Golf and Dubai go together well: the most overtly capitalist sport, where player progress is measured in money, and the world’s most ambitious, status-obsessed emirate. 


This year the relationship is cemented further. As part of the post-oil strategy of the emirate, the European golf season culminates in the Dubai World Championship, the most lucrative tournament ever, where players will compete to carry home a prize pot of $10m. 


It’s not surprising that given the amount of oil money flowing through European golf, players from the US are showing an interest, notably Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim. 


Players of this calibre only add to Dubai’s reputation and will no doubt convince many hackers to divert their holiday spend away from Spain and Portugal towards the emirate. But what will they get for their money?


The first ever Tiger Woods design, Al Ruwaya, is due to open later this year and will doubtless become a top-end golf destination. Likewise, Greg Norman and Sergio Garica have added their names to new courses. 


Colin Montgomerie, however, was an early mover into Dubai and the course that bears his name remains one of the most interesting challenges in the region. There is a Monty style emerging, with the Scot’s fondness for links courses coming to the fore. The design philosophy is most obvious in a later Monty creation, Carton House in Ireland: all small, difficult greens and undulating fairways. 


The Montgomerie Dubai is an earlier version, but the features are still there: it’s a fortunate tee shot that finds level ground, and the bunkering is extensive (81 sand traps in total) and penal. Given the course is located near the centre of one of the fastest growing business cities in the world, creating the feel of the Celtic coastline is a feat in itself. 


But this is Dubai, so the links analogy only goes so far. Into the mix is the opulence that has made the emirate famous, translating into an extravagant use of water — 14 artificial lakes covering 20ha — and holes that, like the city itself, make you shake your head in wonder at the sheer ambition of the project. 


Most visitors will return with a tale of two holes: the par 3 13th and the par 5 18th. 


The 13th offers something you won’t have encountered: a 360˚ hole, where the green is surrounded by water, and the tee encircles the green, offering any point of entry, making the hole different each time you play. The green is shaped like the UAE and claims to being the largest in the world: 5,390m² or the equivalent of nine ‘normal’ sized greens. 


The final hole also challenges golf design orthodoxy, in that it is 600m long, which even in the era of the titanium driver and super-long ball is absurd. Even the longest hitters on the pro tour would think twice about going for the green.

Need to know before you go


Course details: 18 holes, 6,682m full length


Standard scratch: 75


Dress code: Smart golfing attire


Handicap limit: Men 28, Women 45


Designer: Desmond Muirhead/
Colin Montgomerie


Location: Emirates Lakes, Dubai


Facilities: Swing studio, short game area, nine-hole par 3 course, practice putting greens/fairway. Clubhouse, restaurant with terraces overlooking the 18th, bar and lounge, meeting rooms, shop, gym with massage rooms. 


Prices in AED Dirham (to 31 May)
: Visitor 725 (€149)
, UGA Member (Thurs-Sat) 580 (€120), UGA Member (Sun-Wed) 510 (€105)
. Green fees include 18 holes of golf, shared cart and access to the practice facility with unlimited range balls prior play. All green fees are subject to 10% Dubai Municipality fees. 


Contact: www.themontgomerie.com; 
info@themontgomerie.ae; +971 4 3905600