The Montgomerie, Dubai

The Montgomerie, Dubai’s championship golf course was designed by Colin Montgomerie in association with Desmond Muirhead. The course covers 265 acres which consist of 123 acres of turf, 49 acres of man-made lakes (a total of 14 lakes), 93 acres of landscaped gardens and is scattered with 81 large bunkers.

The course provides the player with undulating "links land" style fairways with generous landing areas which challenge and intrigue all levels of player. Although large in size, the greens can be very misleading, especially as they are consistently rolling above 9.5feet. Plenty of shape throughout the greens can result in some very trying putts.

One of the signature holes is the par 5 fourth, dubbed the Snake hole for its saddleback fairway which doglegs towards the green, with two bunkers behind forming the eyes of the snake. Further on, the par 5 ninth, with water down the left, is a tough finish to the opening half. The par 3 thirteenth, a hole designed in the shape of the UAE, boasts a 360 degree teeing area around an island fairway and green, allowing for a completely different golf hole to be played every time. However, it is the par 5 eighteenth that offers a more classic test. At 656 yards it is a monster and, with water protecting the front of the green, it defies even the best player to hit the green in two.