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Montgomerie Golf Course has put Dubai on the elite list of world-class golf resorts.

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As Dubai's annual Desert Classic Golf tournament gets in to full swing, First Class discovers five of the most exclusive golf resorts in the world. From the rough of Scotland to the bunkers of North Carolina, Holly Sands explore the resorts offering championship courses with hotels to match.

The Montgomerie, Dubai, UAE

Designed by Colin Montgomerie, the Dubai golf course covers a total of 265 acres next to the exclusive Emirates Hills residential community. Throughout the course of the year, The Montgomerie alternates between two distinctly opposite seasons of golf.

The summer season sees the course in a full stand of Bermuda grass, with vigorous turf growth creating a testing rough. During the winter months, the course is over-seeded, creating an entirely different golfing terrain.

One of the course's signature holes is the par 3 thirteenth, ambitiously designed in the shape of the Emirates. A 360-degree teeing area around an island fairway and green keeps the game fresh and challenging, so much so that it has been known to take many players by surprise.

The daily walk-on rate at the Montgomerie is approximately US$190 as it is first and foremost a golf club rather than a hotel. Club and shoe rental are available for US$50 and US$13, respectively, but the The Clubhouse and The Academy each have a golfing retail outlet for those in the mood to indulge in their hobby. The outlets offer a range of golfing attire, footwear and hardware from a variety of specialist brands.

The quality of the golf is reflected in the magnificence of the hotel accommodation. Each of the 21 guest rooms and suites offer a host of amenities, including a personal butler service, movie library, airport transfers and a courtesy shuttle service. Rates start at US$315 per night for a Superior Room, to US$870 for an Executive Suite.

Guests at the hotel are also entitled to discounted green fees and discounted treatments at the Montgomerie Angsana Spa.

With six treatment rooms, the Angsana Spa is well equipped to offer an extensive menu of therapies, treatments and indulgences using the arts of aromatherapy and therapeutic touch. The fact that each of the spa therapists have attended the Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket should help you rest assured that you couldn't possibly be left in more capable hands.

The Old Course, St Andrew's, Scotland

Consistently voted as the world's leading golf resort and a favourite of Hollywood stars like Michael Douglas, The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa is situated in the heart of St Andrew's. Sitting majestically on the East coast of Scotland, looking out across the stretches of the North Sea, St Andrew's is the historic birthplace of the great game.

In recent years the five-star hotel has undergone an extensive multi-million dollar refurbishment of its facilities. It boasts 144 rooms, 37 of which are suites as well as various restaurants, including the Sands Restaurant and the highly recommended Road Hole Grill.

The refurbishment saw the introduction of the hotel's spa, which you might like to visit after one or two rounds. The facilities on offer include an indoor swimming pool boasting a relaxing waterfall, steam rooms, a fitness studio and a gym that looks onto the Old Course.

The Thermal Suite houses a hydrotherapy pool, plunge pool, light therapy sauna, a detoxifying Japanese salt steam room and finally a rooftop whirlpool for those who want to brave the infamous Scottish weather.

The Old Course Hotel offers a series of packages to visitors, which range from two, three or four luxury nights' stay in the resort; one or two rounds on the Old Course, St Andrew's New Course, Jubilee Course, Carnoustie Course or Kingsbarns Course.

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