The Sultanate of Oman was once part of the ancient Persian Empire but now the country depends on oil, as do so many other Middle Eastern countries. With a gloriously long aquamarine Arabian Sea coastline and a hot dry climate, the Oman could soon emerge alongside Dubai as one of the best holiday destinations in the Middle East.

In 2009 Oman opened its first 18-hole grass course at the Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club, set close to the capital – designed by Paul Thomas, former European Tour player and son of Dave Thomas. There are now five Omani courses and we think the best is currently the Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj.

We’ll keep a watchful eye on golf in Oman and we'll let you know what develops, especially given that Oman sees the future of tourism in golf as well as sunshine. Click here for more.

The 9-hole course at Jebel Sifah – designed by Peter Harradine and operated by Troon Golf – opened for play in July 2017. Set out within a new residential development an hour’s drive along the coast from Muscat, this seaside layout features wide fairways, a lack of fairway bunkers and gently contoured greens, allowing it to be enjoyed by golfers of all abilities.

Our Middle East rankings were last updated in February 2017. Click the link to read the story.