When you think ‘Golf destination,’ you probably picture green grass everywhere and beaches left and right, but think again.  In the Arabian Desert you will find one of the most popular golf destination today, in Dubai.  They work hard to beat the heat and desert sands to keep the golf courses green and beautiful, but they succeed tremendously.  With temperatures that soar above 100 degrees in the summer, you wouldn’t expect Dubai to be one of the world’s top golf destinations, but they have achieved those ranks, and list that on their list of accomplishments, along with world’s tallest building, and world’s first seven-star hotel.  This city is covered in skyscrapers, and now championship golf courses.

 There are seven golf clubs that call Dubai home, and more on their way.  Some of the most popular are:  Emirates golf Club, which was one of the first golf clubs in Dubai, and is home to the Dubai Desert Classic tournament, and features two courses, one of which, the Majilis Course, is 7,211-yards big and includes 18-holes; and the Montgomerie Dubai, designed by Colin Montgomerie, with 18-holes, 265 acres, 14 lakes, 81 bunkers, a golf academy and a 21-room boutique hotel.  Scheduled to open in March is The Dunes, designed by Ernie Els, which will feature an 18-hole course on its 7,538 yard link-style residence, along with a golf academy and about 900 luxury villas and townhouses that will be built around the course.  Scheduled to open this or next year, Fire, Earth, Wind and Water are four courses at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, designed by the likes of Greg Norman, Sergio Garcia, Pete Dye and Vijay Singh.  And the most anticipated to open is Tiger Wood’s first golf course, Al Ruwaya, set to open in 2009, and will feature a 7,700-yard, par-72 course, a golf academy and 320 villas, and will be open only to members and guests of the 80-suite boutique hotel.

 Los Cabos is home to many challenging golf courses created by names like Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones Jr.  Los Cabos has also played host to many golf tournaments such as People vs. the Pros Championship golf Event, one of the PGA’s events, this is where amateurs compete against professionals from the PGA Tour and Champions Tour.  They are also host to the Annual Stars and Stripes Fishing & Golf Tournament, which is a combination of fishing and golf that is held for the benefit of the Big Brothers & Big Sisters or Orange County, CA.  Here are some of the many big names in Los Cabos Golf Courses.

 Cabo Del Sol is a 1,800-acre resort community consisting of two courses; First, the Ocean Course, is designed by Nicklaus, and has one and a half miles of oceanfront and holds a position on Golf Magazine’s list of Top 100 Golf Courses in the World, and Second is the Desert Course, which opened in 2002 and was designed by Weiskopf.

 Cabo Pacifica is a Nicklaus designed two 18-hole signature course that opens in 2008. It combines challenging play with beautiful scenery as it is surrounded by dramatic cliffs and desert terrain.

 Cabo Real Golf Club is found at Cabo Real and is designed by Jones.  This 18-hole course is surrounded by five luxury resort hotels and has hosted the 1996 PGA Senior Slam Tournament and the 1999 Senior Slam.  It has a newly expanded and refurbished clubhouse along with improvements on the greens and landscape.

 Cabo San Lucas Country Club is the new name for the Raven Golf Club.  This 18-hole course was born from the ideas of the Pete Dye design team and features the longest hole in Mexico, and is also the only course with a view of Land’s End.

 Chileno Bay Club is a 1,300-acre, private resort-style community consisting of two courses: one, designed by Fazio and the other by Nicklaus.  It is found four miles north of Cabo del Sol and features two and a half miles of coastline.

 Club Campestre San Jose is a 550-acre gated community with 18 holes on the Nicklaus-designed course which was designed in 2007.  It is the first course to use Paspalum grass, which is resistant to salt water, in Los Cabos and offers a beach club and 40,000-square-foot clubhouse to those who golf there.

 Diamante Cabo San Lucas is a 1,500-acre, Phil Mickelson-designed golf course that features practice and learning facilities, a beach club, tennis complex, spa, fitness center, swimming pools and ice hockey rink.

 El Dorado Golf & Beach Club is designed by Nickalus.  This 18-hole course became private in 2006 and is currently being redesigned.

 Palmilla Golf Club is the only 27-hole course in Los Cabos.  It is designed by Nicklaus and has three parts - the Arroyo Nine, the Mountain Nine, and the Ocean Nine - and is enhanced by canyon, mountain and water scenery.

 Puerto Las Cabos is one of the largest developments in Los Cabos.  This gated community of two 18-hole courses designed by Nicklaus and Greg Norman.

 Querencia golf Club is designed by Fazio and features a nine-hole course, practice facilities, a 26,000-square-foot clubhouse and offers only 350 memberships.