This year the event will be played at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club for the first time. The magnificent clubhouse - its design mirroring the sails of the traditional Arab dhow - became an instant landmark when it opened in 1993.

The fairways and approaches are narrow, demanding precision, and water hazards abound. One of the course’s six lakes separates the tee and green on the par three eighth, two more lakes await on the 10th, while the 17th and 18th, lying alongside the Creek, make for a memorable finish. Water figures in 11 holes on the course.

Although both the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and the Emirates Club are designed by the same architect, American Karl Litten, the two courses could not be more different. While the Emirates lies on the edge of the desert and makes use of natural features including a wadi, the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club is essentially a tropical course that forms the centrepiece of sport and leisure complex which also incorporates a 115-berth marina.

Work started on the course in September 1990, on a area of 180 acres on the north bank of the tidal basin known as Dubai Creek which runs through the heart of the city. Close to half a million cubic metres of earth were moved to give the course its shape. To support the abundant greenery in the hot, dry climate an irrigation system of some 40 kilometres of undersoil piping and 700 computer-controlled pop-up sprinklers was installed.

The result is a sporting oasis in the heart of the city that promises to provide a fresh and exciting challenge.