Club Life October

Editor: Jacqui Barry egc@dubaigolf.com

13 ctober 20 o 4 3 E U S IS

Dick Purchase • Kamal Kosta • Barbara Head • Mitsuko Emmerson

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Emirates Golf Club Senior Management

Editorial

elcome back everyone… if you’ve been travelling of course. It’s the start of yet another season and time to dust off the clubs and start playing lots of golf again; the weather is becoming much more pleasant as the temperature drops and the humidity wanes. Many of you will have had the opportunity to meet all the Pros at the recent Pros tournament which was superbly organised by them and well supported by members. For those of you not able to play in this event I have included a “Meet the Pros’ article in this issue.

Welcome to incoming Captains, Dick Purchase and Barbara Head and also to incoming Vice Captains, Kamal Kosta and Mitsuko Emmerson! I’m sure we will have a couple of fun-filled years ahead. The Mixed Season opener takes place on Friday 4th October when the two Captains will officially ‘drive-in’ from the first tee of the Majlis, so please make every effort to be there to encourage and support them for this nerve-wracking ordeal!

Congratulations and a big thank-you to our outgoing Captains Moshe Kohli and Glynis Hendry. You will, I’m sure, feel very proud of what you have achieved with the hard work that you did during your tenure. Enjoy your ‘retirement’!

Christopher May

Chief Executive Officer cmay@dubaigolf.com

Andrew Whitelaw

General Manager awhitelaw@dubaigolf.com

Chef Max Grenard

Craig Haldane

Culinary Director mgrenard@dubaigolf.com

Director - Golf Course Maintenance chaldane@dubaigolf.com

Adele Cowgill

Andy Meech

Thank you to Craig and his crew who have been doing a lot of work over the summer months and no doubt you will notice the changes when you’re playing.

Over the summer we had some In-House promotions so congratulations to Andrew Whitelaw who is now General Manager, to Barney Coleman who was promoted to Director of Golf, to Adele Cowgill who is now Head of Sales and Marketing and to Pansy Gonsalves who was promoted to Senior CRS and Sales Manager.

Barney Coleman

Director of Golf Head of Sales and Marketing Head of Sport and Leisure bcoleman@dubaigolf.com acowgill@dubaigolf.com ameech@dubaigolf.com

The Dubai Ladies’ Masters takes place at the Club from 1st - 7th December 2013. ‘golf in DUBAi’ – the promoters and organisers of the tournament, estimates over 150 volunteers will be required to act as marshals, scorers, TV production assistants, scoreboard carriers and carry out other related duties as needed. More information on this is included in this issue.

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month when the ladies traditionally have a Pink Ball competition as a fund raiser for this Charity. Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) is an annual international health campaign organised by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The Ladies’ Pink Ball day, supporting Breast Cancer Arabia, is on Monday, 28th October so be prepared for lots of pink everywhere on that day!!

Ganesh Mangathil

In House Publishing Manager gmangathil@dubaigolf.com

Keith Wilkes

Retail Manager kwilkes@dubaigolf.com

Steen Simon

Food and Beverage Manager ssimon@dubaigolf.com

The season ahead is very full with a great mix of tournaments and social events so please check the website where you can sign up online for tournaments and have access to all results and up-to-date EGC news www.dubaigolf.com Please support your Club events...it’s your Club and it’s a great hub for meeting people, whether on the golf course on in the Spike Bar and restaurants.

Feel free to contact me on barrydxb@eim.ae if you have any news or articles that you would like to have included in Club Life magazine.

Have a great season

Jacqui Barry

www.dubaigolf.com

Saeed Ahamed

Financial Controller mahamed@dubaigolf.com

Stephen Deane

Haridas Palliyalil

Head Academy Professional Resident Engineer sdeane@dubaigolf.com hpalliyalil@dubaigolf.com

EGC Key Telephone Numbers Main Switchboard 04 Members Golf Reservations 04 Membership 04 Recreation 04 Accounts 04 SensAsia Urban Spa 04

417 417 417 417 417 417

9999 9800 9801 9850 9875 9820

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We already have over 8,339 likes.

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elcome back after your summer break, I hope you are looking forward to the new season ahead at the Club.

As always we have a packed calendar of events for you to enjoy. We will shortly be sending out our social calendar for our members-only events and we hope that there will something for everybody to enjoy.

The new season tees off very soon with the traditional annual season opening event where our new Captains, Dick Purchase and Barbara Head strike the opening tee shots for both the Men’s and Ladies’ sections. We wish them the best of luck for the busy season ahead.

The Academy this season has lots to offer and we are pleased to announce the return of

Hello to you all.

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y association with Emirates Golf Club really started when I returned to live in Dubai on 4th January 2002 at which time I immediately applied to join the Club. Happily for me, I was admitted to membership in the March, and the Club has been a key part of my life ever since.

I have won occasionally, lost frequently, dined to perfection, experienced wonderful camaraderie, held my wedding reception in Le Classique, and I now enjoy the privilege of being invited to Captain the Club - a rich experience by anyone’s definition.

Golf is such a humbling game isn’t it? No one ever stops learning, even those skilled low-handicappers who we all wish to emulate; certainly, although I have managed to just creep into the single figure zone, consistency frequently deserts me and I can quite easily embarrass myself. Perhaps I need more practice or even a few lessons!

My occupation necessitates considerable travel so I have tended to play on Saturdays, keeping Fridays for home duties.

That means I have yet to play in many Medals, and, whilst I am

Lady Professional Nicky Lawrenson who will join us on a seasonal basis from 1st October, I am sure many of you will remember Nicky from her time at the Peter Cowen Academy.

Message

Dear Member,

The Members’ Consultative Committee will meet for the first time after the summer break next week and we look forward to receiving your feedback through the committee members so that we can continue to provide you the best service and facilities available. Just a reminder that feedback can also be passed through the members’ zone on the website.

Happy golfing and I look forward to seeing you all at the club again soon.

Best regards, Andrew Whitelaw CCM General Manager

fortunate to know a lot of people at our Club, there are many more I have yet to meet. Perhaps that is my greater good fortune; whatever, I look forward to doing so. Please therefore don’t be shy to say hello.

On looking through the events calendar for 2013/14, there is hardly a gap. As incoming Captain I wanted to stage an event but it appeared that would not be a realistic expectation. I have therefore decided to host a season competition! ‘The Hickory Putter’ will be a men’s eclectic competition, with qualifying events being the Monthly Medals and other high profile Club competitions held on the Majlis course. The prize will be a hickory-shafted putter which will be displayed in the Club and the year’s winner will have his name recorded on a golf ball which will be forever suspended from the shaft of the putter. A replica model of the putter will also be presented to the annual winner to keep. Hopefully over the years ‘The Hickory Putter’ will become a prize recognised as a staple of our Club’s year. The best of luck to all who take part in the inaugural competition.

founder members, Rod Bogg’s book, ‘The Desert Miracle’, reveals just how much has been packed into those 25 years. The many celebrations of that landmark were to my mind enhanced by the Club Captain and Lady Captain, who led us through those celebrations. Both Moshe and Glynis did the Club proud. In my case, as Vice-Captain, I could only look on in awe as Moshe led us through the year. We are fortunate in having had some outstanding Captains in my time at this Club, but none more so than Moshe, whose commitment and passion for Emirates Golf Club serves as an example to all of us who follow him. I shall try my level best to continue the tradition established by him and his predecessors.

Lady Captain Barbara, and incoming Vice-Captains, Kamal and Mitsuko, are all excited about the year ahead. We all look forward very much to your company and wish you much enjoyment in the coming year.

Happy Golfing!

Dick Purchase Club Captain 2013 – 2014

As we all know, last year marked the 25th anniversary of our Club.

For those of us who were not

www.dubaigolf.com

Message

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elcome back to everyone after our summer break and an especially warm welcome to all of those new members who have joined us in the past few months. I feel very fortunate this year to be Lady Captain of such a wonderful Club and of such a large ladies’ section with its mix of long time members and many newcomers from all around the world. The invaluable input and experiences of all continue to make this section thrive and I look forward to working with and representing all of you this year alongside the Club Captain Dick Purchase and my new Vice-Captain Mitsuko Emmerson. It is going to be another exciting year during which we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Dubai Desert Classic here at the Club.

I would like to thank the outgoing Lady Captain, Glynis Hendry, for all her hard work and her mentorship last year. It certainly is a much less daunting process having been heavily involved with Glynis as her Vice-Captain. I would also like to thank outgoing Club Captain Moshe Kohli who was nothing but supportive from day one.

It seems that all the ladies were keen to get out on the course after the break and we have had three ladies’ events so far starting with an Individual Stableford on Monday 9th September. Congratulations to Sue Hopwood who turned out an excellent performance on the day to take the honours.

This was followed by a 3-man Scramble on Monday 16th September with our worthy team winners being Lynne Dickinson, Sandra Broedelet and Maureen Platt. Our first Medal of the year was held on Monday 23rd September on the Faldo.

Congratulations must go to Cathrine Clark who not only had the best overall gross of 82 but was also the winner of the Silver A division Medal with a net 73.

Lynne Dickinson also had a net 73 to take runner-up place. The winner of Division B and also qualifier for the Luckiest Ball on Earth was Thea Hendrickx with a net 69. Our Bronze Division winner was Fiona Munro with a

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net 74. The ladies’ Medals this year are being sponsored by the JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai and we have a excellent array of prizes from them from their wonderful restaurants and spa.

I would like to thank everyone who turned out for that Medal, including three of my beginners from last year, as it is still very humid out there and as we know, a Medal is testing at the best of times.

As many of you are aware, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month internationally and here in Dubai it is recognised with many events and activities. Dubai Goes Pink is the initiative of Breast Cancer Arabia, a non profit making charity and this charity is again the recipient of the funds we will raise in October 2013. Last year, the Ladies’ Section raised just over 60,000 AED for this charity which enabled many women to have chemotherapy which otherwise they would not have had; it literally is life saving. This is a wonderful outcome from a few weeks of hard work, the generosity of Club members and sponsors and the dedication of our staff here at EGC. Over 100 ladies played in our wonderful Pink Ball Day last year and I would encourage lady members to come along to play on Monday 28th October. If anyone is interested in making a donation of any kind towards the day itself or for the raffle then please let me or Mitsuko know.

We will be selling raffle tickets from the beginning of October so please support this worthy cause.

I have recently produced a guide to the Ladies’ Section which will be available soon. It summarises the ‘what, when and how’ and hopefully answers many of the questions that come up on a daily basis, especially from those new to the Club. In addition, there is now a Ladies’ Facebook group where you will find reminders of what’s going on as well as the occasional humorous item. I would remind everyone to use the excellent means of communication that we have in place to keep informed about tournaments and other facets of Club life. There are numerous

sections on the EGC website and our locker room board is already full.

We will again be taking part in the Interclub competition. This year our League consists of Arabian Ranches, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Our first event is at Abu Dhabi on the 2nd October.

Vice-Captain Mitsuko is in charge of this so please ask her if you want to know more. Mitsuko will also be starting her Beginners’ Golf Group soon. This is a group for ladies who do not have a handicap and who would like to start playing nine holes with similar standard golfers. There is a free clinic once a month. If you are interested in this then the ‘Welcome Coffee Morning’ is on Tuesday 1st October .

We are shortly having our first Members’ Consultative Committee meeting of the year. If anyone has any issue they would like raised then please pass it on to any of the Committee members. It is due to this body that many improvements have been realised over the past few years.

Again there is a section with minutes on the website.

In conclusion, I would like to say thank you to all of our team here at EGC – to the Golf Office who keep it all flowing on a Monday (and other days), to the Reservations staff, to the Golf Management, to the Food and Beverage Department who supply us with a lovely lunch each Monday, to the marshals and all the greenkeepers and maintenance in Craig’s team, to our Golf Pros who help us out with events and free lessons, to our Ladies’ Locker Room girls, to the Reception staff – the list is endless. These are the people who make the club tick and who make my life as a member and as Lady Captain so much easier.

Every morning when I drive in through that front gate I am reminded of what a fabulous facility we have here – I hope you feel the same. I hope you all have a great year.

Barbara Head Lady Captain 2013 - 2014

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MEN’S COMPETITION RESULTS

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Summer Series

ixture four of the Dubai Golf Summer Series sponsored by Titleist witnessed a fantastic turnout of 104 golfers on the Majlis course. As well as prizes for best scores on the day, the Order of Merit was also decided. Competitors had the opportunity to play in four fixtures over the summer sponsored by Ping, Footjoy, Greg Norman and Titleist with their best three scores counting in the league table.

43 points. Makoto Tokudomi fired 40 points to clinch third.

Club News

Dubai Golf

The ladies’ competition was a close contest with Ji Won Bae recording 32 points to take the prize for best lady golfer with junior Kavita Sehmi recording lowest gross of the day with a 74, a superb effort in hot and humid conditions.

Aryaan Kumar (Series Champion) and David Stevenson

The Majlis course inspired the starting field with nine players breaking par and it was Gaurav Verma who came out on top with 44 points. Verma, from the Emirates Golf Federation, was delighted and remarked, “I flew back in to Dubai at 8am this morning and managed to record my best score to date”.

One point adrift and in second place was Emirates Golf Club member Qamar Rasheed following a 7-under par tally of

David Stevenson with Gaurav Verma (Fixture 4 Winner)

Prize sponsors, Titleist, also rewarded Punya Khanna and Neil Taylor for their accuracy on the nearest the pin prize holes with some Titleist golf balls.

The conclusion of the Order of Merit was the closest of contests with three points separating the top five players. With 213 golfers competing over the four events it was youngster Aryaan Kumar who claimed top prize on a 111 point total. He signed for 39 points over the Majlis course to combine with a 33 at Dubai Creek and 39 on the Faldo course to win the series by two points. Kabir Nanda and Ishwar Jodha tied on 109 points each but Nanda’s best individual tally of 42 points at Dubai Creek gifted him runners-up place.

Mashreq Medal Championship in association with BMW and Harvey Nichols Dubai

Qualifier for the Luckiest Ball on Earth Friday, 13th September 2013 –Majlis Course

Amresh Sangani receiving his prize from Club Captain Dick Purchase

Dick Purchase (Club Captain) with Richard Posa and Parag Tikekar (Head of Proposition, Mashreq Gold)

Richard Posa

QUALIFIER FOR THE LUCKIEST BALL ON EARTH: RICHARD POSA A DIVISION (HCP. 0-10) WINNER: Salem Dasmal RUNNER - UP: Tim Evans THIRD: Craig Strydom BEST GROSS: Tim Evans B DIVISION (HCP. 11-20) WINNER: Lalu Mahtani RUNNER - UP: Stephen Jones THIRD: Andrew Hendry C DIVISION (HCP. 21-34) WINNER: Richard Posa NEAREST THE PIN Hole No 15 Patrick Mulligan Hole No 15 Scott MacPherson

72 72 73 73

Singles Matchplay Qualifier Friday, 20th September 2013 OVERALL WINNER

Stathis Stathis

38 Pts

71 73 74

DIVISION “A” (HCP. 0 – 12) Winner Vipen Sethi Runner Up Qamar Rasheed

38 Pts 38 Pts

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DIVISION “B” (HCP. 13 – 24) Winner Amresh Sangani Runner Up Andrew Baxter

38 Pts 38 Pts

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Professionals’ Day

Club News

Saturday 23rd September

WINNERS:

Alan Salem, Soumaya Salem Marc Charlet, Rabih Sfeila

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RUNNERS UP:

Alex Kim, Patrick Mulligan Suresh Shewakramani, Qamar Rasheed

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THIRD:

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Haris Michaelides, Stathis Stathis Gurbax Singh

SPECIAL EVENTS NEAREST THE PIN 11: NEAREST THE PIN 7 :

Vijay Devnani Nelly Amarnani

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Longest Drive (Track Man) Hole # 10 WINNER LADIES DIV.: Janine Dols WINNER GENTS DIV.: Paul Donovan

Engineers Cup 27th September 2013

Champion: Runner Up: Third:

Qamar Rasheed Sudhir Vora Rami Safadi

42 Pts 38 Pts 38 Pts

Division A (0-12) Winner: Malcolm Wood Runner Up: Haris Michaelides

36 Pts 36 Pts

Division B ( 13-24) Winner: Rajesh Verm Runner Up: Gurmukh Ghuldu

36 Pts 34 Pts

Dick Purchase and Drummond Welsh with William Welsh (Almouj captain) and Daniel Renihan

Interclub Match

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mirates Golf Club welcomed a team from Almouj Golf, Oman, to contest a members’ challenge match on the stunning Majlis golf course. Team Emirates came out on top 6-5, as all 44 players put their skills to the test. The day ended with brunch in M’s restaurant after a competitive, yet social round of golf. Both Clubs’ members had a great time and look forward to future interclub matches.

www.dubaigolf.com

Champion Qamar Rasheed receiving his prize from Vice-Captain Kamal Kosta

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LADIES’ COMPETITION RESULTS

Three Man Team Competition

Club News

Ladies’

Monday 16th September 2013

WINNERS:

RUNNERS UP:

THIRD:

Lynne Dickinson Sandra Broedelet Maureen Platt Sue Hopwood Sylvia Weber Rosemary Turlik Viv Caley Hiromi Ohashi Helen Srivastava

Ladies’

58.8 59.7 60.3

Lady Captain Barbara Head with prize-winners, Sandie Broedelet and Lynne Dickinson

Medal and Qualifier for the Luckiest Ball on Earth

Sponsored by

Monday 23rd September 2013

Fiona Munro

Maureen Platt

Thea Hendrickx

Lynne Dickinson

QUALIFIER FOR THE LUCKIEST BALL ON EARTH: Thea Hendrickx SILVER “A” DIVISION (HCP. 0 – 14) Winner Cathrine Clark Runner Up Lynne Dickinson Overall Best Gross Cathrine Clark SILVER “B” DIVISION (HCP. 15 –23) Winner Thea Hendrickx Runner Up Maureen Platt BRONZE DIVISION (HCP. 24 –42) Winner Fiona Munro

NET 69 Net 73 Net 73 Gross 82 Net 69 Net 73 Net 74

Cathrine Clark

Pamper

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ForPink and Breast Cancer Research

onth and Breast Cancer Research. Let us introduce your favourite Balinese Massage with a twist of pink - a 60-minute Balinese massage with a 15-minute cotton candy ‘Pamper for Pink’ foot wrap. Add a little extra aaaah in your spa-aaaah & do your bit! The ‘Balinese massage with a twist of pink’ will be available throughout the month of October at all SensAsia Urban Spas, including our newest baby in Souk Al Manzil, Downtown Dubai, with part of the proceeds from each treatment sold being donated to Breast Cancer Research.

According to the UAE Ministry of Health, cancer is the second cause of women deaths, with breast cancer being the most common denominator. The highest mortality rate is between the age group of 45 years to 59 years, with the highest incidence also reported in the same group. Unfortunately, the most alarming fact is that while this disease can be prevented, it is almost always detected at a late stage but awareness and testing can change all that. Balinese massage with a twist of pink 75 minutes / AED370

Boob Tube from Mama Mio Skincare This cult-favourite bust cream increases epidermis elasticity using ingredients like avocado, sweet almond oil, and shea butter plus, it comes with a leaflet that contains the American Cancer Society’s instructions on how to perform a breast self-examination which can aid in the early detection of abnormal and cancerous breast tissue. We are loving this best seller for raising breast cancer awareness.

AED 245 Available at all SensAsia Urban Spas across the UAE

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STEPHEN

S

DEANE

Meet The P

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tephen’s professional career started in 2004 at the prestigious Royal County Down Golf Club under the supervision of the 2006 Irish PGA Captain Kevan Whitson. An honours graduate in Golf Management, Stephen is an accomplished teacher and player.

Having travelled to Hong Kong, Spain and now Dubai to teach the game, Stephen brings with him a wealth of knowledge to pass on to his pupils. He uses his knowledge to fit the students’ technical and physical ability and has a holistic approach to his coaching. Development of young golfers is one of Stephen’s areas of expertise and, for him, the most enjoyable part of his coaching.

As a player, Stephen has competed in some major events including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and he has also represented the UAE PGA in the International Team Championships.

BRYAN

B

SMYTH

ryan was introduced to golf as a boy by his father at the world-famous golf links at Royal County Down Golf Club, Northern Ireland. A successful amateur career followed including representing Ireland at International level and a Collegiate Scholarship at Bossier College Louisiana, USA. As a professional, Bryan was a winner on the Irish PGA circuit and has competed on the PGA Europro Tour. He was awarded a Titleist Assistant Training Scholarship Award in 2009 by the PGA in recognition of his overall training performance. Bryan is used to working at venues that host major international events including The Walker Cup, Palmer Cup, European Tour Irish Open and more recently the Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters and Omega Dubai Desert Classic. At the Academy, Bryan offers specialised instruction using the Peter Cowen method assisted by video analysis, Trackman and Sam Puttlab to help simplify and improve your game.

MARK

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ark has had a club in his hand since he can remember, practising as a little boy with his grandfather, having been raised on one of the world’s toughest and best courses, the prestigious Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. After a successful amateur career, Mark, a former scratch player and boy international, turned his eye in 2006 to Gullane Golf Club in Scotland. Mark became a qualified member of the PGA during his five years at Gullane before moving to EGC in 2011. With his knowledge and experience, Mark teaches players of all abilities and simplifies the technical game of golf.

At the Academy, Mark offers lessons with video analysis, Trackman and Sam Puttlab

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MARTYN HAMER

artyn Hamer has been coaching at Emirates Golf Club for almost two years having joined The Academy from Ellesmere Golf Club, Manchester and achieved his PGA Coaching qualification through the University of Birmingham. Martyn represented England as an amateur during which he travelled worldwide to compete, including winning the Boys’ Home Internationals with England and competing in the European Boys’ Team Championships both in 2003. Martyn is proud to hold many course records during his playing time in the UK but also to be a record holder in the UAE with his score of 63 in the UAE PGA event at Arabian Ranches which is the lowest score in tournament history on the local circuit. Martyn’s passion for coaching mixed with a wealth of experience means he continues to improve golfers of all ages and abilities.

ALASTAIR BROWN lastair is a highly experienced and qualified PGA Professional who has been teaching at world-class facilities since 2001. He completed his PGA training and progressed to Senior Assistant Professional at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland under the guidance of renowned Head Professional Gary McNeill. Joining Emirates Golf Club in 2008 Alastair has constantly evolved as an instructor/coach, gathering his knowledge from the best tour instructors and leading biomechanics experts. He uses the Peter Cowen method in his teaching and he is also a TPI certified instructor. Using the most current technology available and being certified in all key areas of golf coaching, Alastair has learned to deliver lessons with a relevant and simplistic approach. Most importantly Alastair believes that the student must understand the ball-flight laws and correct impact conditions to fully understand their swing pattern and how to improve it.

BRUCE

Dong Kyon

LEE

D

ong qualified as a PGA Professional in the UK in 2008, having grown up in Surrey, England. Dong was originally born in South Korea and moved to the UK at the age of 12, just one year later he picked up his first golf club. He played in south region PGA events and won a couple of tournaments in addition to finishing in the top five on several other occasions.

Dong is passionate about golf and teaching the game to others. He joined Dubai Golf in 2012 and coaches at both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, since joining he has been very busy with teaching Korean members and guests as he speaks fluent Korean.

In terms of teaching style, Dong’s philosophy is to keep things as simple as possible, working through problems that golfers are experiencing with their game and then helping them to work out the resolution; this approach encourages the golfer to work out problems and fix issues even when he is not physically there.

NICKY

Nicky’s career has taken her to several sides of the globe. She gained fantastic experience working in the Middle East for leading tour coach Peter Cowen.

She has also coached in China and Germany and in 2007 was appointed Academy Director of Roda Golf and Beach Resort, Spain.

TOM

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A continuous passion to develop her knowledge within the game is at the forefront and in satisfying this, she regularly attends seminars both in the UK and overseas, the most recent of which being the World Golf Fitness Summit, Orlando, Florida. Her ever-enquiring mind has taken her to Norway, Sweden and as far a field as Melbourne, Australia where she studied alongside world leading experts in the field of Golf specific physiotherapy and fitness. Nicky is a certified TPI Level 3 Professional and has attained a diploma in sports nutrition. With a growing interest in performance mindset she is also a certified NLP Master Practitioner, NLP Coach and Hypnosis Practitioner.

ros

icky first took up the game more than 20 years ago.

She embarked upon her professional career and PGA training at the prestigious Belfry Golf Centre, host to numerous Ryder Cup matches. In 2002, Nicky attained her PGA Diploma gaining 3rd position within Great Britain and Ireland in the Titleist Trainee of The Year Award. Following several years of professional development within the golfing world Nicky has since been awarded the status of PGA Fellow Professional.

9 Meet The P

N

LAWRENSON

Welcoming golfers of all ages and abilities, Nicky’s coaching philosophy bases itself upon a holistic approach with a passion to develop each individual’s golfing needs in an enjoyable, relaxed and simplified manner. Nicky is also fully trained in the use of video analysis, Trackman, KVest and Sam Putlab.

GREEN

om moved to Dubai at the age of 15 and enjoyed a successful amateur career reducing his handicap from 16 to +2 in four years under the guidance of Mark Gregson-Walters. Tom then spent three years at the University of Birmingham achieving a 2.1 in the renowned Applied Golf Management Studies BSc (Hons) degree programme at the University Of Birmingham. The degree, which was founded in 2002, has quickly grown in publicity and stature and is now considered to be the leading programme of its kind in the world. As well as a strong involvement in the academic facets of the degree, Tom has worked within highly prestigious golf clubs during two four-month summer work placements, firstly at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, and secondly at Castiglion Del Bosco Golf Club, Tuscany, a highly exclusive private members’ club.

Over the course of the 2012-2013 academic year Tom became involved in junior coaching at a local club, providing fun and active golf sessions incorporating multisport style activities. He now aims to give back to the region that has allowed him to pursue a career within golf, by passing on his expertise, helping his students to achieve their golfing potential at The Academy at Emirates Golf Club.

JONATHAN CRADDOCK

J

onathan has always been a keen sportsmen and it was at the age of sixteen that he turned his attention to golf. Taking to the sport at a fast pace, he achieved his first handicap of nine and then reduced this to five within the same year. It was at this time he was offered a position working at a local golf course under the supervision of Head Professional David Dunk.

During Jonathan’s PGA degree, under the wing of the professional, he became the senior instructor at the local driving range teaching golfers of all levels. Developing his popularity meant that Jonathan was recruited by local government authorities and was given the opportunity to teach golf, not only in schools but at summer camps and several leisure centres where he used various TRi Golf techniques.

Jonathan aims to provide a welcome atmosphere for all levels of golfers, using a structured programme for beginners and assessment profiling for the more advanced golfer.

Having competed on the PGA Europro tour and Regional PGA tournaments Jonathan still maintains his competitive edge, whilst looking forward to enhancing his coaching career at Emirates Golf Club within the Golf Academy.

Dates For Your Diary Friday 4th, 13:00 Majlis Mixed Season Opener Monday 7th, 8:30 Majlis Ladies Monthly Medal

Friday 11th, 8:00 & 13:00 Majlis Mashreq Medal Championship in association with BMW and Harvey Nichols Dubai (Singles Matchplay Qualifier)

Monday 14th, 8:30 Majlis Ladies Seniors Competition

Saturday 19th, 13:00 Majlis Gents Seniors Championship

Monday 21st, 8:30 Majlis Two-Man Betterball Stableford

Friday 25th, 06:35 - 14:05 Faldo Al Dobowi Emirates Mixed Amateur Open Round 1

Saturday 26th, 06:30 - 14:00 Majlis Al Dobowi Emirates Mixed Amateur Open Round 2

Monday 28th, 8:30 Faldo Ladies Pink Ball Competition

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professionals’ day

1,000,000 Rounds on th e Majlis

Ahmed Alhayderi playing in the Canada Day Golf tournament at the Canadian Golf and Country Club in Ottawa, Canada

Moshe Kohli in his luxury golf cart

Moshe Kohli

Bob Connor at the Pink Day at Machynys Golf Club, South Wales

Angela Connor and Nicky Lawrenson at The Wales Open

Cees and Maria Van Dooren at Chateau Du Taulane

Barbara Fotheringham and Lynne Dickinson at Castlerock Golf Club, Northern Ireland Craig Haldane and Keith Wilkes at Sunningdale Golf Club, UK

Where i

Johnny & Katie Aldridge and family at Disney World, Florida Martha Wong and Nova Matheson at Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Course, Canada

Fay and Philip d’Abo with Bob and Angela Connor at Machynys Golf Club, South Wales

Kirsty MacPherson-Wright in Bora-Bora

Tom and Jacqui Barry in Sydney

Alan and Lorraine Main in the Côte d’Azur

Pavel Foubik Junior at the National Championship in the Czech Republic, Nove Buky Golf Course

Deepak Dhawan playing a Pro-Am Golf Tournament (and part of the winning team) at the Royal Moug

Surender Kandhari at the New Kuta Golf Club, Indonesia

Maria Van Dooren playing at Chateau Du Taulane, France

Ahmed Alhayderi with son Omar, at the Eagle’s Nest Golf Club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Alan, Lorraine and Nicholas Main on the Amalfi Coast

Mike Gerbich at Desert Highlands Golf Course, Arizona

Hiromi and Makoto Ohashi in Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

in the world

Hiromi Ohashi in Tokyo, Japan

Caroline Jones, Barbara Fotheringham, Lynne Dickinson and Jenny Ayres at Portrush, Northern Ireland

Caroline Jones

The TOTS on the London Eye

Barbara and Phil Head, Anna Maria Island, USA

gin Course in South of France.

Moshe Kohli with Hans Lumpi, Director of Golf Eichenheim Golf Club, KitzbuĚˆhel, Austria

Maria Van Dooren at the Korean Open at the Jack Niklaus course Gabby & Khaled Daghestani at Genting Hills Golf Course, Kuala Lumpur

Pavel Foubik and his doughter walking in the mountains in the Czech Republic

Gabby & Khaled Daghestani at Vila Sol Golf Course, Portugal

Club News

14

Ladies’ Season Opener 30th September 2013

WINNERS

Barbara Head, Glynis Hendry Carolyn Thompson, Stephanie Wilson

61.3

RUNNERS UP

Lynne Dickinson, Martha Wong Naema Maya, Najla Bartette

62.9

THIRD

Annette Stewart, Mimi Hosking Rekha Bandopadhyay, Maria Petre

63

GUESS LADY CAPTAIN BARBARA HEAD’S DRIVE: 105 YARDS WINNER Maria Petre NEAREST TO THE PIN HOLE # 15 (SILVER DIVISION HCP – 0 – 23)

Han Soon Shin

NEAREST TO THE PIN HOLE # 11 (BRONZE DIVISION HCP. 24 – 42)

June McDonald

LONGEST DRIVE HOLE # 8 (SILVER DIVISION HCP – 0 – 23)

Mimi Hosking

LONGEST DRIVE HOLE # 8 (BRONZE DIVISION HCP. 24 – 42)

Janine Dols

LONGEST DRIVE HOLE # 3 (BRONZE DIVISION HCP. 24 – 42)

Stephanie Wilson

147 Yards

Quiz Night Test your knowledge at our Quiz Night every Monday from 8.30pm. As you tackle the quiz enjoy a sumptuous buffet for only AED 115 per person.

Bollywood Night Spike Bar is now hosting a monthly Bollywood Night. Join us on 9th October and 13th November in Spike Bar between 7pm and 11pm for a night full of Bollywood themed entertainment and delicious delicacies. Our DJ will set the mood with some of Bollywood’s best loved tunes.

AED 135 per person for buffet and soft beverages AED 285 per person inclusive of selected house beverages

Seafood Night Market Thursday in Spike Bar is Seafood Night market! Enjoy a selection of seafood prepared in your own prefered cooking style. Between 7pm to 10.30pm every week.

For AED 30 per 100 gms (minimum of 300 gms)

BBQ Night Relax with friends as you indulge in our BBQ on the terrace, every Friday from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Choose your favourites from a sumptuous selection of fresh seafood and succulent meat cooked to your liking, along with a range of delicious accompaniments for AED 120 per person or with unlimited selected beverages for AED 285 per person.

Live entertainment is available from our resident DJ Party Pete.

Sports Night Enjoy live sports and great food at Spike Bar every Saturday from 5pm. Chose any dish from our Saturday Sports menu and sit back and relax with two house beverages for AED 95.

With several televisions and a large central screen Spike Bar will be showing the best of the live football, rugby, cricket and golf action!

Dine at Spike Bar For reservations, please call +971 4 417 9999 or email emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com dubaigolf.com

Club News

16 Ladies’

Beginners Group

E

very Tuesday the Ladies’ Beginners Group tees off for 9-holes from 9.00am under the guidance of Lady ViceCaptain Mitsuko Emmerson.

Also once a month the Academy Professionals host a one-hour complimentary clinic for all new or existing Lady members who are interested in learning the game. These fun and constructive clinics cover all aspects of the game from solid fundamentals, short game/long game technique and golf course knowledge.

Mitsuko plays an active role in not only arranging clinic sign up but in mentoring the ladies as they hone their skills on the golf course. This is often done using the Par 3 Academy

by

Ba y rne

Ask

course where general course etiquette is perfected along with competitive play whilst learning the various formats of the game.

The ultimate goal is to establish a Club handicap and move towards the regular Monday competitions within the Ladies’ section.

Overall it’s a great way to learn, play, compete and meet for any lady member looking to participate in this wonderful game.

For further details please contact The Academy and the Professionals will be more than happy to help.

The Rules Wizard

by Barney Coleman, Director of Golf

Colem an

Do you have any questions about the rules? If so, please email them to Barney on BColeman@dubaigolf.com with the subject heading ‘Ask the Rules Wizard’ and we will put a selection of questions in Club Life magazine each month.

During a ladies’ four-ball matchplay event Claire and Beth had secured a 4 on the par four ninth hole. Their opponents, Linda and Sally were still to putt out and finish the hole. Linda had played 3 stokes already and lay 15 feet from the hole, Sally was 10 feet from the hole in two shots but on exactly the same line of putt as Linda. Linda was about to put for a half when Claire conceded the putt for a 4. As Linda felt she could help her partner with the line of putt she holed out despite the concession, what is the ruling?

As Linda assisted her partner Sally, then Sally is disqualified from the hole. The result of the hole would be halved due to Linda’s 4.

TOTS

The EGC tour group, the TOTS, had a reunion this summer in London. This group organised

by Jacqui Barry, have made twelve golfing trips together since 2000, including visits to Vietnam, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Malaysia etc. However, in the last two years many of the group have left Dubai so the logistics of organising trips to suit everyone became more difficult. After a break of two years a London reunion was arranged with ten ladies travelling from different parts of the world managing to attend.

Back row, L to R: Maria Van Dooren from Korea, Anne-Britt Mercer from Spain, Jacqui Barry, Elise Hanson who travelled from USA, Shona McRae from Scotland Front row L to R: Terry Chervinski from Canada, Joan Legnar from Austria, Ellen de Bruin from The Netherlands, Paula Johnstone from Spain, Janice Marler UK

www.dubaigolf.com

17 Greenkeeper’s Cuttings

Article courtesy of Joy Chakravarty, Sports 360

I

n 2007, a few weeks after Henrik Stenson had won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the WGC-Accenture Match Play backto-back, I spent almost an entire day with him.

We were positioned at the back end of the Emirates Golf Club’s driving range, and I watched the Swede launch at least a 700 balls into the blue yonder.

And even as I tired visibly just seeing him hit balls for more than two hours in that hot, grimy weather, Stenson then proceeded to spend almost an hour at the putting green, had a “mini-session” of 20 minutes chipping and hitting bunker shots, and then obliged my photographer for an hour. And it still wasn’t over for him. In the evening, he had a two-hour long gym session with his physical trainer.

The point I want to make with the anecdote is about Stenson’s work ethic. At the time when this happened, he was ranked fifth in the world and anything he touched, turned into gold.

Faldo Golf Course – Playability • Player feedback suggests that the difficulty of the course is a major issue affecting enjoyment • A document has been generated to improve ease of play • This is a working document to be completed over three years • Phase one will be completed this year

But not for a single moment was there any let-up in the intensity of his practice. And when he slipped from that high pedestal – a combination of injury, illness, swing change and that absolutely fickle-minded factor called form – a couple of things did not change.

Faldo Phase 1 Changes – 5th fairway bunker removal

Stenson continued to work hard on his game, and he never gave up his sense of humour. That is the real secret of Swede’s recent success – absolute commitment to his trade and his ability to work hard.

There is another aspect of Stenson’s golf that needs to be highlighted as we celebrate his stunning rise to becoming the No1 player on the PGA Tour by winning the FedEx Cup on Sunday.

Even on his worst day, he knows how to let off steam.

He rarely carries his anger and frustration from the golf course to his life outside it. If ever there was a serial killer of golf equipment, it is the Swede. If things are not going his way, Stenson is known to try and drown clubs if it is their lucky day, snap them like toothpicks if it is not. Just last Monday he was seen giving the treatment to his driver which had the temerity of not following his command.

And yet, he always makes sure he spends enough time with his fans after a round, signing autographs and generally fooling around. That’s a part of his routine, something he’d do irrespective of whether he has just shot a 68, or a 78.

As is well documented, this is the second slump Stenson has come out of, and after collecting his trophies and cheques worth $11.44 million (Dh42m), he said: “It just shows one should never give up and always keep on trying harder. You’ve got to always hang in there and try your best and good things will come your way eventually.”

Club News

HENRIK STENSON PROVES YOU NEED MORE THAN TALENT TO GET TO THE TOP

Faldo Phase 1 Changes – Hole 1 removal of rocks

Summer Projects/Aerification

18

Dear Member,

W Fit Lab

elcome back from your summer break I hope you had a fantastic time and that you are ready and raring to go again.

Fit Lab has been busy over the summer period and as always we are looking to improve the services and activities on offer to you.

New to the Fit Lab schedule We are starting a Fit Lab Running Club on September 22nd at 6.45pm. This is free for members and you are welcome to bring a guest along at a charge of only 50 AED. This is for all running levels and when the numbers start to build up we will add additional time slots.

Tracy Marks, our famous Zumba Instructor, has been in the UK to further her education where she did a course called Metafit which is currently taking the UK by storm.

Metafit is designed as a HIIT workout done in 30 minutes, including a warm up and cool down. It is designed to affect the metabolism by disturbing it which involves burning more calories. It is a circuit-style class only using your body weight. For more information please contact the Fit Lab team.

Tennis Our members have the opportunity to experience the Spanish Tennis Model of developing players with the Elite Tennis Academies based at EGC. Elite Coaches Luis Miguel, Paulo, Jonathan, Pedro and Emilio follow the same technical, tactical, physical and psychological approach to training as its partner Academy in Spain, The Equelite Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy.

The Tennis Academy works with students of all ages and levels offering private & semi private lesson packages, group lessons, competition squads, ladies’ clinics, tournaments, national and international tennis camps all year round.

For ladies who are looking for more social tennis, we offer two ladies mornings per week on a Monday & Thursday 8am - 10am.

Activate Your Body with Miha Body Tec Instructor: Peter Sullivan Less time, Less effort, Double the results!

Miha Body Tec is a revolution in Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS). It provides a total body workout for all muscle groups simultaneously in just 30 minutes.

Each 30 minute session is the equivalent to between one and two hours of conventional weight training as it recruits up to 95% of deep muscle fibers. Whether you want to activate your body and improve functional performance, build muscle, lose fat or improve cardio fitness, a Miha Body Tec session is for you!

Packages of 10 sessions (30 minutes each) AED 3,000 Members AED 3,500 Guests Contact us now to book your complimentary trial session.

For further information please go onto Elite website www.elitetennisdubai.com or email dubai@equelite.com. You may also contact EGC Academy Director Paulo on 050-4678343 or Head Tennis Professional Jonathan on 050-3460451.

Bespoke Wellness have added to their team over the summer. Some of you may know Graham Poyner Woods who worked at EGC before. Graham specialises in Orthotics.

Services being Offered Orthotic assessment and provision of suitable Orthosis / treatment for patient.

Biomechanical Screening (the checking of any imbalances within intrinsic muscles that may be affecting performance). The linking of this with Orthotic and Video Analysis to achieve the desired results. Often this also involves the team approach of Physiotherapy and Strength and Conditioning.

Spinal Bracing Specific Orthotic Services Custom Foot Orthotics Sports Footwear advice.

Sports Bracing Specialist Knee Bracing including the CTi (ACL) and Oasys (Osteoarthritis) systems Idiopathic Scoliosis bracing – including the Boston System.

Paediatric Orthoses.

Shoe raising for structural leg length imbalances where required.

Background Graham qualified as an Orthotics Specialist 25 years ago in the UK. He has enormous general experience which includes working within most of the major London Hospitals as well as attending many Visiting Clinics throughout the UK. Graham has extensive Orthotics knowledge as well as specialized skills in Sports and Paediatrics.

Experience Graham has worked throughout the Gulf including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. and has been based in Dubai for 14 years.

In Lebanon Graham was Middle East Manager for RSL Steeper, the largest Orthotic provider in the UK. In more recent years Graham has worked extensively with Intelligent Training Systems in the UK who specialise in Biomechanical Screening of the body, and work with high profile F1 and Olympic athletes.

Graham combines his Biomechanical screening knowledge with Video Analysis to achieve optimum performance results for athlete and non-athlete alike.

Healthy Regards, Andy Meech Head of Sport & Leisure

www.dubaigolf.com

Pilates Reformer and Mat Come alive with Phoenix Rising Pilates is a form of exercise that develops a strong, balanced body, focusing on improving the strength and stability of your core. Ranging from beginner classes through to intermediate and advanced sessions, students will learn the principles of the Pilates method. Regular sessions can improve posture, alleviate back/joint pain and improve muscle tone.

In Mat Pilates classes, the exercises are performed standing, seated, kneeling or lying down on your back, side or front. Mat work is the foundation of all Pilates exercises and will build core strength and improve control, co-ordination and balance.

Reformer Pilates classes are conducted on a specialised piece of equipment called the Reformer.

Clients are lying, kneeling or standing on a moving carriage connected to springs which give resistance and support.

Mat Pilates (per session) Member AED 70 Guest AED 80 Reformer Pilates (per session) Member AED 85 Guest AED 95

19 Helen Boland

Introducing

S

S

ince graduating with a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy from the University of Liverpool in 2009, Helen has gained broad experience working for the NHS in the UK and at American Hospital Dubai.

Having a keen interest in sports, Helen has previously worked with a Rugby team in the UK, as well as her local Gaelic football team in Ireland.

Having a great interest in Pilates led her to complete the first level of the renowned APPI Pilates course, which is extremely beneficial in the treatment of back pain and in strengthening the core stability for various other Musculoskeletal conditions.

Steven Josephs

Fit Lab

Introducing

teven Josephs, a highly trained Acupuncturist in Dubai, equipped with the knowledge of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been actively practicing natural therapies for more than ten years.

His expertise includes holistic techniques such as Acupuncture and a broad range of modalities. Steven graduated from the Michener Institute of Health Sciences in Toronto, with a four years Hons. Diploma. After his internship, Steven practiced in the first Acupuncture Clinic in a Hospital in Ontario (The Wasser Pain Clinic in Mount Sinai Hospital).

Post-graduate training included Cosmetics Acupuncture and Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Steven has practiced in Canada, USA and is currently practicing at Bespoke Wellness. Steven is licensed to practice Acupuncture in Dubai

Local Massage Therapist

Headed for US Open of Surfing

D

ubai expat Donna Masing has achieved her dream of working alongside the professional surfers on the ASP World Tour. She will travel to California to work at the world’s largest surf event, a pivotal competition for the Association of Surfing Professionals from July 20-28, 2013.

The Sports Massage Therapist from Sydney works for Bespoke Wellness at Emirates Golf Club. She has an infamous reputation in the running and triathlon circles of Dubai for getting athletes through their grueling training schedules.

Donna is headed to Huntington Beach for the full 9 days of competition and will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of World Number 1, Kelly Slater and his rivals Taj Burrows, Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson.

Inspiration came after meeting World Number 2 female surfer, Sally Fitzgibbons at Wadi Adventure in Al Ain. “Watching Sally train made me realise that you have to work hard to achieve your dreams. She’s an incredible surfer and even after getting knocked down she was always right back out there, ready for the next wave.”

Donna is both excited and nervous about the upcoming tour event: “As a surfer myself, just attending an event of this magnitude is a once in a lifetime opportunity – but to be headed there for work is mind blowing. I’ve always dreamed of combining my two life passions.”

If all goes well, Donna hopes to join more ASP events in the future.

Article

20

The trip of a lifetime

by Dick Purchase

O

ur Club’s 25th anniversary members’ party saw Mike Tracey and myself leave poorer in wealth but far richer in joy, as together we had out-bid all others for the trip of a lifetime. We were to be whisked halfway around the world in business class style, compliments of Emirates Airline, to stay and play at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, scene of the 2012 US Open won by Scott Simpson. The proceeds of our largesse were split equally between the Junior staff fund, and the Seve Ballesteros Foundation. Thank you Chris May for celebrating the Club’s quarter century with such a grand gesture.

The flight to San Francisco takes around 16 hours so Mike and I quickly agreed that to travel such a distance to play only two rounds of golf was never going to happen. Thus, with help from both Chris and Andrew Whitelaw, we were able to add Tehama (Clint Eastwood’s course in Monterey), Pebble Beach, and Spyglass Hill, all outstanding courses, albeit adding somewhat to the cost of the week. We are both fortunate to have understanding wives!

holes that could be described as being on level ground for their entire length.

The day was memorable, and our thanks to Rod and Dennis for making it so. Rod Grammemann, who is a member of Tehama, kindly agreed to host us. The Sunday round was preceded by an excellent dinner on the Saturday evening at a fish restaurant where the waiting queue bore testament to its excellence. Fortunately Rod had booked in advance! Another splendid dinner together with our playing partners’ wives took place on Sunday evening following a visit to Rod’s home. We were certainly not going to lose weight on this trip….

On the Monday morning we moved hotel to the Lodge at Pebble Beach. My, what a taste of luxury! The rooms were first class, the facilities outstanding and the staff both welcoming and helpful. Not at the lowest end of the price spectrum, but memorable for the right reasons. I wish I could say the same of our round at Pebble!

July was the month we chose to make the trip, the summer temperatures reportedly being fine in California and business commitments here running at a lower ebb over the main vacation period.

We landed on Saturday 20th at lunchtime after a long flight that was smooth and enjoyable; with the rental car sorted out, we made it to the Hyatt in Monterey in good time.

When Chris May heard that we planned to play Pebble Beach he offered to arrange a visit to Tehama, the splendid layout just around the bay from Pebble Beach, owned

by Clint Eastwood whose home is on a hill in the middle of the course. In fact the entire layout weaves between hills and there are only two

Rod and Dennis host us

at Tehama

7th tee at Pebble Beach As luck would have it, we played in what would be the worst day of fog so far this year and we could barely see 200 yards ahead. Much of Pebble’s charm derives from its views and we simply did not get to see them whilst playing although it did not stop us from thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

Our playing partners Kevin and his father Dave were great company, particularly as we drowned our collective sorrows in the Club’s Tap Room afterwards.

In fact, we helped them switch the lights off and lock the doors somewhat later that evening!

Tuesday morning saw us on the tee at Spyglass Hill. Tim, our excellent joint caddie from the previous day, had agreed to shepherd us around Spyglass as the caddies cover more than one course.

1st tee at Spyglass Hill The weather was much improved (in fact, we borrowed a buggy early and went around Pebble Beach taking photos as we had missed the opportunity the previous day) and our fellow players, Paul and Priscilla from Hong Kong helped us to enjoy what is a truly outstanding golf course. A quick return visit to the Tap Room following the round preceded a very good dinner out with Rod, Dennis and wives in Carmel.

Wednesday morning saw us on the road again for the return journey north to San Francisco and our date with the Olympic Club. En-route, we took the ‘17 mile drive’ which is a spectacular coastal road through some of the most rugged and beautiful countryside that California has to offer.

18th gr

18th tee at Pebble Beach

View back down the 18th at We duly arrived at the Olympic Club where the Head Professional, Chris Stein,

View back down the 18th at Pebble Beach

made us feel most welcome. We were to play the ‘Open’ venue Lake Course that afternoon together with a couple of journalists, Josh who writes for Golf Magazine and Michael who is a news reporter from Australia. They were good company too.

The Olympic Golf Club has an interesting history having being acquired by the Olympic Athletic Cub in the early 1900s. It is much more than a golf club, there being over 8,000 members, with some 20 different sports pursued. The golf courses are in beautiful condition as one might expect. The main Olympic Clubhouse is based in the centre of San Francisco which is where we were invited to stay. Dinner in the Club dining room was very pleasant as was meeting and talking to a number of members who were there that evening.

both ways over the Golden Gate you will understand that by this stage we were truly worried about our expanding waistlines!

Shanshan Feng, the winner of the 2012 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, with the tournament volunteers at Emirates Golf Club

OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The odd couple at the centre of the bridge

O

rganisers of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (ODLM) have called upon golf enthusiasts to come forward and be part of the action when the season-ending Ladies European Tour event gets under way at Emirates Golf Club from December 1 to 7. ‘golf in DUBAi’ – the promoters and organisers of the euro 500,000 tournament - estimates over 150 volunteers will be required to act as marshals, scorers, TV production assistants, scoreboard carriers and carry out other related duties as needed.

On Thursday our final tee time was at 9:30 am on the Ocean Course, one which perhaps lives in the shadow of its more illustrious neighbour, but which to my eye at least, was terrific. It could of course be that a contributing factor to this judgement was the fact that we played it with Steve and a chum of his, Rich. Steve grew up as a member of the club and his best friend was a certain Johnny Miller who went on to achieve great things in the game of golf (‘74 US Open Champion, ‘76 British Open Champion). As you might imagine the entire round was fascinating, listening to the many

The build-up to the tournament has already picked up pace with world number three Stacy Lewis of the United States confirming her participation. She will be joined by members of Europe’s victorious Solheim Cup team among other superstars in what promises to be an event to remember.

“The role of the volunteers will be crucial in continuing to showcase Dubai as the ‘city of golf’, as we strive to make the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters the most successful tournament on the Ladies European Tour,” stated Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi.’

Mike on Golden Gate

The evening highlight was attending the baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs. Wow! What fun! We had seats immediately behind the batting plate 18th green and I marvelled at course with Sontevethe Ocean reen at the Olympic Club and Rich the atmosphere all around the ATT Field. stories that where This was a fitting end told, followed by lunch in to a wonderful week. the Clubhouse at the golf course - an experience that So many memorable golf courses, cannot be bought. so many outstanding locations, too many delicious hot dogs, too much That evening, Mike retail therapy on behalf of the wives suggested dinner at back home – Mike and my attempt Morton’s. This was a to appease. Actually, we did not stint the Olympic Club culinary highlight and is ourselves either! highly recommended if you ever find yourself in Was it a great week? Unquestionably!

San Francisco. Mike was extending New friendships cemented, memories his stay with a visit to Las Vegas but stored away for rainy (or humid!) days my final full day would be Friday so - a privilege we shared. Thank you to all this was given over to tourism with who helped make it happen.

‘Mikey the tour guide’ showing ‘Dicky the tourist’ the finer points of San Francisco. As this included a march

“We spend a great deal of time making sure the course is in perfect condition and that we have the best players available for the event itself,” he said.

“However, none of this would be possible without the assistance of the volunteers, and we are calling on the UAE golfing community as well as international supporters as a whole to play their part in ensuring we put our best foot forward as a country.”

The volunteers will be deployed in a variety of key positions under the expert guidance of a highlyexperienced chief marshal Andy Matthews.

All golf fans wishing to be part of the region’s premier ladies event may visit the tournament website www.dubailadiesmasters.com for online registration.

Preference will be given to those volunteers who can commit to two or more days.

“We will be delighted to welcome back experienced marshals and volunteers, but encourage newcomers to participate as well,” said Buamaim, noting that all necessary training and golf course familiarisation will be provided for new volunteers to help ensure they are comfortable in all situations.

“The volunteers have a great time and always comment on how enjoyable an experience it is to come together for the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, meet new friends and be a part of a world-class event,” he added. ‘golf in DUBAi’ is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and DUBAL as the sponsor. The co-sponsors are: CNN, Drydocks World & Maritime World, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Mercedes-Benz and wasl while Dubai Duty Free, Carpetland and Motivate are the Patrons in golf in DUBAi’s drive to showcase the Emirate’s vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.

19th HOLE

Snippets

Congratulations to former Junior members on their graduations this summer!

Early morning at work on the Majlis

Congratulation who won the Tournamen

Jenny Ayres with her daughter Hannah, Manchester University

Jim Furyk shot 12-under 59 last month at the BMW Championship. He birdied two of his final three holes closing his round by making a threefoot birdie putt on Conway Farms’ ninth hole to become only the sixth player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour event.

Playing the course the wrong way round (back nine first) Furyk got off to a hot start, shooting 28 on his opening nine holes which included holing out from 115 yards for eagle on the par four 15th.

Barbara and Phil Head with their son Duncan, Exeter University

Sunset over the Faldo

Joan, Rai and Vicky Legnar with Rob, Manchester University

Cameron Bellman and Gerry Feerick with Formula One racing driver, Felipe Massa

Furyk got it to 11 under par after 13 holes but three-putted the par four fifth hole for his only bogey of the day. However birdies at the seventh and ninth hole, his last of the day cemented his place in history.

By taking a bogey on his card, Furyk became the only player among those who’ve shot 59 to have a bogey in that round.

EGC staff at Onam

Moshe still on duty during the summer with Abdulla Al Mazrouqi, Captain Yas GC, Abu Dhabi

..and off-duty. Moshe with his Dad!

Looks like we need a staff Creche at EGC? Alastair and Rebecca Brown’s daughter Annabella was born on 5th July, 8lbs 4 ozs

Congratulations also to Christine and Alan Mackenzie, Director of Golf at DCGYC, whose daughter Sofia Elizabeth was born on 13th August

Kirsten (Sales & Marketing) and Jamie Ferguson became parents to Finlay Gordon Ferguson who arrived on 30th June, weighing in at 7lb 3 ozs

Hole-In-One Club

ns to Nishanthi & Jega EGC v DCGYC Staff nt held on 17th July

Ivan and Steva Fonazaric at the wedding of their daughter Andrea to Jaka at the Manor House Zemono, Slovenia

Zaigham Haque Hole 2 Faldo Course 9th August 2013

o

m celebrations

C

Rosemary Turlik Hole 7 Elie Golf Course 20th August 2013

Arif Lakhani Hole No. 11 Majlis Course 27th September 2013

Mark Donovan Hole No. 4 Majlis Course 21st September 2013 Mick Brett with his Hole-in-One prize Hole No. 3 at Banchory Golf Club Aberdeenshire

Rai Legnar (his 7th) Hole No. 15 at Salzkammergut Golf Club, Austria

Achal Ghai Hole No. 11 Majlis Course 7th September 2013

Camino de Santiago written by Catherine Convery

atherine Convery and her friend Siobhan Kilalea are in the process of walking the Camino de Santiago also known as The Way of St James.This is a 1532 km long distance footpath with a difference. It is the trail along an old pilgrim road from Le Puy-en-Valey in central France to Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in northwest Spain. This was Catherine’s and Siobhan’s second stage of the walk and they could not believe that they had started it in April 2008 and only got round to doing another stage this summer. (At this rate of going we could be in our eighties before we finish!)The part of the trail we walked this year was from Aumont to Conques a total of 116km in the Pyrenees. The route was rocky in some parts with seriously steep down and up hills but passing through amazing countryside, meeting some very interesting people along the way. On average we walked between six and eight hours per day. Siobhan and I found it a wonderful experience, even if nowadays it may no longer qualify pilgrims for forgiveness of their sins!

Doing this walk helped us to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis through the www.justgiving.com/Catherine-Convery1 There are many Camino de Santiago routes coming from different points in Europe. Each one has its own history and uniqueness.

Tips for walking the Camino: • Make sure you give your walking shoes a good test run before you go on the Camino to avoid uncomfortable and painful blisters.

• Bring a first aid kit.

• Make sure you are reasonably fit.

• Check the weather conditions Siobhan and I were cold and wet many days during the first stage. March is not a good time to go the Pyrenees!

• Basic French and Spanish helps!

• Plan your day’s walk and book your accommodation in advance.

Enjoy the atmospheric experience of playing golf any night of the week on the Faldo at Emirates Golf Club, the only fully floodlit 18 hole course in Dubai. Tee times are available until 9.55pm on weekdays and 7.55pm at weekends.

To book your round call 04 380 1234, email golfbooking@dubaigolf.com or visit www.dubaigolf.com