been resisted.
Water comes into play sparingly – on just two holes – but it isn’t just an ornamental feature.
The seventh is tricky enough with the water lurking menacingly on your left, but you can always aim well right and take the safer options into the green.
But the 15th (which forms the start of a fantastic set of closing holes) leaves you with no choice.
You don’t as much flirt with the lake, but indulge in a fully-fledged embrace.
If you clear the water from the tee, there is still 160 yards to the green (surrounded by water of course). If you mishit then there’s a good chance your ball will be taking a dip courtesy of the brutal left to right slope on the fairway.
Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, you’re faced with the 316-yard 16th. With the wind, it’s definitely possible to drive the green – especially if you can pull a right to left draw from your shot locker.
But beware! Go long and you’re basically in a valley; go right, and you’re in one of a trio of bunkers playing a blind 30-yard shot towards the green.
The 18th is a superb signature hole, and for a weary golfer it must seem as if Ernie was a sadist. Why else would he plant a near 600-yard par 5 as a closer?
Placement off the tee is all important as the fairway is a lot narrower than elsewhere on the course.
The green is just about reachable in two, but you really are better off playing a long iron and leaving yourself with a short pitch onto the green rather than risking the wrath of the three pothole bunkers that surround the flag.
The course is tough and at 7,538 yards I wouldn’t recommend this to a complete novice.
But while it can be unforgiving and exasperating, it’s still a pleasure.
Even the average club player will enjoy the beauty of the course. The rolling dunes, cooling wind and surprisingly serene ambience more than make up for the balls that plug themselves into a bunker.
Most of all, the whole atmosphere of The Els Club is conducive to an enjoyable four hours on the course.
It’s intelligently designed and picturesque (a contrast of deep greens, whites and bright yellows) and its ethos of customer service set new benchmarks in UAE golf.
Interaction with the course marshals who even tell you to take your time, coupled with a 12-minute gap between tee times take much of the hit-and-run element out of your round.
Free Calloway balls when you rent clubs and fly by the holes in your cart are all extra little touches that make the round even more pleasurable.
Whether the Els Club is the best course in the UAE is up for debate. But I agree with Ernie – his contemporaries will do well to make a better course.
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