Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai

At 7,308 yards from the championship tees, Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai gives the driver plenty of room before asking more exacting questions with the next shot. Fairways spread generously through Emirates Hills, yet their hollows, ridges and mounds leave few approach shots from a truly level stance. The course calls for sound distance control and a willingness to work with the lie, particularly when a pin is set beyond one of the large lakes. There are 49 acres of artificial water across the layout, shaping tee shots, approaches and the safer routes around the greens. Bermuda rough adds another consideration when it is grown in, making a missed fairway more costly for those playing from the back markers.

Colin Montgomerie has brought the movement and strategic angles of his Scottish golfing background to a lush Dubai setting. The ground encourages imaginative recovery shots and considered placement, rather than a straightforward assault on every flag. A bold line can open up an approach, while the better play elsewhere is to leave the ball on the favoured side of the fairway and accept a longer second. This is a full championship course, though the breadth of the landing areas allows golfers of differing standards to enjoy the round from suitable tees. The visual contrast of close cut fairways, shaped turf and broad water gives each hole a clear identity, while the changing ground underfoot keeps the round engaging well beyond the tee shot.