Hole-by-Hole: The 18 Holes Of Earth

A sharply defined, sculptured course inspired by the great parklands of Europe and North America, Earth by Greg Norman paints a magnificent pastiche of flora, rolling terrain and rushing water. The Earth course is the proud host of the first Dubai World Championship - the culmination of The European Tour season and golf's ultimate prize - to be staged in November. Take an insider look at all 18 championship holes.

Hole 1 - Par 4, 454 Yards

Downhill dogleg right tee shot on a left-to-right sloping fairway. The green angles away right, with mounding supporting the front left and promoting shots aimed left on the pin. Bunkers lower right and short, with the lows and the green surface sitting on an extended ridge. A fair starting hole, but challenging to get the mind working from the get-go.

Hole 2 - Par 5, 583 Yards

An uphill drive through a valley fairway with bunkering guiding through the landing area. Short tee shots collect down to the right of the fairway and force a carry over more bunkering to the second landing area. The left side feeds down toward the green area but is heavily protected by bunkering and a deep low short of the green. Going at the green in two is made harder by the perched green surface and the protection offered by the bunkering, but the rewards will tempt many.

Hole 3 - Par 4, 452 Yards

Uphill tee shot across the landing area, with the big hitters rewarded with extra run down towards the green. An undulating fairway all the way through the green, with mounding 40 yards short and a low left of bunkering. A gentle rolling green that falls off left and short right.

Hole 4 - Par 3, 245 Yards

A long downhill par three back into the prevailing wind. Pin placements are protected through the line of play by a strong mound in the left of the green surface. Small but deep bunkering short and long right add difficulty, and a long area long-left collects balls overhit. Club selection is imperative for successful placement on the green.

Hole 5 - Par 4, 407 Yards

A dogleg right that climbs back up the hill through a valley. Shots played left short of the turning bunkers will force a carry over the greenside bunkers, so the best play is up the right side. After the landing area, the fairway really starts to rise, climbing five metres to the green surface. Short will roll back off the putting surface and make chipping difficult.

Hole 6 - Par 3, 186 Yards

The first of the water holes, a full carry par three playing into and across the wind. Bunkers protect the bailout area to the right, meaning the only line is straight at the green. Anything short and left and you're in water; right and long means you're chipping or playing out of a bunker towards the water.

Hole 7 - Par 5, 572 Yards

Uphill all the way to the green, this dogleg right has a creek or falaj all the way up the right side. Bunkers short of the landing area and long left narrow the driving zone, and the second shot into the green is long, with the falaj bending into the fairway under the green surface. Bunkers left and right and a green that climbs over a ridge and tilts back down the other side to a low behind make this a very challenging hole.

Hole 8 - Par 4, 461 Yards

A dogleg left back down the hill, the drive crosses the corner of another falaj, which continues down the left side, before crossing in front of the green. Bunkers line the left side, although the fairway slopes slightly from right to left and guides the ball back toward the centre. The best line for approach is as close to the falaj as possible to avoid a carry across water and two strong bunkers in front of the green. A mound in the back left of the green separates two small lows that make chipping back towards the creek difficult if you miss left.

Hole 9 - Par 4, 499 Yards

A strong par four uphill from the landing area on towards the clubhouse. The drive is open and free of bunkering short of the landing area, inviting the big hitters. The second shot has bunkers left and right, and one in the centre just short of the green. A ridge strengthens the right side short of the green and pushes shots back towards the putting surface off the slope as well as from behind. This hole could make the nine, but has enough bite that it could ruin it as well.

Hole 10 - Par 4, 437 Yards

A downhill tee shot to an undulating fairway with bunkering left and a rewarding low for the bigger drive. Depending on the pin position, either side of the fairway has its merits due to a massive bunker tucked into and under the green. Lows left and short make the approach a real target shot and a juicy start to the back nine.

Hole 11 - Par 4, 401 Yards

A dogleg left with bunkers turning after the landing zone, the best play is high on the left side to avoid playing over the waste area and giving a better angle into the left to right green. The green itself sits along a ridge and falls away on both sides. Accuracy of the second shot is the key to a good score on this hole.

Hole 12 - Par 4, 476 Yards

A slight dogleg left back into the hill, the tee shot is wide and inviting, and turns off the right side off strong mounding to the right. The green sits on top of a rise and is nestled in against the hill, but slopes slightly away off centre on both sides. Anything short will fall off the green down towards the approach and cause the chip to be blind up the hill.

Hole 13 - Par 3, 204 Yards

A long par three uphill to a green heavily surrounded by bunkering and sitting up high, making it difficult to stop the ball with long irons or woods. A hint of a safe shot left is guarded by another bunker level, with the centre of the green backed by a mound that runs into the green surface and divides the pin positions. Tough.

Hole 14 - Par 5, 626 Yards

A downhill tee shot with the distance being the reward. The hole doglegs right after the landing zone, which is protected by bunkers long left. Going at the green requires hitting over the bunkers and trying to use the slope to guide the ball around and up onto the putting surface. A waste bunker runs from the start of the lake on the right all the way under the green.

Hole 15 - Par 4, 371 Yards

A slight dogleg left back uphill, this drivable par four is nothing but risk/reward. A massive low attracts everything to the left side of the fairway and pushes up right under the green. The tee shot must be played to the left and, if put in the absolute perfect spot, gains the ultimate reward. Safety short means playing over the low area into a green that slopes away towards a deep low.

Hole 16 - Par 4, 485 Yards

A dogleg right played over a falaj to a broad fairway that slopes away from the tee and will carry the long drive further. Water in the form of a large lake lines the right, with its presence felt all the way to the green. Right of the green, a bailout area sits low with one bunker tucked under the putting surface. Look out for the waterfall that links the two lakes.

Hole 17 - Par 3, 195 Yards

A true island green. Nothing to say about this hole other than make sure of the club selection. Wind from anywhere will make this very difficult.

Hole 18 - Par 5, 651 Yards

A long hole to finish, with water off the tee right and a creek right at the landing area. Bunkers sit short right and left of the tee shot, which is best placed as far right as possible. The second can be played ether directly towards the green or up the left, as a falaj splits the fairway in two. The shot played right is narrower but opens up the green for approach, whereas the shot played left is easier but creates a forced carry to the green over a large group of dangerous bunkers. The green is raised and uphill from the fairway, with the falaj off to the left and a low long and right.