As golf's glamour boys descend on Dubai for the final leg of the European Tour's Middle East jaunt a growing army of PGA professionals are reaping the benefits of golf's boom times in the desert.
Fellow of the PGA Andrew Whitelaw the director of golf at Emirates Golf Club, which plays host to the Dubai Desert Classic, has witnessed first hand golf's expansion in the region since being one of the PGA's original pioneers.
As one of the first intrepid explorers to the region, Whitelaw has seen golf's development expand to nigh on 50 PGA professionals joining the international jet-set in the land of gas and oil.
And Whitelaw, who worked in his native Scotland at Glenbervie and Germany's Zollern-Alb Golf Club before moving to the Emirates, expects the number of professionals to double given the rate of growth currently underway.
"When I came here I would say that there were 15 to 20 pros out here at the most," said Whitelaw.
"That was about the start of the PGA pros coming out to work here. Now we've got about 50 and I forecast that will double in the next two to three years given the plans in place and the ones already under way.
"I think people know what they're getting now compared to when I came here and of course the words 'tax free' has its own extra attraction."
Those that now opt for a new life know what they're getting into given the rise and rise of the region.
But it wasn't like that, even at the turn of the Millennium, when Whitelaw was contemplating the next step in his golfing career.
However, Whitelaw had no qualms taking the bold step to leave the comforts of Europe for the more tropical climes of the Middle East, even though at the time it was very much off the golfing radar.
"Initially I knew some people out there and went out to have a look myself and was very impressed by what I saw, which was nearly ten years ago.
"Eventually I got to move out there and as far as I'm concerned it's a great place to ply your trade.
"The region and Dubai as a whole, was a bit of an unknown quantity as it wasn't somewhere necessarily in the papers all of the time.
"But there were already plenty of developments underway at that stage that would not only put the UAE on the map but Dubai on the map as a tourist destination not just a golfing one.
"And now, six or seven years on it is still on going with Ernie Els having opened a course this week, while there's a huge development programme going on with Jumeirah Estates."
Dubai is certainly on the map with the European Tour launching the multi-million pound Race to Dubai next season while preparing to have an international base in the Emirate.
The growth of Dubai and the influx of the PGA pros have seen the emergence of a very unique golfing community, which has become very self-sufficient in organising its own tournaments and professional development.
"We have a very strong PGA committee which was initially made up of the few guys that came out here," he said.
"Now it looks after the PDP training courses and organises the Order of Merit schedule, which has 15 or 16 events that offers some very generous prize money as they are well supported by some very good sponsors."
Whitelaw's playing opportunities are limited as at 37 years of age, he oversees one the world's high-class golfing resorts, which boasts two Championship courses and plays host to both the European Tour - like this week - as well as the Ladies European Tour.
With such career opportunities combined with the lifestyle, it is no surprise that the region is proving to be a strong magnet for pros.
"It's a great place to live, the weather is generally fantastic, although the heat does get extreme in the summer but that isn't really too much of an issue," he said.
"It's a fantastic place to work and earn a living. As for me, as the director of golf, I oversee the entire operation.
"But it's not just the high end of the market, we have a lot going on here especially with the kids with our Young Masters Golf programme. There's constant growth here with a lot of ex-pats coming here both to work and to have a holiday.
"At the minute we still don't have enough courses to cope with the demand but that is certainly changing."