Oman golf trips: Between the mountains and the Indian Ocean
The Sultanate of Oman has a lot to offer: A colorful Orient, impressive deserts, a fascinating culture and four good golf courses. Look forward to next winter and a trip to the land of 1001 nights.
The daytime temperature in Muscat is currently over 40 degrees and the thermometer often doesn’t fall below 30 degrees at night. The climate in the small capital of Oman is much more pleasant between December and April, with maximum temperatures below 30 degrees. Winter may still seem a long way off, but it’s still worth taking a look at this up-and-coming destination on the Indian Ocean.
The most famous sights in Muscat include the imposing Sultan Qabus Mosque and the old quarter of Matrah with its labyrinthine souk and bustling fish market. With its traditional architecture and lack of the gigantism of other Gulf states, Muscat is the most modest and authentic capital of the Arabian Peninsula. The city itself only has around 30,000 inhabitants; together with its suburbs, it forms the “Muscat Capital Area” and has a population of over 630,000. All four of the Sultanate’s golf courses are located around the capital.
The jewel in the crown is the Almouj Golf Club, which was completed in April 2012 and designed by Australian professional golfer Greg Norman. Half of the courses run directly along the azure blue Gulf of Oman, always accompanied by the thundering sound of the sea. Some greens reach right up to the waves, which can swallow up the odd ball, but the former Muscat Hills Golf Course, between hills and dry river beds, is also exciting. Muscat Hills was opened in 2010 as the first 18-hole course in Oman, closed in the meantime and relaunched after a major renovation in 2023 as “LA Vie Golf Club” under the management of Troon.Oman’s oldest golf course was built as early as 1971 by Colonel Cooper as a modest 9-hole sand course and named Ghala Valley Golf Course because of its location in a valley between two mountain ridges. The course was later converted into an 18-hole grass course with a desert feel. There is also the Ras Al Hamra golf course, which is run by the “leisure organization” of a large oil company and can also be played under floodlights. Initially golf was played on sand, but later a special 9-hole course was created. There are holes with large double greens, while other holes have two different tee boxes. This makes it possible to play a 9-hole course almost like an 18-hole course. Large waste areas are placed everywhere and require precise play.
