Ladies Locker Room News
Wednesday 12th March – high winds and blustery conditions did not put off the field of 25 ladies battling it out for the March JW Marriott Monthly Medal title and valuable Order of Merit points. Many congratulations to Yumiko Inoue who took top honours with a tremendous net 68 to win by 2 clear shots from Daniela Sacchini in 2nd place and Kuson Waimer in 3rd place. On course prizes were won by Naema Maya with best gross (83) and nearest the pin on hole 5, whilst Angie Southgate and Mini Philip also collected on course prizes for nearest the pin on 14 and straightest drive on 12 respectively. This win catapults Yumiko into second place on the Order of Merit whilst Daniela’s 2nd place sees her back at the top of the leader board with a clear 32 points after 3 events. Well done Ladies, and many thanks to JW Marriott Marquis for their very generous sponsorship of this event.
The Future Generation Creek Juniors Thursday 20th March 2014 saw the 3rd event in the 2014 Dubai Duty Free Junior Medal Championship played over 9 holes for those all important order of merit points. Jai Bhalla put in a fantastic performance and went under par to claim his first victory of the series with a score of 28.5. Another great performance came from young Samuel D’Souza who finished just half a shot behind Bhalla on 29 to win the Boys Division. Katherina Nielsen performed extremely well in her debut event and won the girls division after a round of 33. Aryan Chordia took the best gross prize for his solid round of 2 over par 37. Aryan Chordia also picked up a prize for his tee shot on the par 3, 5th in the nearest the pin competition there whilst Champion Jai Bhalla did the same on the par 3 8th. Many thanks as always to George Horan and his team at Dubai Duty Free for all of their support. It’s a pleasure to see all of the juniors doing so well and really revelling in the competition and atmosphere that this series has produced.
Spotlight on Craig Waddell I think we would all agree that we are incredibly lucky here at the Creek to have such great teaching professionals. Friendly to everyone on and off the course, these guys go a long way for being responsible for the great atmosphere we enjoy here. Most of them grew up playing competitive golf against each other back in Scotland and also did their PGA training together many years before moving to the Middle East. The fact they have all known each other for so long obviously makes for a happy working environment and is definitely reflected in the service they all provide. I thought it would be good to get to know our Professionals a little better and so have started this new monthly feature with Craig Waddell. Born in Edinburgh, Craig joined us here at Dubai Creek in 2011 after spending four years at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club where he was Head Academy Professional, overseeing all the academy operations, running members events, as well as teaching. Since joining Dubai Creek, as well as helping so many individuals improve their game, Craig has been particularly instrumental in helping to progress the Ladies Section both on the main course and at the Academy, for which we ladies are hugely grateful. PS: Craig, at what age did you take up golf? CW: My first game of golf was at a course called Edzil back in Scotland at the age of about six although my first memories of golf were running about the practice putting green at Carnoustie Golf Club with my father and grandmother when I was about four. PS: Where do you consider as your home course? CW: I played all my amateur golf at Glencorse Golf Club near Edinburgh and when I turned professional I was based at the Braid Hills Golf Centre, also in Edinburgh. PS: How old were you when you first broke Par and on which course? CW: The first time I broke par in competitive golf was at Duddingstone Golf Club where I shot 2 under. I think I was about 16 at the time although my lowest score for 9 holes actually came in a bounce game when I was 13 and I shot 27 (-5). The first time I broke par in a professional event was in the Scottish PGA qualifying event at Crief Golf Club where I shot 3 under par. PS: How old were you when you turned professional and which tour did you play? CW: After school I studied for a few years then decided to go down the golf route. I turned professional when I was 21 and completed my PGA training a couple of years later. When back home I played mainly on the Tartan Tour. PS: When did you decide to become a teaching pro? CW: As soon as I realised I wasn’t going to make it onto the big stage! Teaching was always the plan and I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in some great clubs where I have met some fantastic people and hopefully improved some swings along the way. PS: Who is your dream four ball? CW: When I’m back in Scotland I always look forward to playing golf with my father, brother and one of my close friends Michael McAllen. There is always plenty of banter flying about and we usually end up having close matches. PS: Which is your favourite golf course? CW: I have two - Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie Golf Club both in Scotland. Dornoch is a fantastic test of traditional Scottish links golf and Carnoustie is just an awesome course that will always have a place I’m my heart. My favourite courses in the Middle East are Yas Links, Abu Dhabi National and, of course, Dubai Creek! PS: Which is your favourite club in your bag? CW: I’ve always been a fairly decent driver of the ball and with modern club technology improving all the time I feel most comfortable with the long stick in hand. PS: What is the best piece of advice for all us amateur golfers? CW: Be realistic in your goals. Many amateurs I teach have over ambitious expectations as to what they can achieve on the course. Most golfers are never happy unless they hit every green in regulation or drive the ball 290 down the middle of the fairway. Golf is not like that and we must be realistic in our goals in order to achieve them.