Address Montgomerie

Set within 265 acres of manicured fairways lined by powdery sand, landscaped gardens and lakes, Address Montgomerie is championship in length but its main aim is not to beat you up. That is definitely not the case at all of Dubai's courses but the Montgomerie is playable, forgiving and frankly just good fun. The fairways are wide so you can swing away freely off the tee, but there is also plenty of challenge in locating greens that are often elevated and usually very well guarded by sand. Water plays a significant part too, not least in the all-world finale, which is a suitably stellar climax to a terrific back nine. The course is routed in two loops of nine, either side of the clubhouse/hotel, with the short 8th probably the pick of a solid opening half. The stand-out second nine opens with a solid par 4 that plays over the undulating ground and mounding - almost pyramid-like at times and frame the fairways along with sprinklings of palm trees - that are such a feature here. It is elevated, well bunkered, has run-offs around the green and is not especially big - and is a reminder that while the Montgomerie is not brutal, it has bite. The quirky approach to 12, the ground every bit as funky as you'd find at Cruden Bay or Prestwick, foreshortens the approach and then once on it there is some cool movement in it to work out. Then comes one of the Montgomerie's highlights, an unforgettable par 3 entirely over water, the green reached by a bridge. The sheer expanse of water in front of, either side or, and behind the green make it seriously intimidating...and thrilling. There are a variety of tees, as on every hole, and off the Blacks from a very different angle - 3 o'clock on a watch face compared to the 6 o'clock position of the others - it is utterly fearsome. The 14th also has water at the front of your mind, the land all linked by adorable wooden bridges, and then there's more of it on 17, another short hole that plays over it even if there is more dry land around the green - including Church Pew-style bunkers - than on 13. But it is once again the only thing on your mind on the aforementioned last, with water eating in off the right initially but then also on the left and in indeed around most of the green. It looks like a thrill-a-minute stadium-type hole but there is actually a good deal of strategy to it. But as ever, fun is to the fore.