Worldwide Golf April 2022

T H E M I D D L E E A S T ’ S N O .1 G O L F M A G A Z I N E

EST

1999

Worldwide Golf

TOBY BISHOP

APRIL

2022

CHIARA NOJA

WINNING MACHINE SECURES EGF OOM

TALENTED TEEN SHINES IN SAUDI

ICEMAN STENSON GUNNING FOR GOLD IN ROME

FEATURE

FOCUS

WWG SOCIETY SHOWDOWN II

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB TO HOST SECOND EDITION OF POPU R TOURNAMENT

Worldwide Golf is the Official Media partner to the DP World Tour in the Middle East and the official magazine of the Emirates Golf Federation

TIGER WOODS

SEVEN MOMENTS THAT SHAPED HIS CAREER

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VOICE OF THE TOUR Guy Kinnings

EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE, RYDER CUP DIRECTOR, AND CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER One of the most respected and authoritative figures in the world of golf, Guy Kinnings joined the DP World Tour in the role of Deputy CEO and Ryder Cup Director in 2018. Formerly IMG’s Senior Vice President and Chairman of Golf – a company he had been a part of since 1989 – Kinnings brought a wealth of experience and expertise in all sectors of the game to the leadership team at Wentworth, along with valued relationships with golf’s global Tours, national Federations and corporate partners.

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n every Ryder Cup cycle, the appointment of the two Captains represents the moment when one of global sport’s greatest contests suddenly feels that little bit closer.

Earlier this month, I had the great pleasure of delivering the news to Henrik Stenson that he had been selected as the person to lead Europe next year at Marco Simone, in Rome.

For Henrik, it was the realisation of his dream to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Seve Ballesteros as European Captain, while for Ryder Cup Europe and the Federazione Italiana Golf it was the latest milestone in a journey that began on December 14, 2015 when Italy was awarded its first Ryder Cup. Henrik’s appointment came a fortnight after the US Team announced Zach Johnson as their Captain, meaning the men who won successive Open Championships in 2015 and 2016 will lead Team Europe and Team USA in Rome in just under 18 months’ time.

It also followed a comprehensive debrief with all stakeholders following the defeat at Whistling Straits. That process identified some new measures, approaches and resources which will enhance the already established winning formula which has served us so well over the past three decades, leading to nine European victories in the past 13 Ryder Cups.

While there has been considerable work by so many people behind the scenes across that debrief, and indeed over the past seven years since Marco Simone was announced as our host venue, the confirmation of the two Captains unlocks the next phase in the planning process for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Both Henrik and Zach will now work closely with the teams from Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America respectively on details ranging from team rooms and uniforms to the mechanics of the qualification processes.

In respect of the latter point, Team USA’s campaign began at the PLAYERS Championship at the start of March, but Europe’s will not start until later this year. Our support team will therefore continue to work with Henrik on the finer points of our system, as we seek to regain the Ryder Cup and extend our unbeaten home record which, by the time we get to Marco Simone, will stretch back 30 years.

When we announced Henrik as our Captain on March 15, there were 564 days until the first tee shot in Rome. Together we will use every single one of those to provide the right environment and infrastructure to enable the 12 players who

eventually make Henrik’s team to succeed at Marco Simone.

Henrik will bring plenty of experience into those discussions, having featured on five Ryder Cup teams as a player – three on the winning side – and last year as a Vice Captain.

Undoubtedly, he is hugely proud of the fact that he will become the first Swedish player to lead Europe in the Ryder Cup. So far, nine Swedes have worn the blue of Europe in the Ryder Cup, and they have contributed so many memorable moments between them, including Henrik’s putt to secure victory on his debut at The K Club in 2006 and Alex Noren’s huge putt across the final green to put the icing on the cake of our victory in Paris in 2018.

The famous image of Henrik donning a green wig during the celebrations in Ireland offered a glimpse into his renowned sense of humour, but make no mistake he is also a ferocious competitor as he showed in those Ryder Cup performances and in becoming the first Swedish male golfer to win a Major Championship at Royal Troon in 2016.

We know, following their victory at Whistling Straits, that Team USA will be a strong outfit once again in Rome and will start as favourites, but we also know that in Europe we relish the role of underdog and we have a deep pool of talent of our own, so we look forward to following the progress of some of our emerging names over the next 18 months.

As Captain, Henrik will be certainly be the most interested observer of all, but his role also extends beyond that. The Ryder Cup Captain is a figurehead and ambassador of Ryder Cup Europe and the European Tour group, and to that extent Henrik is also particularly well-qualified to represent our entire membership, not just those who qualify to play for Europe, given he served as part of our Tournament Committee for nearly 20 years and also lived in Dubai for more than a decade.

In addition to being a former resident, Henrik has enjoyed plenty of success in the Middle East too. He is a two-time winner of the Race to Dubai – now known as the DP World Tour Rankings – and he has also won our season ending DP World Tour Championship on two occasions, as well as having the Dubai Desert Classic and Commercial Bank Qatar Masters titles amongst his 11 Tour victories.

I am sure he will therefore have plenty of support as he embarks on one of the most prestigious roles in golf over the next 18 months.

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CONTENTS 16

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TIGER WOODS

Following his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame last month, we take a look at seven memorable moments that have shaped Tiger Woods’ career.

WORLDWIDE GOLF SOCIETY SHOWDOWN II

Back by popular demand, the second instalment of the Worldwide Golf Society Showdown will take place at the stunning Al Hamra Golf Club on Saturday May 21.

FEATURES 20 HENRIK STENSON The UAE fan favourite will be at the helm for next year’s Ryder Cup as Europe try to reclaim the trophy in the Eternal City.

22 TOBY BISHOP

The young Welshman leaves Dubai this year to pursue college golf having left his mark with a win on the EGF Order of Merit.

26 THOMAS BJORN

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The Ryder Cup legend gives us his thoughts on a range of topics in the game from Phil Mickelson to Europe’s future stars.

32 CHIARA NOJA

The Dubai hotshot gives us the lowdown on a whirlwind five months since turning professional at the age of just 15.

36 59CLUB AWARDS

The finest golf properties across the Middle East and Africa descended upon the Els Club for the 59club MEA Service Excellence Awards.

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42 GENERAL ABDULLAH AL HASHMI

44 DAVID HOWELL

The EGF Vice Chairman talks of the need to work together to drive golf in the UAE.

The DP World Tour stalwart assesses Scottie Scheffler’s meteoric rise to the top as well as reflecting on the words of wisdom he gave to Henrik Stenson on his Ryder Cup debut.

45 PETE COWEN

47 JENNY HENNESSY

It might be regarded as one of the greatest courses in the world, but why has one of the world’s greatest coaches never accepted an invite to play Augusta National?

The founder of Chicks With Sticks recalls seeing Tiger Woods in the flesh for the first time as she speaks about the inclusivity he has brought to the game.

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CONTENTS GEAR

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Abu Dhabi Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf Club has undergone a period of great change with a new owner, Khalfan Al Kaabi and a new Club Operations Manager Andrea Faldella and the pair are putting into action an exciting vision for the future

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INSTRUCTION 48

PERFECT THE POSTURE

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EGOLF MEGASTORE GOES HIGH TECH

WHO WILL WIN THE MASTERS?

One of the UAE’s largest retailers has expanded their customer experience by becoming the first in the region to install an SST Pure machine so you can experience a Tour level fitting.

Wynand Du Bryn, Manager and Custom Fitting Specialist at Golf Superstore, gives us the lowdown on the clubs in play for some of the hot favourites at Augusta National.

Divan Ehmke, PGA Professional at MyGolf Dubai, explains the importance of having the correct posture.

58 PING I525 IRONS The latest forged irons from PING are arguably their best to date and that includes i59 which blew us away.

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TAYLORMADE STEALTH IRONS Their latest distance iron certainly delivers hybrid performance but are they too good to be true?

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59 ODYSSEY TOULON DESIGN PUTTERS As looks go these are stunning but are they worth the premium asking price over their established White Hot models?

61 COBRA KING FORGED TEC COPPER IRONS These very eye-catching irons are deadly accurate but have Cobra lost their financial edge?

EDITOR’S LETTER

Cameron Smith to reign supreme at the Masters

W

ith such an array of superstars currently competing at the highest level, picking a winner for an event like The Masters is a tough task.

On any given day, anyone inside the top 50 is capable of stepping up and getting the job done – whatever the event.

Having said that, I’ve been saying for months to the guys in the office that Cameron Smith will win the first Major of the season and after his brilliant performance at TPC Sawgrass to win The Players Championship last month, I believe I’m onto a winner!

That win was made even sweeter with the cool $3.6 million he banked – the largest payout on the PGA Tour – but the cherry on top was having his mother and sister amongst the fans watching in Florida, whom he hadn’t seen in two-and-ahalf years.

Sometimes you forget these players are human too. Yes, they are travelling across the world and earning money most of us can only dream of while playing the sport we all love, but how easy is it to put all your focus on winning a tournament when you haven’t spent time with your nearest and dearest in such a long time? Many golfers have spoken about their mental health, the struggles they’ve had in dealing with the pandemic and the difficulties it has posed on their careers. So hats off to Cameron, who has probably had it worse than most with his family essentially locked in Australia.

I, like many others, was touched by his triumph in front of his family and it came as no shock to see the Australian pull out of the WGC Match Play and Valspar Championship to spend more time with his loved ones while they were out in the States. Family always comes first.

Smith will make a welcome return to the course at Augusta National with his iconic mullet and laid-back approach. Could he be the coolest guy on Tour? Erik Van Rooyen would probably give him a run for his money with his old school tache or Robert Rock and his luscious locks but for me Smith holds that title.

Anyway, enough about that gorgeous mullet – Smith has a pretty impressive record at the Masters, having made the cut in all five of his appearances, including two top 10s and a runner-up finish in 2020. That year, he also made Masters history, becoming the first player to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds. In all but seven previous Masters his 15 under par total would have won. Imagine that! You’ve just made history and you still don’t get to slip into the iconic Green Jacket.

This month he gets the job done. Yes, there will be challenges from the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, but something tells me we’ll have a mulleted Australian at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday evening in Georgia.

Thomas W ragg

ISSUE No.245 APRIL 2022 • Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd • Published in Dubai by: Prografix • PO Box 24677 • Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Editor-in-Chief: Alex Gallemore • Editor: Thomas Wragg (tom@wspdubai.com) Publisher: Mike Gallemore (mike@wspglobal.com) • General Manager Dubai: Richard Bevan (rick@wspglobal.com) • Editors: Todd Staszko, Ashraf Ahmed • Production/Design Editor: Thameem Rayyan • Editorial Panel: Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Thomas Wragg • Photography: Getty Images • June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 • Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280 • Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

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Printed by: Raidy, Dubai Distributed by: Al Nisr Distribution LLC, PO Box 6519, Dubai, UAE

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ompleted in 2004 and designed by world-renowned golf architect Tom Doak, the par 71 course is built on a ridgeand-valley landscape at Hawke’s Bay on North Island’s east coast with typical rugged landscapes a prominent feature of the picturesque landscape. Although very well maintained, the raw and natural surroundings of Cape Kidnappers feel far from manicured, thanks to Doak’s recognition of the nature and the land.

The incredible layout offers cliff-edge fairways perched 140 metres above sea level and surface that remains firm and fast - holes that you are unlikely to find anywhere else in the world.

While every hole has a spectacular view of the Bay, the 15th, named Pirate’s Plank, is the most intimidating with a sheer drop off the very edge of the earth to your left and a deep cavern to the right.

The course played host to the PGA Tour’s Kiwi Challenge in 2008 and 2009, with the likes of Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker and champion Anthony Kim all making the long trip to the Southern Hemisphere to compete in the 36-hole tournament.

As well as offering a truly unique golf course, the region itself is home to some of the country’s finest award-winning wines, so you can treat yourself and your party to wine tasting post-round.

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Tiger W HALL OF FAMER

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ast month the legendary Tiger Woods was finally inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame for his momentous achievements in the game at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida prior to The Players Championship.

The ceremony saw Woods introduced by his daughter Sam, who began with a story from the 2007 U.S. Open, which Tiger lost to Angel Cabrera by one shot.

“My dad found himself in a position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U.S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,” the 14-year-old chuckled.

“He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital.

Within five minutes of walking into the hospital room, still wearing his red golf shirt, on June 18, I was born. He may have lost that day, but he won the greatest gift of all.”

After being presented with the award by his daughter, the 15-time Major champion gave an inspiring 17-minute speech.

“This an individual award,” said Woods. “But this actually is a team award. All of you have allowed me to be here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“You have to understand I got to this position because of my upbringing, having two unbelievable parents. I know that golf is an individual sport, we do things on our own a lot, for hours on end, but in my case, I didn’t get here alone.

“I have unbelievable parents, mentors and friends who supported me in the toughest of times, darkest of times and celebrated the highest of times.”

Woods was stung by racism when denied access to clubhouses when he was young, so he reflected on asking just two questions when he turned up to a golf course.

“One of the things that Dad had instilled in me is that he grew up in an era, same era as Charlie Sifford [the first Black golfer to play on the PGA Tour] and why my son is named after Charlie, is that you had to be twice as good to be given half a chance,” he said.

“I was not allowed in the clubhouses where all the other juniors were. The color of my skin dictated that. As I got older, that drove me even more.

“So, as I was denied access into the clubhouses, that’s fine. Put my shoes on here in the parking lot.

I asked two questions only, that was it: where was the first tee and what was the course record.”

The ceremony also inducted former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, four-time Major winner Susie Maxwell and course designer and architect Marion Hollins into the Golf Hall of Fame.

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Woods “Tiger’s left more of a mark on this game, I think, than anyone else basically in the history,” McIlroy said. “I think the fact that he is a person of colour and what that brings to the table in terms of golf being a more acceptable sport to play if you’re from a certain ethnic background. And just his play in general and the excitement he created around the game of golf.”

RORY MCILROY “Congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction, Tiger Woods.

You’ve been the most prominent professional in the history of our game. In fact, what you’ve done and achieved possibly makes you the most prominent global sportsman since Ali.”

SIR NICK FALDO

“Congratulations to Tiger Woods for his induction into the Golf Hall of Fame. He has inspired so many people not only to pick up the game, but aspire to be a professional. I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done for the game of golf.”

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU

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TIGER’S MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS WIDELY REGARDED AS THE GREATEST GOLFER OF ALL TIME, WOODS ENJOYED A SUCCESSFUL JUNIOR, COLLEGE AND AMATEUR GOLF CAREER, BEFORE TURNING TO THE PROFESSIONAL GAME IN 1996 AND IMMEDIATELY SIGNING ADVERTISING DEALS WITH NIKE AND TITLEIST THAT RANKED AS THE MOST LUCRATIVE ENDORSEMENT CONTRACTS IN GOLF HISTORY AT THAT TIME. HE WON IN ONLY HIS FIFTH PGA TOUR START AT THE LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL BEFORE PICKING UP A SECOND TITLE JUST TWO WEEKS LATER AT THE WALT DISNEY CLASSIC, REDEFINING A GAME THAT HAD NEVER BEEN DOMINATED BY A BLACK GOLFER. THE 46 YEAR OLD HAS GONE ON TO WIN 82 PGA TOUR TITLES, INCLUDING 15 MAJORS, AS WELL AS BECOMING THE ONLY MODERN PRO TO WIN ALL FOUR MAJOR TITLES IN SUCCESSION, TAKING THE U.S. OPEN, OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AND PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2000 AND THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT IN 2001.

HERE, WE TAKE A LOOK AT SEVEN OF HIS MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED THE CAREER OF THE G.O.A.T.

1997

MASTERS

Not only did Tiger Woods break racial barriers by winning his maiden Major at the 1997 Masters, he also set 20 Masters records and tied seven others in what was his arrival on the world stage.

The greatest of those records was perhaps the margin of victory - a whopping 12 shots over Tom Kite in second while becoming the youngster ever winner of the event at just 21 years old.

2000

U.S. OPEN

Peak Tiger arguably started with his resounding victory at Pebble Beach, where he stormed to an unprecedented 15 stroke victory over his nearest rival - It was a display of dominance unrivaled in more than 125 years of Major Championship golf.

After taking the lead during the opening round, Woods never looked back as he shattered records on the way to victory. He became the first player in the event’s history to finish in double figures under par, and a margin of victory that beat the previous Major record of 13 strokes held by Old Tom Morris at the 1862 Open Championship. Tiger would go on to win the next three Majors, which was later coined as the ‘Tiger Slam’.

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2005

MASTERS

Woods donned the iconic Green Jacket for a fourth time in 2005, where his play-off triumph over Chris DiMarco will always be remembered for a remarkable moment at the par-three 16th.

After finding the rough at the back of the 16th green with a poor tee shot, Woods had left some 50-feet from the pin and facing a difficult up-and-down to save par. But this is Tiger Woods we’re talking about. The game’s greatest golfer pitched to some 20 feet to the left of the hole, before watching the ball feed down the slope towards the flag. Just as it was about to disappear into the cup, it came to agonising rest on the lip for what seemed an eternity, only for it then to drop in for a miraculous birdie and secure arguably the most famous shot in golfing history.

2008

U.S. OPEN Remember when Tiger won a Major after playing 91 holes with a broken leg and a torn anterior cruciate ligament? Woods’ orthopedic doctor advised him not to play the U.S. Open because he could do permanent damage after being diagnosed with a double stress fracture in his left tibia along with a torn ACL. Woods was having none of it.

After grimacing his way through the first 48 holes, Woods found some magic on the back nine in the third round to claim the 54-hole lead. A messy final round left him needing birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Rocco Mediate. Tiger duly delivered. An 18-hole play-off the following day still couldn’t split the pair but Woods edged the Italian on the first hole of sudden death to seal an astonishing triumph. Not long after Woods underwent surgery and was sidelined for seven and a half months.

2018

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Less than a year after being ranked 1,199 in the world after spinal fusion surgery, Woods produced the unthinkable by winning the PGA Tour’s seasonending Tour Championship for his first victory in five years. Thousands of fans ran on to the 18th fairway to follow Woods after his approach found a bunker on the edge of the green. The American star finished with a par to post an 11 under par total, before holding his arms aloft in celebration as the emotional victory sunk in.

2019

ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP 2019

MASTERS

Woods well and truly announced his return with a scintillating victory at Augusta National to secure his 15th Major triumph, and his first since the U.S. Open triumph in 2008. There were wild celebrations around the 18th green as Woods finished with a twounder-par 70 to win on 13 under, one clear of fellow Americans Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.

With the PGA Tour heading to Japan for the very first time, no one expected Woods to secure his 82nd Tour victory after coming off his fifth knee surgery just two months before, but Woods is no ordinary golfer. He would go on to post 64-64-66-67 to beat home favourite Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes, all while tying Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories – the most in history.

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HENRIK AT THE HELM IN ROME

H

enrik Stenson will lead the European Team out at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome for the 2023 Ryder Cup after the Swede was announced as Captain last month.

The two-time DP World Tour Championship winner has enjoyed an impressive Ryder Cup career, helping Europe to victory in three of five of his appearances as a player before going on to bring his experience to the role of Vice Captain in the 2020 edition of the biennial contest.

The 45 year old becomes the first Swede to be named European Captain and will be aiming to emulate the memorable European performance in the last home match at Le Golf National in Paris, France in 2018, and reclaim the Ryder Cup following victory for the United States at Whistling

“The Ryder Cup is golf, and sport, at its very best. I got goosebumps every time I pulled on a European shirt as a player and that will be magnified in the role of Captain.

While it is great for me personally, it is also great for my country and all the players from Sweden who have played for Europe with such distinction since Joakim Haeggman became the first in 1993.

“When I started out as a professional golfer, it was beyond my wildest dreams that, one day, I would follow in the footsteps of legends of the game such as Seve and be the European Ryder Cup Captain. But today proves that, sometimes, dreams do come true.”

His 12-man European Team will face the United States team which will be led by Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion and 2015 Open Champion.

“I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be the European Ryder Cup Captain – it is a huge honour and I was humbled to get the call confirming the news,” Straits, Wisconsin, last September.

“I am absolutely thrilled and delighted to be the European Ryder Cup Captain – it is a huge honour and I was humbled to get the call confirming the news,” said Stenson. “I would like to thank the selection panel for believing in me and will say to them, and every European golf fan, that I will do everything in my power and leave no stone unturned in the quest to get the Ryder Cup back in European hands.

A FAN FAVOURITE IN THE UAE ICEMAN CHOOSES 3-WOOD OVER WIFE Stenson’s renowned dry sense of humour was at its peak ahead of the 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

During his Monday news conference before the action got underway at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Stenson was asked to choose between his wife and his 3-wood. “That’s a very easy question, it would be the 3-wood,” he answered without batting an eye. Stenson followed up his answer with a smirk, adding that his wife was probably asleep in the U.S. so he was “safe for now.”

BACK-TO-BACK DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP WINS Stenson remains the only golfer to 70 to hold off the challenges of Ryder Cup successfully defend his title at the DP World teammates Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Tour Championship after completing a twoVictor Dubuisson. It was also the first, and stroke triumph at Jumeirah Golf Estates in only, title Stenson has ever successfully 2014. The Iceman shot a final round 2-under defended.

SHOT OF THE YEAR The best shot to ever be played at the DP World Tour Championship? The Iceman hit the European Tour Shot of the Year to the 18th green on the final day of the 2013 season to win both the Race to Dubai and the seasonending tournament itself. His incredible three wood from way back down the fairway came to rest just a couple of feet from the hole, leaving Stenson with a tap-in eagle. The occasion, the execution and the celebration from the fans – it’s what dreams are made of.

HOLDS OFF TIGER AND ELS FOR DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC TRIUMPH The Swede withstood the combined challenges of Ernie Els and Tiger Woods to win the Dubai Desert Classic after a thrilling final day at the Emirates Golf Club in 2007.

A seven-foot birdie putt on the final green completed a final round of 68 for a 19 under par total, earning the then Dubai-based star a one-stroke victory over Els, his playing partner for four days.

ToBY BISHOP WINNING MACHINE Six events, five wins and the Order of Merit title wrapped up before the season-ending tournament. That type of form sounds like peak Tiger Woods in the early noughties, but this record belongs to 17-year-old Toby Bishop, who has been the man to beat in the UAE over the last few months.

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Bishop’s purple patch started on February 13 as the Welshman surged to a one-stroke triumph at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club Men’s Open thanks to rounds of 67 and 68. It was a welcome return to the winner’s circle for the youngster in what was a difficult time after the local golfing community lost one of their own in the form of last year’s EGF Order of Merit champion Viggo Sorenson.

“Al Ain is a course that I like and somewhere I’ve had success when winning the Faldo Series European Finals,” said Bishop. “It had obviously been a while at that point since I'd won on the UAE circuit, so I was starting with a fresh mind. It was fresh off the unfortunate news of our friend Viggo’s passing, but in a way that really helped me. I was playing with a sense of freedom and I felt quite calm on the course and I just felt very grateful with the opportunities that we have.

“I played some really good golf, sunk a nice putt on the last to avoid a play-off. That got me back into the winner’s circle and was a big confidence boost to prove that I was doing the right things.”

Little did Toby know at the time that the triumph in Al Ain would be the start of a special run of results on the Men’s Open circuit in the UAE. He made it two from two with victory at his home course, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, the following week before wrapping up a three-peat at Tower Links Golf Club thanks to impressive round of 66 and 68 in Ras Al Khaimah.

“I didn't play my best stuff at Trump, but I felt that my mental game really pulled me through that week,” he said. “I hit the good shots when I needed to, but mentally I felt in a strong place which helped me win by two shots.

“The week after at Tower Links, a course where I had my first ever win in the UAE as a junior back in 2016, my game was in good shape. After back-to-back wins, I was just feeling really comfortable. I felt like I was the

man to beat. I had that sort of bubble around me that people were just playing for second.

Mentally, I had a lot of confidence building up and I used that to my advantage.”

The Els Club Men’s Open was next on the calendar, but there wouldn’t be a fourth

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successive title after Bishop revealed “I didn’t play my best stuff.”

But like any elite sportsmen, it’s how you bounce back from a bad week that proves how far you’ve come in the game.

“Playing at Els Club, where the setup was

“I’ve not won the Order of Merit before, being my last year in the country it was something that I wanted to do. I feel like I’m sort of leaving my trademark or leaving a part of me here in the golfing community. I’m really proud and it’s a great honour to be able to call myself the UAE Men’s Order of Merit champion. I feel I’m leaving on a good note” - TOBY BISHOP as close to a Tour event as we get out here, was a good sort of refresh to see where I can improve because when you’re on a good run of form, sometimes you feel like you’re doing everything right and obviously you’re not,” he said. “So, I used that week to really fine tune some things.

“Obviously, I preferred to go win, win, win, lose rather than finishing third, third and fifth for example, so I didn't really let anything bother me, I felt comfortable still.

“I moved on to Abu Dhabi Golf Club after that, and again, played some really good golf. I felt almost as if the tournament at Els Club hadn't happened, I carried right from the form at Tower Links and I think it was probably like a 40-foot putt I holed on the 18th to win, so that was a nice way to finish.

“From there I was targeting five out of six at Yas Links Abu Dhabi but I didn't really feel like I was playing to win five out of six, I just felt like it was the first event. I was just treating it as any other day.

“I played some good golf and I had some extra motivation with Josh Hill coming back from his nice spell of Tour events. It’s always nice to play and try to beat the best players that we have in the region. I won by two shots there over Josh, which was a nice way to get back to competing against him.”

Another level

The youngster has always been one of the names to look out for on the amateur circuit but his game has now risen to a whole new level. So, what’s the secret behind his transformation into a winning machine?

“I started off with an injury early in the year, but since returning from that I was playing well but the scores weren't really representing that,” he said.

“I was talking to my coach; we were discussing how I was playing such good golf, but not scoring how I knew I could.

So, we decided to link back up with the psychologist, who is affiliated with Wales Golf, that I was seeing pre Covid to see if that made a difference, and obviously I've seen quite positive results since then.

“I feel as if I'm building a sort of bulletproof form around me on the golf course, not letting anything really affect me, just staying very positive. When winning becomes a bit of a habit to you, people are turning up and they're playing for second, they're talking about it as in, ‘oh, who's going to try and beat Toby this week or who’s coming second’.

“In my mind before I've teed off, I'm sort of leading the event already. I've got an advantage; I'm two shots ahead before we've even started. Some people aren’t a fan of that pressure of being expected to win, but it's something that I feel I perform well under and it's something I enjoy - being the man to beat. So, I sort of relish that pressure, and I'm enjoying it right now.”

Gators

That growth in the mental side of his game saw Bishop open up an unassailable lead at the top of the EGF Order of Merit with events to spare. Winning the seasonlong rankings couldn’t have come at a better time for the teenager, who will leave the country over the next few months to pursue college golf at the University of Florida.

The Welsh International will link up with the Florida Gators Men’s Golf Team, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of more than 50 ‘Gators’ who have gone on to play professionally on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and Champions Tour.

“I feel the majority of emotions are excitement,” said Bishop when asked about the big move. “Four years out there, the facilities and opportunities you're given are second to none. I feel if you go there and you don't make it onto the Tour or you don't make your goals, it's sort of down to you because they provide you with everything you need. So, for me, it's an exciting chance to really compete against the best players and sort of see what I have and hopefully I can use the facilities they've given me to get to where I want go.”

Taste of the Sunshine State

Having done all his recruiting and tours of the campus ‘virtually’ when committing to the university, Bishop got his first taste of his future home when he paid a visit to Florida last October.

“The people are unreal,” he said.

“Obviously, I'll be the newest member of the team when I join, but I already feel like a big part of the family. That sort of family aura and that family relationship that I have with all the coaches and the team there is one of the main parts of my decision in going to the University of Florida. The facilities are sort of like a heaven for any golfer to have let alone someone of our young age. So, we're just really lucky and I'm just grateful to have the chance to go and improve my game.”

Bishop could also come up against a

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familiar face on the college golf circuit after good friend and Dubai-born sensation Josh Hill announced last month that he had signed with the University of Tennessee.

“I'm really, really happy for him,” said Bishop. “I think it’s the best place to go if you want to make it on Tour. He's definitely a good enough golfer, so I'm just glad that he, in my opinion, made the right choice.

He's giving himself that chance to go and improve in that college environment.

Hopefully we'll get a repeat of the Toby and Josh sort of rivalry out in the States. But although we really want to beat each other on the course, off the course, we're like the best of pals. So, I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of good time together out there in America.”

‘I want to be the best’

Similar to a lot of the young men out here that play the game to a high standard, Bishop has a wise head on young shoulders.

He knows what he wants to achieve, how he wants to achieve it and how he’s going to do it, but he’s smart enough to know that doesn’t come without talent, dedication and hunger.

Words that have always seemed to be in Bishop’s vocabulary.

“Obviously I like to be the best, I wouldn't be playing as much as I do if I didn't want to want to be the best,” he said. “It's a really hard game to break into, but I feel that I've got the opportunities now with the University of Florida and my upbringing here. “ I want to break as many records as I can. I want to be the best, but I have sort of different priorities; I’m a proud Welshman, so I think the Ryder Cup is up there on my priority list. I have a vision board at home and there's a big Ryder Cup Trophy; the Grand Stand and pictures of Bubba hitting these big slices. It feels like a very different event to the usual golf that we have all season. So, I love that. I love match play –people that have played with me always tell me that I'm quite an upbeat sort of emotional person on the course in terms of the adrenaline that I have when I'm playing.

You'll often see a fist pump from me around the end. So yeah, it's an environment that I think I really thrive in.”

Bishop has certainly proved his mettle on the UAE circuit and if he can shine in the ‘big league’ that is US collegiate golf, the world will truly be his oyster. ■

THOMAS

THE DANISH

BEAR BJØRN

W

idely regarded as one of Europe’s greatest ever golfers, Thomas Bjørn is a man who has ticked almost every box in the game. Twenty-seven years after graduating from the Challenge Tour, the Dane has won 15 DP World Tour titles - including two in the Middle East led out Team Europe to an emphatic Ryder Cup victory at Le Golf National in 2018, served as Vice Captain on multiple occasions in the biennial showpiece and held the position of Chairman on the Tour’s Tournament Committee for a decade before becoming a member of the Board of Directors. That wealth of experience has helped him become the man he is today – wise, straighttalking and firm but fair.

We caught up with the 51-year-old at last month’s DP World Golf Day to get his views on a range of subjects from his passion to help the next generation of talent to his true thoughts on Phil Mickelson and a breakaway league.

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THOMAS BJØRN

BJØRN ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR EVOLVING INTO THE DP WORLD TOUR there’s got to be something in it It’s a very important relationship, for both parties and hopefully, it was important that we did our brand, what we stand for, elevate the Tour. The relationship and where we go in the world will between Dubai and the DP World help elevate DP World as well in Tour is obviously a relationship their relationships around the that’s been there for a long, globe. So, it becomes a constant long time, and it’s steadily two-way thing where both parties grown over the years. To now grow together and I think the size associate ourselves that strongly of this relationship, it needs to be with one of Dubai strongest like that, you know, it really does. brands in DP World is very key We need to elevate each other for the growth of the Tour. for it to be successful, and then In any strong relationship it’s go from strength to strength. obviously give and take, and then

BJØRN ON MAKING HIS DEBUT ON THE LEGENDS TOUR LAST YEAR AND HIS HUNGER TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT trying to guide them in the right Yeah, I think it’s nice, mostly direction. They have to make because you see guys that you their own decisions and own grew up with playing the game. choices about what they do but I It’s a nice change of environment just try and help them along the and obviously from a golfing way to make good decisions and perspective, you feel a lot more prepare them for what the world competitive in the sense of stage is going to bring to them. there’s not as much pressure So, I enjoy being out on the on you in golfing terms. When main tour and from my own you play on the DP World Tour playing perspective also because with the youngsters, if you I feel like that’s where my whole have a couple of bad holes life has been. I love the Tour you fall through the ranks very as a Tour to be on, I love it for quickly and it is extremely what we stand for and I love the competitive at the top, it’s players on the Tour. I see new very driven. But that’s the way generations coming through all it should be for professional making the same mistakes that sport at the highest level. we made and getting ahead of They’re still very competitive themselves, thinking they’re on the Legends Tour and they better than they are too soon still want it very much but there’s and not quite learning their just a different vibe about the trade in the way they should. place and it is a bit more relaxed.

Sometimes they come back It’s just that nice change of with their tails between their pace when you get to that age legs and it’s interesting to see where you kind of fall in between all the things that you kind of being one of the older guys and were guilty of yourself. So many one of the really young guys. players have made the mistakes I still enjoy being around and now you have the experience the youngsters. I think there’s to help the ones that want a huge amount of talent in to be helped and some don’t European golf today. There’s a lot and that’s okay. There’s a lot of of young guys that I feel I have talent on Tour today that is very a great relationship with and I enjoyable to watch play golf. have some great conversations

BJØRN ON EUROPE’S RECORD-BREAKING LOSS AT THE 2020 RYDER CUP record-breaking fashion, but I think you always have to look speaking to the players, speaking back and say, ‘could we do to Padriag, there’s just not that something different?’ Is the much that any of them said they model that we’ve relied on for could have done differently. so long efficient? Do we need The Americans were extremely to change things or do we strong, not just with their just change little things here players, but on form as well and and there in how we do it? sometimes it just happens like I think a lot of things were that. That’s been in our favour in against the Europeans – they the past and it was against us didn’t get off to a fast start and last year. Looking forward, maybe things just piled up very quickly we do change little things, but and it became a very uphill task. we won’t change it massively.

We’ve been on the giving end of We have a very successful that in the past where it became formula and we’ve been very an uphill task for the Americans successful in the Ryder Cup. and once the ball rolls against Hopefully, this was a one off, you a bit, it becomes a very where things went against us difficult match to turn around. pretty much from the get go.

We don’t like getting beat in

BJØRN ON THE FORMULA FOR BEING A SUCCESSFUL RYDER CUP CAPTAIN The Captain has to actually I think commitment and time be a captain and manage the is something that you have to team, it’s not a case of coming put into it. I feel like sometimes in and just doing it for the people think that is more an week that the tournament honorary position than an takes place. That might have actual job – I know how much been the case in the past but I time and effort I put into it. think that’s changing. You’ll see You’ve got to be willing to captains of the future being a give that time and prepare lot more involved in the buildyourself and your team for the up going into the Ryder Cup. situation that they’re going into.

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THOMAS BJØRN

BJØRN ON HIS ADMIRATION FOR COMPATRIOTS RASMUS AND NICOLAI HØJGAARD develop yourself even in the They both have all the talent good times that split the best in the world. In my time there’s from the rest. There’s a lot of been three or four guys that have things that they need to learn but really stood out talent wise and with their talent and potential, these two comes close to them. they can go all the way.

It’s difficult to put them in that They’re wonderful kids, both category with the very best, but of them. They really are and I they come in close and they have love being around them mostly all the potential to go all the way for the reason that they have in the world of golf. big ears. They want to listen, I’m talking about them being they want to learn and then they Major champions, reaching kind of sort it out themselves.

World No.1 and playing in the I love young players that come Ryder Cup, but things have to out and really want to take develop in the right direction. everything they can from all the They are just 20 years old and players that have been through have five DP World Tour wins it. I go back to my own career between them – they’re setting when I was spending time with themselves up for all the success Langer, Seve and Woosy – I would but also for all the scrutiny that just sit and listen and try and comes with having a big talent. understand their way of thinking It’s how you deal with that just to make myself better. I see scrutiny and it’s how you work so much of that in these two. through the bad times and

BJØRN ON PHIL MICKELSON’S COMMENTS ON A BREAKAWAY LEAGUE sorts of different things around I find it all a little bit sad. I’ve it? I believe in the Tours. I believe known Phil for close to 30 years in the PGA Tour. I believe in the DP and he has a lot of great thoughts World Tour. I believe in the Asian about the game and he’s hugely Tour. I believe that we could all popular with the fans, he’s a great work closer together to make a ambassador for golf. The game schedule that works better for has just gone into a place that the top players. I think there’s a lot has been quite uncomfortable. more demand on the top players We want golf to keep growing. today than there used to be.

We want golf to keep doing the A closer relationship with right things. We want golf to other Tours is something that you keep producing new things. We want to see. I don’t necessarily have a CEO on the DP World think that new styles of the game Tour who has been very much are something that you want to at the forefront of innovation in see and I think Phil got caught trying to do different things and himself caught in a situation trying to develop the game. and I think he got it wrong.

You have to try new things and I hope he sits somewhere and they might work and they might thinks ‘well, I did get that wrong’ not. We’ve certainly been down and is big enough to admit that that route with certain things with – that’s his easiest way back six-hole golf, Shot Clock Masters to the PGA Tour. On a personal and many more - they’ve been okay, level, I have a lot of time for Phil but they haven’t been the things Mickelson for what he’s done that really revolutionise the game. for the game. Aside from Tiger But I always come back my Woods, Phil’s been in my era by feelings and I don’t think golf needs far the best player. He’s been revolutionising. I think golf is quite exceptional to watch. Fantastic to good the way it is and comfortable be around. Great opponent and I the way it is. There’s a lot of want to see him back. Watching people that think that they can him win the PGA Championship revolutionise it, but at the end of last year was phenomenal. I the day, golf’s four biggest events in thought it was one of the greatest the world are played over 72 holes moments in golf and that’s what and that’s what you want golf to be. you want to see. You want him That’s the historic offering and to be in those situations and be you don’t want to change that. an ambassador for the game.

So, why do you want to change all

DP World to redistribute unwanted golf balls BJØRN ON THE ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT CHANGED GOLF FOREVER hitting the ball in a different way The Big Bertha changed the and you started seeing people game. It was a driver that hitting it longer. Obviously going changedthe looks of a club from wooden clubs to metal from small headed ones to a clubs was a big thing, but I think big driver head. Golf became when the Big Bertha came along completely different from that it left the guys stuck with the day on. It was a remarkable wooden clubs way behind. They piece of engineering and had no chance of competing once development and from that day that driver was introduced to on golf balls started to change the game. So, for me, that’s the because the heads were bigger. piece of equipment that really It completely changed the way took the game to the next level. you hit the golf ball, you started

DP WORLD has created a unique shipping container that will collect and redistribute used golf balls during the 2022 DP World Tour season, giving them a second life.

Travelling through DP World’s global logistics infrastructure and network, the container will visit six DP World Tour events. Fans will be invited to donate used and unwanted golf balls, which will be redistributed to organisations that are championing golf from the grassroots up, to help grow the game globally.

“It’s quite remarkable that nobody’s come up with the idea before,” said Bjorn. “I was honoured to be part of the launch and it’s a very cool thing to see. I hope this is something that will send a message around the world that we have a responsibility to take care of the planet. We send a lot of golf balls into the world, which is probably not great for the environment, so let’s start taking care of our home a bit more. All over the world plastic is one of our biggest enemies and we must take steps to protect it.”

WALKING

WALK

the

D

ubai’s Chiara Noja secured her best Ladies European Tour finish to date with a share of 13th at last month’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International, but the youngster showed how determined she was to make it to the very top after ruing a host of missed opportunities to finish higher up the leaderboard.

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T

he 16-year-old had enjoyed a solid opening three rounds, despite the challenging conditions at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, to sit in a share of seventh with 18 holes to play.

But a three-over par 75, which included two double bogeys, saw her drop down the leaderboard in King Abdullah Economic City.

Despite the blip on Sunday, Noja still finished a career-best 13th on a leading tour event, but she wasn’t too impressed with her putting display in just her fourth Ladies European Tour start.

“I’m going to go and hit the putting green!” said Noja after coming off the 18th. “Usually putting is one of my strengths and I can usually rely on it but the number of putts I’ve missed from within 10 feet this week is astounding! I would have finished higher on the leaderboard if I had my usual putting game. It’s an encouragement to know that I could have been higher if I had putted better but it’s also a disappointment at the same time as it’s such an incredible event and being able to perform against such a strong field is an honour, so I wish I could have putted a bit better.”

Despite not bringing her putting ‘A’ game, Noja was still able to reflect on what she had achieved just days after celebrating her 16th birthday with some French toast because the hotel she was staying in didn’t have any cake.

“If you’d told me at the start of the tournament that I’d finish 13th then I would have been happy but if you’d told me after the third round I would have thought you were an idiot!” she chuckled. “It was a tough week. The wind really started blowing on the back nine so it was all about playing the course strategically and trying to keep the score together. Finishing

13th is an achievement and I’ll make some great steps forward in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. It’s been a really cool week and I have enjoyed it despite the missed putts!”

WHIRLWIND FIVE MONTHS The impressive result comes just five months after turning professional at the age of just 15, earlier than both Tiger Woods (20) and Rory McIlroy (18). Many heads were turned at the decision to join the professional ranks at such a young age, but Noja quickly justified her decision on her first outing at the Saudi Ladies International last year.

After struggling to find form over the first 21 holes, the teen sensation superbly bounced back to play her next 15 holes at five under par, with three birdies and a sublime eagle, but most importantly, no dropped shots, to make her first LET cut right on the line.

“A good score always feels good, but at the end of the day, it’s golf,” said Noja, reflecting on making that cut. “You can play 6-under one day and shoot 4-over the next. There’s nothing that says ‘I played well today, I’m going to play well this time’. So, I sort of went in not expecting too much. I knew, first start of the season, I’m a little rusty still. You know, just play golf, not try to stress out too much.

But it was a really good experience getting a good result there.”

It’s hard to fathom that Noja, with all the talent she possesses, is still just a schoolgirl. With that in mind, it makes it even more impressive that she managed to finish as high as she did in Saudi given that golf is not her full-time job. But having turned

Worldwide GOLF 34

professional there are bound to have been some changes to her training schedule in a bid to keep up with some of the game’s best players.

“My day-to-day training schedule has definitely become more professional in the sense that I do everything with a lot more accuracy,” said Noja, who can often be found honing her skills at Jumeirah Golf Estates. “So, whenever I go practice, it’s not about constantly hitting. It’s about chasing percentages and less about doing stock drills and stock practice. Just trying to understand myself a little better and getting better at the things I need to improve.”

“If you’d told me at the start of the tournament that I’d finish 13th then I would have been happy but if you’d told me after the third round I would have thought you were an idiot!”

JAW DROPPING Playing against the likes of Lydia Ko and Georgia Hall is still new territory for the German-born youngster, but one she is starting familiarise herself with as she looks to make her mark in the women’s game.

“Talking to players is really awesome, they are an inspiration,” she said, “I look up, and that’s where I want to be at some point in my career. So, it’s a really cool experience, and seeing the biggest names in golf is always a little jaw-dropping.

“I played with Lindsey Weaver in Saudi, and she was absolutely lovely. She’s an LPGA girl. I did ask her a lot of questions. I asked her for some advice and her opinions on things like how are the courses? How are the girls? What is it like? Are the girls like super smiley? Are they super competitive? Just something that I want

to get used to and something I want to make myself more aware of.”

Does Noja see herself joining the likes of Weaver on the LPGA Tour in five years? Or maybe ten?

“Five years, 21 and 26 - that’s where I see myself,” she chuckled. “This is a little difficult for me to answer. I guess LPGA, hopefully World No. 1.

That’s the goal. That’s the basic, very straightforward answer, and everyone still says it but I believe in that and I want to make it come true.” World No.1 by 21? “We’ll say 21, yeah. That works.”

For now, all Noja has to worry about is receiving invitations to more Ladies European Tour events and fitting them in around her school schedule.

The goal this season? To play well enough in LET sanctioned events to automatically secure her playing privileges without a gruelling trip to Qualifying School in December – something Noja would have done last year had she not been too young.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to play in the other Aramco events,” said Noja, referring to the Team Series tournaments in Bangkok, London, Sotogrande, New York and Jeddah.

“That’s something I really look forward to playing, we’ll see how that develops. But with COVID, everything’s a little up in the air still. We’ll have to see what comes up, what fits my school schedule as well.

“Now I’m 16 I think I will be able to go to Q School.

Hopefully I won’t have to. Hopefully I’ll secure a nice little title this year. That would be good.”

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YAS LINKS, ABU DHABI RISES TO THE TOP AT

59CLUB MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARDS High-profile venues across the Middle East & Africa recognised for service excellence in ceremony hosted at The Els Club, Dubai.

7 Yas Links, Abu Dhabi collected four awards at the ceremony

T

he finest golf properties across Middle East & Africa saw their teams descend on the Els Club, Dubai, on Wednesday March 23rd, 2022, with the hope of claiming an industry ‘Oscar’ at the annual 59club MEA Service Excellence Awards.

A day which started with a 9-hole Team Scramble, ended in a glittering awards ceremony as the market-leading performance-management specialist continued to honour its best performers across the region for having achieved the highest standards of sales & customer

service excellence across 2021.

The winners in the 59club MEA Service Excellence Awards are determined by scores collected from its impartial mystery shopping audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to visiting golfers and prospective members, in accordance with objective benchmarking criteria over a period of 12 months.

On the night, 59club MEA presented 23 awards, recognising ‘service excellence’ across all areas of the businesses – Sales, Service, Operations, Retail, Golf course, Food & Beverage and Membership.

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And, for one property, there was special celebration as Yas Links, Abu Dhabi gained four awards after scooping Golf Agronomy Team of the Year, Golf Operations Team of the Year, Gold Flag Designation and the leading award of the night, the Ultimate Service Excellence Award.

Speaking of their winning performance, Matt Waters, Group Director of Golf, said; “We are extremely proud of the teams amazing efforts in achieving four superb awards at this year’s 59club Middle East & Africa Awards. We strive to deliver the best possible customer experience at both

59CLUB MEA AWARDS

golf clubs and with the support of Troon and 59club, we have been able to continually improve to deliver some great results. I believe that the awards we have received this year are a true testament to the hard work and commitment from all team members over the past couple of years. Thank you to 59club Middle East & Africa for organising a fantastic awards afternoon and evening to allow all clubs the opportunity to celebrate their successes.”

Other teams honoured on the night were Saadiyat Beach Golf Club who were awarded Golf Retail Team of the Year, the Els Club, Dubai who claimed Golf Membership Team of the Year and Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai having scooped Food and Beverage Team of the Year.

While Trump International Golf Club, Dubai repeated their success from last year to

receive the My59 Service Excellence Award for their continued commitment to engage, analyse and enrich their member and guest experience, utilising a collateral of survey tools across 59club’s software platform.

The final awards of the evening and always a highlight of proceedings saw 59club MEA present their Industry Benchmark of excellence, it’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Designations. These highly prized accolades recognise properties that provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout the year.

This year, 59club MEA presented nine ‘Gold Flags’, the deserving winners were: Abu Dhabi Golf Club; Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club; Emirates Golf Club; Jumeirah Golf Estates; Royal Golf Club, Bahrain; Saadiyat Beach Golf Club; The Els Club, Dubai; Trump International

Golf Club, Dubai and Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

Whilst six ‘Silver Flags’ went to Abu Dhabi City Golf Club; Al Hamra Golf; Club; Al Zorah Golf Club; Arabian Ranches Golf Club; Dubai Hills Golf Club and Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai and one ‘Bronze flag’ to Meydan Golf.

Of this year’s awards, Mark Bull, Director at 59club MEA, commented: “ It is always a pleasure to host the industry at our annual service excellence awards and recognise the hard work and commitment of all membership and operations teams in the region. Special thanks to our host venue, The Els Club, Dubai and all of our partners and sponsors on the day.

Congratulations to all nominees and winners on the night, the high levels of service and quality of facilities at all venues is fantastic and we are very proud of the part we play in supporting the industry in measuring and benchmarking to maintain these standards”.

59CLUB MEA ‘SERVICE EXCELLENCE’

AWARD WINNERS 2020/21

1

GOLF MEMBERSHIP SALES TEAM OF THE YEAR, SPONSORED BY WORLDWIDE GOLF:

THE ELS CLUB, DUBAI

RETAIL TEAM OF THE YEAR, 2 GOLF SPONSORED BY LUXURY CARTS GROUP:

SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB, DUBAI

1

2

AND BEVERAGE TEAM OF THE YEAR, 3 FOOD SPONSORED BY AFRICAN & EASTERN:

MONTGOMERIE GOLF CLUB, DUBAI

AGRONOMY TEAM OF THE YEAR, 4 GOLF SPONSORED BY DELTA TURF CARE/TORO:

YAS LINKS, ABU DHABI OPERATIONS TEAM OF THE YEAR, 5 GOLF SPONSORED BY GOLF GENIUS:

YAS LINKS, ABU DHABI 59 SERVICE EXCELLENCE, SPONSORED 6 MY

BY SUNSET EVENTS PRODUCTION:

3

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB, DUBAI

4

SERVICE 7 ULTIMATE EXCELLENCE AWARD:

YAS LINKS, ABU DHABI BRONZE FLAG DESIGNATIONS: Meydan Golf SILVER FLAG DESIGNATIONS: Abu Dhabi City Golf Club; Al Hamra Golf Club; Al Zorah Golf Club; Arabian Ranches Golf Club; Dubai Hills Golf Club and Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai

5

GOLD FLAG DESIGNATIONS: Abu Dhabi Golf Club; Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club; Emirates Golf Club; Jumeirah Golf Estates; Saadiyat Beach Golf Club; The Els Club, Dubai; Royal Golf Club, Bahrain; Trump International Golf Club, Dubai and Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

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LET BATTLE COMMENCE

B

ack by popular demand, we’re thrilled to announce the second instalment of the Worldwide Golf Society Showdown will take place at the stunning Al Hamra Golf Club on Saturday May 21.

The first event sold out in a matter of days and proved a smash hit with the region’s golfers so our advice is to book your spot quickly to avoid disappointment. What’s more, we’re also offering an Early Bird Discount until April 21!

The event sees teams of four compete on the Peter Harradine designed track with the best two Stableford scores on each hole counting towards the team total. Light hearted fun and friendly rivalry is the order of the day and to get the party started after the day of golf, we’re throwing in a three-hour allinclusive drinks package on the clubhouse terrace against a soundtrack of live entertainment. Accommodation is provided at the brand-new Radisson Resort on nearby Marjan Island followed by a sumptuous breakfast the following morning.

As with the first edition, our aim is to offer a highly enjoyable, informal weekend of golf and laughs for a highly affordable price and we’re offering the full package for just AED 695 per person until April 21!* Anees Awwad – Hotel Manager Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah, Marjan Island commented: “The hotel is delighted to be sponsoring the Worldwide Golf Society Showdown 2022. As a new property on Marjan Island, we’re looking forward to welcoming lots of golfers from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other emirates to enjoy stay and play packages at Al Hamra Golf Club and making a full weekend of it with their friends and families at our wonderful beachside property.”

Craeg Deery, Sales & Marketing Manager at Al Hamra Golf Club added: “How excited we are to see the return of the Worldwide Golf Society Showdown. Last year’s event was a huge success, selling out within the first week of being advertised and we welcomed a full field to Al Hamra for a

PRIZES

great afternoon of golf and an even better evening celebrating the wins! We’re also very pleased to be teaming up with the new Radisson Resort on Marjan Island. Al Hamra Golf Club is a fantastic destination and very popular with golf societies, groups of friends and corporate golf outings for a weekend away, giving not only a great round of golf on a quality layout but an opportunity to switch off from the bright lights and traffic of the larger Emirates. We hope that by hosting Worldwide Golf Society Showdown we will continue to see bookings for groups both throughout the summer and into the 2022/2023 season as our guests get to enjoy and really get a flavour of the great experience on offer.”

NON-SOCIETY MEMBERS WELCOME If you’re not a member of one of the many local golf societies, fear not, you can still take part in the event. You just need to be a team of four people to enter, so grab three friends and form your own ‘mini-society!

The winning team will be treated to a return two night stay at the Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah, Marjan Island on a half board basis with unlimited weekend golf at Al Hamra and there’ll be lots of other great prizes and on-course competitions throughout the day.

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WORLDWIDE GOLF SOCIETY SHOWDOWN II

Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah Marjan Island Enjoy a simply delightful beachside getaway on the stunning Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah. The Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah Marjan Island offers direct access to the beach, spectacular views of the surrounding blue waters, and plenty of on-site entertainment. Enjoy your perfect beach getaway in one of our stylish rooms overlooking the beach or the island and make use of our premium facilities, such as six different dining options, outdoor pools, designated kid’s pool and play area, and a rejuvenating spa.

Worldwide Golf Society Showdown II

VENUE:

Al Hamra Golf Club

DATE:

Saturday May 21, 1pm shotgun

FORMAT:

Teams of four. Best two Stableford scores on each hole count.

PRICE: AED695 Early bird: AED 695* Rate based on two golfers sharing a twin room (inclusive of all taxes, 3-hour drinks package and breakfast). AED 895 for single occupancy.

To enter the Worldwide Golf Society Showdown please email: events@worldwidegolfme.com *After April 21 prices will increase to AED 750 per person (shared occupancy) and AED 950 per person (single occupancy).

Al Hamra Golf Club Just 40 minutes from from DXB International Airport, and away from the hustle and bustle of the UAE’s busiest emirate, is one the country’s hidden gems in the form of Al Hamra Golf Club and it is proving to be an increasingly popular destination for a golf staycation for those in the know.

Nestled on the shores of the serene Arabian Gulf with the spectacular backdrop of the majestic Hajar Mountains, the pristine Peter Harradine designed course, which made its debut on the DP World Tour in February by hosting back to back events, is flanked by a variety of world-class hotels.

The course itself, which was upgraded along

with the clubhouse ahead of hosting the 2018 Challenge Tour Grand Final, measures 7,325 yards and incorporates four open water lagoons and stunning desert landscapes.

With five varying tee options, it’s a track which provides a fun and enjoyable test of golf for both seasoned professionals and enthusiastic amateurs and beginners.

And the fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. The course features floodlights on a selection of holes creating a composite 9-hole course meaning local residents or players from around the emirates can enjoy a round after work or in more bearable temperatures during the summer months.

For more information please call 072447474 or email golfreservation@alhamragolf.com

The future looks bright for

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

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hisper it quietly, keeping fingers and toes crossed, but the signs are good that, in the UAE at least, we’re transitioning into a post Covid world. That’s not to say that we’ve eradicated the virus or that the risks are no longer there, but we’re getting back to some semblance of normality, all be it with a heightened sense of caution and responsibility. For golf clubs in Abu Dhabi, that’s great news indeed. The UAE’s capital was hit particularly hard by the pandemic with border and travel restrictions meant the emirate’s golf clubs were somewhat starved Worldwide Golf: What has Khalfan Al Kaabi brought to the club in terms of the direction and vision for the future?

Andrea Faldella: Most people would assume that the new ownership has brought investments and a fresh new life to the Club, but that’s not the only reality. His presence at the Club provides all staff members, including myself, with a strong drive to grow on a daily basis, while his leadership, enthusiasm, and wide experience as a successful entrepreneur complement his role not only as the owner, but also as an active Chairman. Further to this, thanks to the support of Troon Golf we adopt the highest industry standards we strive to deliver the best golfing experience WWG: You’re striving to enhance the club’s positioning as a community hub which includes a new Kids Club, tell us about that?

AF: The concept for a kid’s club arose from my prior experience in Europe, when family members were visiting the club on the weekend and wanted to play some golf while

of business from outside Abu Dhabi. With the border now open and travel restrictions easing, it’s all systems go again.

Aside from the pandemic, Abu Dhabi Golf Club has undergone a period of great change with a new owner, Khalfan Al Kaabi and a new Club Operations Manager Andrea Faldella and the pair are putting into action an exciting vision for the future that places the club at the heart of the community while continuing to expand its world-class golf offering. We caught up with Faldella to hear about the new developments in the pipeline. eventually complement our country club amenities offering, which currently includes swimming pools, gym, sauna, jacuzzi, steam room, and will soon see the construction of four padel tennis courts. The project will be developed in collaboration with a partner that has been in the industry for 17 years, and we feel that it will draw more families to the club and make us more inclusive when approaching the local community.

ANDREA FALDELLA Club Operations Manager providing the kids something to do, whether they were golf-related, swimming-related, or simply for fun. Along with the idea of providing a service to our own members on weekends, we thought this could become a unique feature of the club, which will

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WWG:You’re also looking at installing a TrackMan range – can you explain a bit more about that?

AF: Yes, as part of our vision to engage more with the local community and eventually grow the game of golf, we would like to create a new “destination” within the club that will offer a different approach to the game, one that is more fun, driven by the entrainment component, and includes music and food experiences. We are now working with Trackman and are investigating all of the new features that they are introducing to the

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB With more freedom, we took advantage of the opportunity and began working toward the realization of our club’s vision, which has included not only the new Falcon Terrace (with a capacity of 300 people and a view of the golf course), but also many other projects such as the new Falcon Performance Institute (including a professional fitting studio, swing and putt studios), a starter’s hut with a coffee shop, along with many other improvements to the golf course itself.

WWG: Have you got any plans to host a Tour event again in the future?

AF: Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a major championship venue, and we are open and willing to consider hosting tournaments that represent and fit with our history and vision.

market, which will help us understand how to tailor the product to the local golfing and nongolfing communities. The target to complete this project is the start of the new season.

WWG: Your academy has been doing pretty well, tell us about your strategy with that and the different nationalities you have?

AF: Since the beginning of the season, we have worked hard to establish an Academy that would not only serve avid golfers, but would also focus on developing the game and interacting with new communities. Two of the most successful stories have been related to ladies’ golf, with one side a strong participation from the Abu Dhabi Ladies Golf Society and the other, the launch of the “Chicks with Sticks Abu Dhabi” (following the successful launch in Dubai in 2020). In this sense, we are proud to be considered their home club and it is a privilege to feel the positive vibe they bring when playing.

We are also excited to collaborate with the Emirates Golf Federation to develop new talent and expand the game, and we appreciate their efforts to make golf more accessible to all. Last but not least, we have now six teaching professionals which can provide classes in French and German

in addition to English. In preparation for the upcoming season, we intend to grow our pool of instructors in order to cater to more nationalities and provide customized tuition packages for visitors.

WWG: Summer is around the corner – do you have any special offers or summer memberships planned?

AF: With amenities ranging from a championship course to night golf, a swimming pool, and fantastic F&B outlets, we plan to offer a Summer Pass that will allow nomad golfers to experience Abu Dhabi Golf Club as their home for the summer, and perhaps consider one of our membership options in the future.

WWG: Was it strange not hosting the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this year and what was the reason for not continuing with that?

AF: It was a shame not to host the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after 16 successful editions and a legacy developed on our greens and beneath the magnificent Falcon clubhouse. However, Yas has been a terrific venue, providing the world with a glimpse of Abu Dhabi’s gorgeous beaches, which I am confident will help drive tourism in the future.

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WWG: How important is the stay and play element of ADGC and what in your opinion makes the club stand out from others in the UAE? AF: Stay & Play is unquestionably important for a location like Abu Dhabi Golf Club, both in terms of foreign guests and in terms of the local market. In this regard, as a golf resort, we provide a highly unique offering that is nearly unheard of in the rest of the UAE. The Westin Abu Dhabi provides 172 rooms with views of the two golf courses, as well as the highest industry and hospitality standards. You may wake up in your room and be on the first tee in less than 5 minutes, while after your round, you can relax in one of the three swimming pools or visit the SPA. In the evening, there are six different outlets to choose from between the Club and the Hotel. With all this considered, the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and the Westin, in my opinion, are golfing havens.

WWG: To what extent does a golf club these days need to be ‘more than just a golf club’?

AF: Everything we’ve said so far underlines this point: we can’t simply be golf clubs anymore; we need to look at the worldwide community and cater to them. This is not only to promote and develop the business, but also to design and offer better and more inclusive experiences.

In this sense, I believe we are privileged to have an ownership which understand, shares and supports the same vision.

WWG:Tell us about your own career and how you came to be in your current role?

AF: Like many others, I began working in the business after years of playing amateur golf, but I have always been attracted by the managerial and financial aspects of the industry. So, after many years in one of Italy’s finest facilities, I continued my study with the Club Manager Association of Europe and finished the curriculum that led to my being a Certified Club Manager before moving to the UAE. Since moving to Dubai in 2015, I’ve worked with Troon Golf in various roles at The Els Club and, as of August 2021, I’ve relocated to Abu Dhabi Golf Club to embark on this new and exciting journey. My next goal is to further my education, and in this sense I am about to begin a Real Estate and Asset Management degree, which I believe will help me grow professionally while also developing as a modern General Manager capable of assisting Clubs in managing various investments and assets, as I believe is the industry trend.

“The General Talk” with General Abdullah Al Hashmi – Emirates Golf Federation Vice Chairman

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t’s just over two months since I took up the position of Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation and I think busy is not a strong enough word, it’s been exciting to say the least!

We’ve been trying to get all of the elements aligned with the vision we have for the future and have gone through a comprehensive evaluation of what has been done in the past and how we can improve on that to get

‘WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO DRIVE UAE GOLF’

to the next level. I believe we have the correct strategy in place and everyone involved in the federation is working extremely hard to reach the goals we have set.

The main vision for the EGF is to produce great golfers who can compete worldwide. I think most people are aware that golf is not in the culture of the GCC region and we want to change that. If we can do that it will be a great help for the National Team. We all know that golf is a game where you can meet people, socialize, close business deals - so it’s really a way of life.

If we can encourage people to join us and play golf I think it will help them, not only from a sports perspective, but for their life in the future.

I think that any sport requires more than just going and playing it once. In the past there have been initiatives to bring the kids, give them golf clubs and let them hit a few shots or spend one hour on the course. Then they leave and they take that with them in the back of their head so maybe if someone asks them about golf they would say, ‘yes, I tried it once when I was a kid at school’. But they don’t commit to it.

What we are doing right now is trying to get schools to have golf as a part of the syllabus. We’ve gone to a number of schools where there are a lot of UAE Nationals and it’s proving to be a success. In the past two months we’ve recruited 150 players from all the emirates and I think that’s an amazing number for two months. We give some of their families, and especially the younger parents, golf lessons here and that makes a big difference. It becomes more family-oriented – we’re trying to build a golfing community going and I think we will succeed in

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HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR GENERAL ABDULLAH KHALIFA AL MARRI

that. When we are determined to do something, it will be done and I’m very focused on the family-oriented players in the UAE. The golf clubs across the UAE also have a key role to play in the fulfilment of our vision and I thank Al Hamra Golf Club and Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club for the initiatives they have put in place to encourage more junior and UAE Nationals to play golf. Al Hamra has launched a 50% discount on membership for UAE Nationals which is wonderful, Al Ain’s Junior Academy Pass allows youngsters full complementary access to the academy facilities and par 3 course. I look forward to seeing how other clubs follow suit. “I would really like to thank Al Ain and Al Hamra for the initiatives they have in place and I look forward to seeing how other clubs follow them,” he said at the GCC Championship.

It’s all about the future interest of the game – the more junior golfers we have today, the more adult golfers we have playing consistently tomorrow. Not everybody can be an elite player, but that doesn’t stop you from participating in the game. Once you start playing golf it’s very easy to become addicted and these juniors will more than likely become members of a golf club in the future. This is all about sustainability at golf clubs.

By offering these initiatives they are investing in their future members. If the other clubs follow the same path as Al Ain and Al Hamra it would be great for the local game in the UAE. Our Under 18 team recently finished first in the GCC Junior Golf Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. We spent one week together as a team working on course management and fine tuning our short games. Commitment like this are all good signs that we will have a golden team in the future. With

that said, we need to focus on providing our young players with more playing opportunities and training camps.

Ahmed Skaik has done fantastically well to rise to 29th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking but our goal in the next 4 years is to have a team full of top amateur ranked golfers. Ahmad is doing great, and is a fantastic leader for our juniors. We are excited to see a number of young talented Emirati golfers follow in his footsteps.

Thanks to Ahmed’s ranking, he will now have the ability to compete in some of the biggest amateur championships in the world.

We are trying to bring more golfers through from the juniors and I think we have a good pipeline right now for them. We’re working on gaining sponsorships with schools and universities in the UAE and in countries like the USA for elite golfers. Our aim is to get those juniors to be scratch players or +1 and +2 level players where they can really compete in the amateur world.

The UAE is now probably the most important destination for the DP World Tour and the sponsors of these major global events. We are lucky to have the opportunity to host these events which can be a major platform in supporting us to achieve our goals for the growth of the game in our country. I thank HSBC for their support with the successful Future Falcon Programme which has been going on since 2016. We need more support like this. We need the golf clubs, academies, and other key stakeholders to make an impact when it comes to National Development in the sport. A lot of the golf industry here in the UAE is commercially driven. We need to refocus that drive into National Grassroots Development.

With more investments into Emiratis and under the Federation’s supervision, UAE golf can produce the best products in the world. ■

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DAVID HOWELL COLUMN Scottie Scheffler wins the WGC Match Play Championship and gains enough points to be crowned World No.1. Since winning his first PGA TOUR event in February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he’s won three out of his last five starts!

A lot can happen in a short time!

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reckon if you had asked a handful of pundits in December which player would be at the summit of world golf the week before the Masters none would have pointed towards Scottie Scheffler. But that right there is the beauty of the game of golf, no one gets to pick, opinions do not matter only the scores on the card point towards the champion on any given week, and over time the cream rises to the top.

No one gets to the top without deserving to, and our new number one is the hottest player in the game right now, his match play victory sealing the deal in Austin Texas in fine style. It’s hard to compute that just a few months ago Scottie was still winless as he made his Ryder Cup debut, that seems an awful long time ago I’m sure, to this now prolific winner of golf tournaments.

Confidence is the key

Confidence is everything in golf and winning is the ultimate confidence booster, I’m sure his Ryder Cup heroics at Whistling Straits added a layer of belief to what was already an incredibly strong game and the result of that is a game that over the last couple of months has quite simply been breathtaking.

Clearly or might I say sadly I have no insight as to what it feels like to be the best player in the world so I can only imagine, but I would think it is a double edged sword, one of complete and utter confidence in knowing that if you just play your game you are better than anyone, but also tinged with a burden of responsibility, in feeling like you are having to continuously prove it. Of course, the reality is that the number one player has nothing to prove at all, quite simply it’s just your scores over a period of time that cement your place in the eco system of the game. You needn’t look like the number one, you needn’t

speak like the number one, you just have to put the scores on the board, and that is why golf is such a great game. If I may take the opportunity to say it, Scottie, well done sir, you are the world’s best player, good on you.

Blandy making waves

Another who’s scores have done the talking over the last two years is my old pal Richard Bland, once again making a splash on the biggest stage by making it through to the last 16 on his match play debut.

Much has been written about Blandy as I know him over the last few months, and I wouldn’t put anything past him right now. Every challenge that comes along since his British Masters victory he has taken in his stride and gotten stronger with every shot. Frustratingly his quest to make the field at the Masters has fallen just short, with one opportunity left this week to force his way into the first major of the year I wouldn’t put anything past him. Age really is just a number, Richard is proving that on a weekly basis, I don’t see anything but continued improvement for the oldest bigtime rookie in golf.

Ice Man crowned captain

Earlier this month It was an honour for me to sit on the panel that selected Henrik Stenson as captain for next year’s European Ryder cup team. Strangely when Henrik made his debut in the competition in 2006 it was in

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partnership with me on a blustery Friday afternoon at the K Club. I like to think that some of my golf that day has helped Henrik on his march to the very top of the game, he certainly got to play from some unusual spots on the course courtesy of my tee shots that day.

I hope I left Henrik with one piece of sensible advice that he can pass onto his team in Italy next year for the foursomes matches, it was that one should never say sorry to one’s team mate no matter where you have just put him. I said this to the ice man on the way to the first tee fearing I may have a few loose ones in my locker that day, which proved correct as it happens.

Still, we gained a half point, and Henrik’s Ryder cup journey had begun and what a journey it has been. Let’s hope he can finish it off with an inspiring victory for our boys in Rome, underdogs we may be but that’s just how we have always liked it, and it is from that standpoint that some of our greatest victories have come to bear. I simply say good luck and enjoy the greatest honour that golf at this time can give.

Lastly, I love the look of the changes at Augusta for this year, the eleventh hole specially looks like it has gone back to how it once was with room down the right once again, opening the angle to the green up. How great it is that the one Major to be played at the same venue each year has such an open mind to change, it gets the juices flowing just thinking about it, not long now till the Augusta colours fill our screens once more, I can’t wait. ■

PETE COWEN COLUMN

Why I’ve never played Augusta

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first went to Augusta National back in 1994 as a coach and I’ve been going every year since, but I’ve never wanted to play the course. Despite being invited to play on numerous occasions. Don’t get me wrong it is one of the greatest courses in the world and the way it is prepared for the Masters is outstanding. The fairways are like greens and the greens a blemish free like a snooker tablecloth.

Over the last 22 years there has been a fair amount of change due to the distance players started to hit it off the tee. Back in 1994 it was a relatively easy course but in 1997 when Tiger won by 12 he made it look too easy. He could hit driver and a sand iron into 18, so something needed to be done. The tee boxes have now been pushed back to make it more challenging but that has also played into the hands of the bigger hitters and alienates the old guard.

Old guard should move over

Ian Woosnam has decided he’s not playing this year and I think he’s got it right. If you do not stand a chance of winning you should not enter.

Which is why I think past winner’s entitlement should expire at 55 or 60. I know Langer would disagree, as he thinks that he can still win any tournament, and I admire him for that. But realistically he cannot compete with the likes of Rory, Rahm, Morikawa and Brooks. I believe those places should go to the younger talent that stand a chance of winning. This is one of the greatest Majors and yet the field is one of the smallest on Tour. Imagine if they had a qualifier for five extra spots into the event. You would give five in form players to the chance to shine and shake things up.

Despite the condition of the course, it’s not my favorite place. It is everything that is good

about golf and the not so! They are very selective about who they want to have playing and you can’t forget that the Masters started out as an invitational event, which is why the field is so limited and exclusive .But that isn’t what a Major should be about. In my opinion it should be a full field. Having said that the spectators or patrons get treated better than any other event. It really is a first-class experience for them. To witness just how hilly the courses is and how immaculately it is prepared still impresses me, let alone someone going for the first time. It is also very 1994 affordable once people are in. With a sandwich and beer costing less than ten pounds the fans are not exploited, unlike other events, though it’s said the average spectator spends $2,000 on merchandise during the week. I always come back with something for people but not two grands worth. So, I guess I bring the average spend down!

So back to the question of why I’ve never played the course. In 1994 I played all the short holes but since then you need to remember I’m at the tournament to work. I’ve kindly been offered to play by a number of members over the years but I wouldn’t think about making a special trip to play any golf course around the world. I fly all over the world to work with my players on some of the greatest courses but in my own personal time the last thing I want to be doing is flying anywhere to play golf. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I played 18

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holes, it was such a long time ago.

If I wasn’t able to play Augusta in my professional prime, I would certainly not want to play now. Thankfully I can appreciate the course, having watched my players take it on over the years.

Green Rolex from Hideki

I’ve had the fortune to work with some great players at Augusta over last 28 years, but it wasn’t until Danny won in 2016 had I got one of my players into a Green Jacket. Then last year we got another when Hideki won the 85th Masters by one from Zalatoris. This year at The Players Hideki gave me a green Rolex that was engraved with the words: “Thanks for all your help Pete, Hideki.”

It was a nice surprise. He always said he wanted to give me a gift for all the help I’ve provided over the years. I’ve been supporting Hideki on and off whenever he asked since the 2013 Open at Muirfield. Let’s just hope his neck is ok and he can defend this year. Ironically, he didn’t injure himself in the gym but apparently he slept awkwardly and now he’s having acupuncture to sort it out.

The Masters this year feels a little weird, whether it is lockdown after-effects and all the other things that are happening in the world right now, but the season doesn’t feel to have got started. The majority of big names haven’t come into Major form, but some have showed signs at the Match Play the other week.

Morikawa and Hovland have started well but Scottie Scheffler looks to be peaking just in time. But to win the Masters you also need to know the course and that comes from experience. ■

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JENNY HENNESSY

Tiger made the game more inclusive

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rowing up in Ireland five hours ahead of US East Coast time, many Sunday nights were spectacles of golf on TV by the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods. Watching Tiger play was electric. From his confident stride up the fairways, wearing his intimidating red attire for the Sunday charge, to the emotion he displayed, and above all, hitting golf shots that were simply out of this world.

Tiger had it all.

Last month Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour Headquarters in Florida. An emotional Woods accepted the award from his 14-year-old daughter, Sam. With Tiger Woods claiming 82 PGA Tour victories, and an astonishing total of 15 Major wins, he is without a doubt the greatest golfer of all time. Sam spoke about how proud she was of her father for constantly overcoming obstacles, she referred to him as a ‘fighter’.

Both Tiger and Sam took some time in their respective speeches to talk about the obstacles and challenges Tiger has had to overcome as a minority in the sport. Thanks to role models like Tiger Woods, defying the odds every time and breaking down barriers in the sport, golf has become a much more inclusive and diverse sport and continues to evolve every day.

I first saw Tiger play at the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club at home in Ireland. I

remember the day as if it was yesterday. As a young 13-year-old golfer with big dreams, this day out at The K Club was certainly one to remember. I attended the event with my Mum, Dad and older sister. The crowds were massive and the atmosphere electric. Getting my first glimpse of him in the flesh didn’t even seem real, it was a true ‘pinch me’ moment. The golfing hero who I had spent many Sunday nights cheering on behind a television screen was now there, right in front of my eyes. To me, he was a total rockstar and I was in complete awe of his presence!

Chasing Tiger

A few years later I got another glimpse of Tiger at the 2010 JP McManus Pro-Am held at Adare Manor. At this stage my younger brother, Jack, was probably the biggest Tiger Woods fan in Ireland, he couldn’t get close enough to Tiger and followed his every move around the course that day. I tried to keep up with him as he dashed along the fairways following his ‘hero’s’ every move, but I simply couldn’t keep up! Fast forward eight years, my most recent sighting of the star golfer was at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2018. Studying in the US at the time, I spent my spring break in Orlando with family. The morning was enjoyed with Mickey Mouse, lunchtime watching Tiger Woods and to end a perfect day, I spent the evening watching Rory McIlroy take the win at Bay Hill in true style,

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which ended his 18-month victory drought on Tour. Days like this I will simply never forget.

Tiger winning the 2019 Masters was a weekend to remember, his first Major win in 11 years. Winning another Masters in front of his children meant so much to him. Many Tiger fans all over the world are sitting on the edge of their seats to see if he will announce himself to play in the upcoming Masters later this month.

Playing in the PNC Championship with his 12-year-old son Charlie back in December was his first and only appearance since his car accident, we are all hoping he will make his great return soon.

Like all of us, Tiger has had some blips along the way, but his sheer grit and perseverance in all traces of life is hugely admirable. I know we haven’t seen the end of Tiger Woods, I can’t wait to see what his future holds, he is simply the greatest player of all time.

“One of the things my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations.

You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about.”- Tiger Woods

Swing easy!

Jenny, Founder of Chicks with Sticks

POSTURE BY

DIVAN EHMKE

PGA PROFESSIONAL, MY GOLF DUBAI.

I

n part two of our back to basics series we’re going to look at the importance of having the correct posture. It’s an extremely important fundamental as if you don’t start with the correct posture, every single part of your swing will be affected.

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INSTRUCTION

1

First stand up nice and straight with your feet together.

2

Next, move your feet to shoulder width apart.

3

From this position take the golf club and hold it in front of you as shown in this picture.

WRONG POSTURE

4

This stage is crucial. From this position, bend over from the hips until the golf club touches the ground.

5

Finally, unlock your knees and you should be in a good golf posture.

Book a lesson at My Golf Dubai, the UAE’s first luxury indoor golf and entertainment lounge, and we will assist with your every golfing need!

Visit mygolfdubai.com, call +971 43863535 or email: info@mygolfdubai.com

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ELITE GOLF

PROGRAM NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENT

T

he route from junior golf through to college student athlete is a road littered with constraints and obstacles. It can often be daunting to even know where to start, let alone build an effective profile to attract colleges and coaches.

Drawing from their years of experience helping students find their place in Universities such as Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and the University of Florida, The Claude Harmon III Performance Golf Academy has established the Elite Golf Program, in partnership with GEMS FirstPoint School.

The program aims to provide students with a first-class education and golf coaching program to holistically prepare them for collegiate and professional golf. The partnership provides a unique pathway for junior golfers, allowing them to gain qualifications both academically and vocationally without impacting on their training and coaching development.

Students enrolled into the Elite Golf Program receive a first-class British education from internationally renowned provider GEMS Education, alongside world-class golf coaching at the prestigious Claude Harmon III Performance Golf Academy.

Balancing academic demands and a fulltime golf practice and competition schedule can place extreme pressure on students and

can affect performance and progression if not managed properly. The Elite Golf Program aims to alleviate these constraints and build

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a bespoke academic and golf schedule that are holistically linked to facilitate a student’s progression.

ELITE GOLF PROGRAM

HOW CAN THE ACADEMIC CURRICULUM BE ALTERED TO FACILITATE GOLF PRACTICE? GEMS FirstPoint School are a United Arab Emirates KHDA Rahhal 10X initiative school; this gives the school flexibility with a student’s timetable in order to focus on the development of specialist areas, including golf.

Elite Programme students’ timetable is a bespoke curriculum with each student having an “Individual Education Golf Plan” (IEGP) allowing them to be released during school time and attend daylight training and practice at The Claude Harmon III Performance Academy, without missing core subjects and lessons.

FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM ✔

A bespoke curriculum that is tailored to support success

✔

Pastoral care and support to ensure students are managing their schedules and maintaining excellence in both their golf and education

✔

Personalised timetable for each student enrolled in the programme

✔

A school that understands the pressures and demands in golf for elite performers

✔

Regular communication between the school and home regarding performance in school

✔

College application planning and support

✔

First class golf coaching from Claude Harmon III Performance Golf Academy

✔

Fitness, strength and conditioning training in state-of-the-art facilities

✔

Mid-week golf membership

✔

Transport between the school and golf facility provided by STS Transport

For years we have looked for an academic partner willing to facilitate our students’ growth outside of just the academic world and in GEMS FPS we have exactly that. The balancing act between managing progression within the world of elite sport and achieving the essential academic levels to get into top level colleges is one that is extremely important to get right and we are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our students.”

Jamie McConnell, CH3 Director of Instruction

All Elite Golf Program students also receive continuous support and CV building during the college preparation and application process.

ForeCollegeGolf (FCG) is a company that has supported a number of CH3 students in being recruited on University and college golf scholarships in the United States. All Elite Golf Programme students receive an initial 1-on-1 consultation with FCG with the aim of working together closely to build links with colleges, providing their golf profile and CV and also a personalised recruiting timeline. This relationship is unique to the region and provides direct links to college coaches and universities

whilst adhering to the strict contact and recruitment legislation of the NCAA. “We have been delighted with the success of the Elite Golf Program,” said CH3 Director of Instruction Jamie McConnell.

“For years we have looked for an academic partner willing to facilitate our students’ growth outside of just the academic world and in GEMS FPS we have exactly that.

The balancing act between managing progression within the world of elite sport and achieving the essential academic levels to get into top level colleges is one that is extremely important to get right and we are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our students.”

To learn more about the Elite Golf Program or to see if you would qualify for a scholarship on the program please visit the below link for more information; www.ch3performancegolf.com/elite-golf-program or contact; mike@ch3performancegolf.com

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GEAR NEW TOUR TECHNOLOGY IN DUBAI

eGolf Megastore is devoted to providing an unparalleled level of club fitting and building with the recent expansion of its largest store in the United Arab Emirates.

This month the company has officially opened the expansion of its state-of-the-art club fitting and building area in its Al Quoz store with an upscale and modern fit-out.

The expansion incorporates a new putting lab and two new club fitting bays, both of which are powered

by Trackman 4. This increases the total number of club-fitting bays to four, to keep pace with the growing demand at its busiest store.

Now doubled in size, the expanded fitting area is now home to the first and only SST PURE machine in the region.

 

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GEAR

About SST PURE

Over $2 billion has been made on the PGA Tour by players who have SST PUREd their shafts for consistency, accuracy and distance. The man responsible for making this technology available is Dick Weiss, a Florida businessman and clubmaker. The top expert club fitters on the PGA Tour and around the world use SST PURE® Shaft Alignment to analyse and align their custom clubs and more and more are becoming licensed. On every major professional tour, the best golfers in the world rely on the ground-breaking SST PURE Shaft Alignment to make sure their golf clubs perform consistently.

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WHAT IS SST PURE?

SST PURE shaft analysis is the highly sophisticated, USGA approved, patented process through which a golf shaft can be analysed and its most stable or ‘PURE’ position identified and marked, before it is installed into the clubhead. By assembling the club with the shaft in the PUREd position, off-line twisting and bending during the golf swing and at impact are greatly minimised.

Since the USGA’s approval in 1999, the SST PURE alignment process has been used on every major professional tour by some of the best golfers in the world as they rely on the ground-breaking technology to make sure their golf clubs perform consistently. A SST PUREing machine is present at every tour event and the process is used by more than 75% of players on the PGA Tour, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickleson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and more.

“For several years, we’d been acutely aware of the need to secure an SST PURE machine for the Middle East in order to provide golfers in the region with access to the benefits of this remarkable technology,” commented Dean Cheesley, Founding CEO of eGolf Megastore.

“Generally speaking, the Middle East can lay claim to having access to the very best of everything golf-related but experiencing this rare piece of tour-level technology has eluded our local clubmakers and Middle East golfers until now. This was largely down to the strict vetting process of SST, who have a thorough selection process where fitters and clubmakers have to showcase their continuous commitment and dedication towards the art of clubmaking.”

“It has taken our team years of hard work to hone

their craft and with this announcement, we’re proud to become one of only 10 club fitting organisations outside of the United States to have a SST PURE machine to service their region.

“As a company, we are constantly striving to make our customer’s golf game better which is why we continue to bring new technologies like SST PURE to the region. Our SST PURE machine investment is the most significant investment we have made in our club fitting technology to date, and its arrival ties in with the opening of our newly expanded Al Quoz fitting area. Together with newly incorporated putter fitting technology, the new expansion area offers our customers the closest possible tour-level fitting experience in the region.”

“Our business has grown to 95 employees and the company achieved growth years in 2020 and 2021 following the pandemic. Today’s expansion of our original and first store is very personal to me, it’s where eGolf started, and along with the expansion we doubled our warehousing capacity and added new offices adjacent to the store to keep pace with the growth. I’m tremendously proud of the entire team for what they have achieved in such a short history and their alignment with our vision for the future”, stated Cheesley.

SST PROCESS AND BENEFITS

● The process of PUREing takes three to four minutes per shaft and generates a customer printout for each PUREd shaft showing its structural and performance analysis both before and after PUREing. ● Independent robot testing has shown that SST PUREing makes a significant impact on all clubs in the bag, with PUREd iron shafts finishing up to 17 feet closer to the centre line and 2.5 yards further on average than shafts installed in a sub-optimum position. The same and other testing has shown that driver shots flew an average of 5 yards further and finished 13 yards closer to the centre line with PUREd driver shafts.

“Anyone who plays golf can benefit from the SST

process, not just the elite and tour players who use SST PUREing on their own clubs each year. As each shaft passes through the PUREing machine, the before and after shaft alignment data provides our clubmakers with the opportunity to build the most

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stable clubs possible for our customers. When that happens, our customers stand to benefit from a longer, straighter ball flight and more consistent performance throughout the bag. It is a marvellous piece of technology and we’re excited to launch it at eGolf,” explained Cheesley.

SST PURE PRICING

eGolf Megastore will offer SST PUREing on new shafts, as well as retro PUREing on already built clubs or sets.

PUREing will start at AED 150 per club for new shafts and AED 220 per club for retro PUREing, where the club or set will need to be disassembled so the shafts can be PUREd and then re-assembled back into the clubhead.

SST PUREing is offered at all eGolf Megastore’s on-course and off-course locations throughout the Middle East.

Manufacturer restrictions apply on Titleist and Ping.

For more information, visit www.egolfmegastore.ae.

Twitter: @eGolfMegastore Instagram: @egolfmegastore

MASTERS TOURNAMENT

Who will be wearing the Green Jacket?

BY WYNAND DU BRUYN,

MANAGER & CUSTOM FITTING SPECIALIST AT GOLF SUPERSTORE

A

s one of the most iconic events in golf and beyond, attention within the golfing fraternity is starting to turn towards the Masters Tournament this month – taking place at August National Golf Club from April 7-10. The opening Grand Slam of the year, the Masters has been held in Georgia since 1934, with the list of winners deemed by many to be the definitive Who’s Who of professional golf. We’re going to look at some of the favourites to slip into the Green Jacket and what clubs they will be using in what promises to be a brilliant week of golf.

JON RAHM After a blockbuster 2021, the Spaniard will be looking to recapture his status as the world’s best player. Four top ten finishes in all of the Majors last year signal his appetite for the big occasion. He remains the man to beat.

WHATS IN THE BAG DRIVER

Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS (10.5˚ at 11.2˚; Aldila Tour Green 75 TX shaft)

FAIRWAY WOODS

Callaway Rogue ST LS Triple Diamond Proto (15 degrees at 14.2º; Aldila Tour Green 75 TX shaft) Callaway Epic Speed Sub Zero Triple Diamond T (18.1˚; Aldila Tour Green 75 TX shaft)

IRONS

Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW, Project X 6.5 shaft)

WEDGES

Callaway Jaws MD5 (60-08W, Project X 6.5 shaft) Callaway Jaws Forged (52-10, 56-12 at 55.25˚, Project X 6.5 shaft)

PUTTER

Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S (2.5˚, steel stepped shaft)

CAMERON SMITH

Smith is making it harder to be overlooked after his superb Players Championship triumph.

The idea of a player with a mullet being crowned Masters champion might seem crazy to American fans, but there’s definitely one corner of the golf world that believes it can happen: Australia. Smith opts for Titleist clubs in the bag, playing with a Titleist driver, 3-wood and 7-wood as well as the new Titleist Vokey Design SM9 wedges and T100 irons

WHATS IN THE BAG DRIVER

Titleist TSi3 (10˚ A1 SureFit, Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X)

FAIRWAY WOODS

Titleist TSi2 (15˚ at 16˚ D4 SureFit, Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X) Titleist TS2 (18º at 19 D4 SureFit, UST Elements Red 8F5 X shaft)

IRONS

Titleist T100 Black (5-9, KBS Tour 130 X Custom Matte Black shaft)

WEDGES

Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 52-08F, 56-08M, 60-10S, KBS Tour 130 X)

PUTTER

Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype putter

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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

VIKTOR HOVLAND

Victory at the Dubai Desert Classic means Viktor Hovland now has six worldwide career wins in just two-and-a-half years as a pro. The Norwegian beat veteran Richard Bland in a play-off to win his first Rolex Series event and second DP World Tour title to move up to third in the World Ranking. He will be a force to be reckoned with at Augusta National.

JUSTIN THOMAS

Thomas has improved each year at the Masters since debuting in 2016, including a fourth-place finish at Augusta National.

With four top-10 finishes in six starts this year, he moved up to seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking. With Major Championship season right around the corner, he hopes getting back into the winner’s circle will be worth the wait.

WHATS IN THE BAG DRIVER

Titleist TSi3 with 10 degrees of loft fitted with a Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS

Titleist TS3 (15º, A1 SureFit setting, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue 85 TX shaft) Titleist 915Fd (18º at 19.5º B3 SureFit3, Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 Tour Spec X shaft)

DRIVER

IRONS

Titleist T100 (4-iron), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft)

Ping G425 LST (9˚ at 8.4º; Fujikura Speeder 661 TX shaft, 45.5”, tipped 1/2 an inch)

FAIRWAY WOODS HYBRID

Ping G425 (21º; Fujikura Ventus Blue 9 X)

IRONS

Ping i59 (4-PW, KBS Tour V 120 X shaft)

WEDGES

Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F at 47.5º; 52-12F at 52.5º, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft) Titleist Vokey SM8 (56-14F at 57º, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft) Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-T at 60.5º, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft)

TaylorMade SIM (15˚, Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X)

WEDGES

Ping Glide Forged Pro (50˚-SS, 56˚-SS, KBS Tour-V 130 X shafts) Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedgeworks (60˚, KBS Tour-V 130 X shaft)

PUTTER

Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 Tour Prototype

WHATS IN THE BAG

PUTTER

Ping PLD DS 72 (patina finish, 36Ð, 20º lie, 2.5º loft, stepped shaft)

Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges The Wedge to use at this year’s Master Tournament

Sometimes the toughest changes are the subtlest ones, like in the SM9, where Titleist engineers added weight to the back toe to raise the club’s overall CG. In moving the CG further in front of the clubface, the SM9 produces shots with lower trajectory and greater spin, giving players more control. Titleist also overhauled its groove cutting process, tightening the spin tolerance to ensure sharper grooves and higher overall spin rates.

Vokey grinds help you manipulate bounce more precisely: the high bounce wedge grinds like the D and K grinds offer more forgiveness on your wedge shots, while the low bounce L grind helps you create shots around the green. Wedge bounce and grind improves your consistency and control over your wedge shots.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR WORLDWIDE GOLF READERS! GOLF SUPERSTORE ARE OFFERING 20% OFF ALL PRODUCTS* IN STORE SIMPLY BY QUOTING ‘WORLDWIDE GOLF’ AT THE POINT OF SALE. *Excludes newly launched products from TaylorMade/Callaway/Ping/Titleist

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To take advantage of our full custom fitting service using Trackman technology, please contact me on wynand@golfsuperstore.ae

GEAR TEST

PING i525

HAVE PING FOUND THE MODERN DAY EYE2 FORMULA FOR THE WEALTHY GOLFER?

By Alex Gallemore I first learned to play the game with a cut down half set of blades passed down by a family friend and it was a struggle at the best of times. Then I managed to buy a second-hand set of Ping Eye2 and my handicap tumbled. PING had a formula of making irons that were forgiving and suited a wide range of abilities. The Eye2 was the weapon of choice for the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in their early years and could be found in the bag of many amateurs around the world up to the end of the 1990s.

Today PING has maintained that winning formula and their latest i525 iron is arguably as close to the Eye2 in terms of wide-ranging handicap appeal. At first glance it resembles a slightly larger version of their i59 iron but when you compare the lofts they are poles apart. So it made sense to test the i525 along side the i59 to showcase the performance differences.

7 iron loft: i525 – 30.5o i59 – 34o

9 iron loft: i525 – 40 o i59 – 42o

PING I525 Tech

FORGED, MARAGING STEEL FACE The strength of the variable-thickness, maraging steel allows for a thinner, more dynamic face structure with an internal sole undercut in the 17-4 stainless steel body to increase flexing to launch shots faster and higher with predictability.

EXTREME WEIGHTING Tungsten toe and shaft tip weights combine with a tiered, dynamic face structure to expand the perimeter weighting while preserving ball speed through greater face deflection for added distance and improved accuracy.

SOUND, FEEL A polymer is precisely injected onto the inside of the face to improve feel and sound without interfering with face deflection, the source of its increased ball speed MICROMAX GROOVES A precision-milled groove pattern allows for tighter spacing and a

geometry that results in an average of four extra grooves to reduce fliers in the short irons and preserve spin in the long irons for greater control and consistency.

PREFERRED STYLING The players-style blade length and offset with a modest topline create a clean, compact profile favoured by discerning players. The hydropearl 2.0 finish repels water to ensure predictable, consistent performance from wet and dry conditions.

The Test

The i59 nine iron had a peak height of 111 feet and carried 137 yards.

The i525 nine iron peak height was 108 feet and carried 144 yards.

The spin rates were 400 rpm higher with i59. The flight with the i525 was strong and you could tell instantly that this club was all about holding greens through drop and stop instead of spin. The low centre of gravity and strong loft combination is common practice with distance irons but to enable a 40 degree nine iron to still peak at 108 feet is impressive.

THE VERDICT Do not expect to hold greens with a knock down shot. If you remember the i525 is all about drop and stop you can’t go wrong. Over the ball these are confidence inspiring but the minimal offset might not suit players looking to combat a slice. The only thing that lets these clubs down is the feel. The polymer injection is designed to enhance the sound but the feel resembled a hybrid and not a forged iron. Finally we come to the price. Ping are now at the top end of the premium brands when it comes to price and the i525 is nearly double the price of other branded irons. The days of having mass market appeal seem to be gone but are Ping setting their stall out to become a boutique brand like PXG? Having a set of i525 irons and matching Ping Glide 4.0 wedges is serious bling.

Pros: Looks,performance and durability.

Cons: Price! Sound and feel needs enhancing.

i525 PRICE PER IRON: AED 1,050

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GEAR TEST

ODYSSEY TOULON DESIGN PUTTERS

A PUTTER THAT CAN HANDLE YOUR POOR STRIKES?

By Alex Gallemore

Odyssey have been a major force in the putting game ever since they introduced their White Hot putter back in 2000. Odyssey launched their Toulon range in 2020 to target the high-end putter market and this year they have revised the line up.. But what is so special about the Toulon and is it worth the extra dollar over the standard White Hot range?

The Tech

Deep Diamond Groove Mill pattern Deep full-face grooves are designed to control sound and feel by channelling vibration. The face also features a medium depth double fly cut to enhance forward roll and feel.

Midnight Black Finish Toulon Design is widely recognised for its premium look and construction.

THE VERDICT

Stroke Lab Weighting Innovative multi-material shaft saves 40 grams of weight, which is redistributed to the head and grip end of the putter. Stroke Lab completely rebalances the putter for improved tempo and consistency in the stroke.

Adjustable Weighting System Every Toulon Design putter comes with a new two split-weight design that moves the weights forward, and toward the toe and heel.

The Test

forgiving putter is all about looking after your distance control across the face.

Every Toulon putter comes with a new two split-weight design that moves the weights forward, and toward the toe and heel. The positioning improves the inertia of the head, while also improving the consistency of impact ratio and forward roll. This paired with their deep diamond groove face are designed to give better feel and distance control from heel and toe strikes. We tried the Le Mans mallet design and on average a putt struck from nearer the heel still came up short compared to a centre strike that found the hole, but there was not much drop in speed from a strike closer to the toe.

Just like our irons, we strike the ball in a variety of places across the face. So it was interesting to see how the new 2022 Toulon lineup performed in regards to consistency from heel to toe strikes. No putter can adapt greatly for miss-alignment or a poor stroke, but a

Even the heel strikes felt solid but we just loved the aesthetics of the Toulon range. The dark finish and white centre line are ideal for the Middle East sun glare, but at close to $500 each it’s worth trying other premium putters. Like an expensive jacket, make sure you get fitted as you are paying for the looks and quality.

But it is worth noting the Toulon putters are double the price of the standard White Hot model which are still used by many Tour professionals including the World No.2, Jon Rahm.

Pros: Looks, quality and distance control Cons Price and nearly all the Callaway staff players use the lower priced White Hot model .

ODYSSEY TOULON DESIGN PUTTER: AED 2,350

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GEAR TEST

TAYLORMADE STEALTH

THE TEST

THE IRONS THAT HAVE HYBRIDS RUNNING TO THE GYM!

By Alex Gallemore

There is nothing Stealth about TaylorMade’s latest performance iron. From the moment you put the club behind the ball it just shouts distance and forgiveness.

Though unlike the questionable build quality of the Stealth fairway metal we tested last month, the Stealth iron is well engineered and put together. It is also a huge hit when it comes to looks, as the robust performance irons muscle back design shares similar lines to TaylorMade’s popular P770 irons.

P770

THE TECHNOLOGY

STEALTH CAP BACK DESIGN WITH TOE WRAP CONSTRUCTION Cap Back Design with toe wrap construction is an advanced engineering feat that shifts mass from the extreme high toe of the head and repositions it in the sole to create an extremely low CG. It expands the distance, forgiveness and feel benefits, delivering an iron that is easy to launch with a hot trajectory throughout the set.

FAST FORGIVING FACE WITH PROGRESSIVE INVERTED CONE TECHNOLOGY The 450 stainless steel face has a sweet spot that spans the most common impact points, generating faster ball speeds and consistency.

ECHO DAMPING SYSTEM Located behind the face, the ECHO Damping System uses a soft polymer blend and multiple contact points across the face to channel away harsh vibrations and create a forged-like feel at impact.

THRU-SLOT SPEED POCKET Patented TaylorMade technology engineered to maximise face flexibility for increased ball speed and forgiveness for miss-hits low on the face.

The more you analyse the technology in this head the more you understand how it is going to perform. It’s a heavyweight in both physical size and distance but I was intrigued to see how a 28 degree seven iron can be marketed as having a high launch. When you consider their Tiger Woods Tour iron has a seven-iron loft of 35 degrees and the matching five-iron’s loft is 27 degrees, you can start to appreciate that Stealth is going to go deep.

On warm up swings we were getting strong ball speeds but the height was similar to my current five iron of just over 80 feet. Though once warmed up, the average carry distance was just over 175 yards with a total shy of 190, but the height had climbed to an astonishing 100 feet due to the ridiculous ball speed of 124mph and increased spin.

The dispersion was tight in regard to direction but distance and height control was the main issue as there was that hot one where we saw a spike in distance. A couple of shots were nine yards longer in carry distance with a similar launch and ball speed to other shots. This wasn’t due to the club path changing or increased swing speed, just where the ball was struck slightly differently on the face.

THE VERDICT

The Stealth iron certainly massages your ego, as I’ve never hit a seven iron that far or high. To consistently carry 175 yards with little effort is impressive but the better player might struggle with gapping and dialling in consistent numbers. Over the ball this has to be one of the most confidence boosting irons but it has some serious bulk. TaylorMade has disguised the size well with a clever muscle back look but these are more like hybrid irons.

Pros: Effortless distance, forgiveness and price Cons: It’s huge and plays more like a hybrid. Hot strikes!

STEALTH IRON 4-PW RRP PRICE: AED 4,695 (Steel) AED 5,295 (Graphite)

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COBRA KING FORGED TEC

COPPER HEAD BRINGS FEEL TO THE DISTANCE IRON RANGE

By Alex Gallemore

Many irons these days are marketed through distance and forgiveness, to the point many are starting to resemble hybrids and not a conventional iron. Huge sweet spot, tungsten weighting and ultra-thin faces with a sizeable offset appears to be the ingredients to making this powerful modern distance iron. Which is why I was drawn to the Cobra King Forged Tec Copper irons. They follow the same formula as all the other distance irons but Cobra have aimed it at the slightly better golfer that requires feel and workability in a mid sized head.

THE TECHNOLOGY

A classic, muscle back shape conceals an unassuming hollow core that delivers a low centre of gravity and controlled distance for maximum playability.

The hollow cavity is infused with foam microspheres that fine-tune acoustics and create a softer feel.

Cobra King Forged Tec Copper irons have a forged face that wraps around the sole of the club also know as PWRSHELL. This creates a huge sweet spot as well as high launch and loads of forgiveness.

When this tech is paired with the other elements of the design, it offers high launch and long distance in a compact yet forgiving head.

THE TEST

Our issue with distance irons in the past is consistency and this is where the Cobra King Forged Tec Copper scores the highest. Out of 15 shots the worst carried 168 and the best was 173 yards with a total average yardage of 182. Not the longest distance iron I’ve tested but

by far the most consistent.

The fact the seven iron is just 29.5 degrees and still launched, on average, 93 feet, shows the tech is working. With a steady swing the ball speed was around 116 mph and we managed to peak it at 123mph but the control wasn’t there. The lower swing speed still achieved a height of 86 feet, so you can still play a softer shot into a green knowing it will drop and stop.

The minimal offset also allows you to work the ball slightly, but the huge benefit of the copper head is not just the looks but the feel. It’s not comparable to a true forged muscle back blade but as a distance iron goes the feel is one of the best on the market.

THE VERDICT The Cobra King Forged Tec Copper will appeal more to the low to mid handicapper that wants a little more distance while still maintaining a high launch. The clean design doesn’t shout distance iron but lack of toe height was slightly off putting, as it made the club appear to be sitting too flat.

The huge down side is the price and you start to bring in similar clubs from the leading brands. Cobra has recently won me over with their performance over price ratio, but this iron bucks the tread. If I was to opt for this model I would try Cobra’s King Tour MIM Copper head before committing to buy. It’s even more money but worth considering.

It’s great to see copper heads being reborn, as it reminds me of the legendary Ping Eye2 Beryllium Copper irons and that’s a great role model.

Pros: Looks, feel and distance control Cons: Expensive and that low toe takes some getting use to. Price looses Cobra’s value for money appeal.

COBRA KING FORGED TEC 4-PW PRICE: AED 5,395 (Steel)

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ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB

Breytenbach breezes to title Lizette Breytenbach was crowned Ladies Club champion after conquering the fast greens and difficult pin positions to post a total of 166 at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club. In the Men’s Division, Victor Peña Cortes carded rounds of 75 and 70, which included a hole-in-one on the 13th in the second round, to take home the title. Craig Bruce won the Men’s Net Division on a countback over Wael Shami Mohamad Rahman while Inka Stever secured the Ladies Net Division.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

AL AIN EQUESTRIAN, SHOOTING & GOLF CLUB

Complimentary access to par 3 course for juniors

Bishop continues hot streak in Abu Dhabi Toby Bishop continued his scintillating form of late after securing another Men’s Open title at Abu Dhabi Golf Club with an impressive final round 67 over the National Course.

The Welshman started the final round four shots adrift of leader Jake Wiltshire but soon rose to the summit of the leaderboard with four birdies before making the turn. The youngster continued his purple patch over the back nine, adding three more birdies to finish with a 67, the best 18-hole score of the week, which secured a

three-stroke victory over James Nash.

The win, which extends Bishop’s lead at the top of the EGF Order of Merit, comes off the back of three consecutive Men’s Open victories last month at Tower Links Golf Club, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai and Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.

The youngster would go on to win a fifth Men’s Open title from six events the following week at Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

Zach strikes Gould over the Faldo Zach Gould got his hands on the latest Peter Cowen Academy Junior Tour event after posting a gross score of 36, which included one birdie, one bogey and seven pars, over the Falco Course at Emirates Golf Club. In the Net Division, Siddhan Chibber was victorious with a net 41 with an eagle on the sixth the highlight of his round..

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Junior golfers in the UAE can enjoy a selection of facilities, including full access to the academy and the par 3 course, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club free of charge with the club’s Junior Academy Pass, which aims to help introduce the younger generation to the game.

The Junior Academy Pass, which is available to kids aged 17 and under, is the perfect way for youngsters to take their first steps into the game while gaining some fantastic experience and having fun. As well as complimentary access to the par 3 course, which is floodlit, youngsters can also take advantage of the floodlit double-sided driving range (up to 80 grass hitting bays) with range balls, short game areas, practice putting greens and members discount on pro shop purchases.

All of those facilities will be free to use from Monday to Friday for children with the pass. During weekends and public holidays, a reduced fee of just 40AED is required for access.

“We introduced this as an option for any junior to take advantage of, as we wanted them to feel they were members of the club even though they had maybe not yet achieved an official handicap, or felt ready for regular golf on the championship course,” said Gavin Chappell, Director of Instruction.

ARABIAN GOLF EMIRATES GOLF FEDERATION

UAE Junior Team secure the GCC Junior Golf Championship The UAE Junior Team secured the GCC Junior Golf Championship after Abdalla Al Suwaidi, Rashid Al Jassmy and Mohammad Skaik posted a team total of +42 for a 15 stroke triumph over Oman at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Bahrain took home third while Qatar finished in fourth in the 54-hole competition over the National Course. In the Individual competition, Kuwait’s Salem Alabkal finished on top of the leaderboard on +14, while Ali Babatein finished six shots back to take home second for Saudi Arabia.

In the main event, Team Qatar got their hands on the GCC Golf Championship trophy after Jaham Al Kuwari, Ali Al Shaharani, Saleh Al Kaabi led the team to glory on the final day of the 72-hole tournament.

Team Saudi Arabia finished second, Bahrain third, hosts UAE in fourth, Oman in fifth and Kuwait sixth in the six-nation regional team event.

It was double joy for Al Kaabi, who also claimed the Men’s Individual title with rounds of 71, 66, 75 and 79 sealing a four-stroke triumph over Saudi’s Faisal Sahleb. Emirati Ahmad Skaik, who is ranked 29th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished four shots further in back in third.

Al Kaabi and Alabkal were awarded Honorary Membership of Abu Dhabi Golf Club in recognition of their achievements.

U.S. Kids Golf a success U.S. Kids Golf United Arab Emirates, with the support of the Emirates Golf Federation, have just completed a successful second season with eight tournaments across the Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras al Khaimah. The organisation had an increase of 91 juniors participating in the first Local Tour in 2021 to 143 juniors participating in the second Local Tour in 2022, with 72 of the juniors obtaining Priority Status, which can earn them invitations to events above Local Tours up to and including the World Championship.

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB

Vance and Smith on cloud nine after Club Championship triumph

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

Craig Vance was on fine form as he carded rounds of 66 and 69 to sign for a seven under par total to be crowned Men’s Club Champion.

In the Ladies Division, Kate Smith successfully defended her title with rounds of 73 and 79 while Jack White and Julie Goodall secured the Men’s and Ladies Net Divisions respectively.

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB

Experirnce shines through at monthly medal

Experience shined through at the Monthly Stableford as SGSC member Shaheen Butt produced a brilliant round of golf to top the leaderboard with an excellent score of 37 points which included five net birdies.

Diman Ravi also carded 37 points to top Division A while Sultan Qazi carded 36 points to home the Division B title.

Delight for Choudry on Fire course

Craig blows the field away

Jameel Choudry didn’t drop a single shot on the way to winning the Peter Cowen Academy Dubai Junior Medal as the youngster carded one net eagle and two net birdies on the front nine of the Fire Course. Ivo Yanez Matesans had to settle for runner-up after narrowly missing out on a card play-off for top spot, while Seth Hopkinson secured the Gross Division on level par.

Tim Craig was the star of the day at the recently held Red Tee Four Club Challenge after securing an unbelievable score of a net 58, which included a staggering 13 net birdies and a net eagle.

There were several other good scores on the day including runner up Marghoob Khan posting 61 and Sam Gilbert in third on 67.

Worldwide GOLF 63

I N

T H E

B A G

W I T H

AKRAM SKAIK DI REC TOR GENER AL , EMI RAT ES G OLF FED ERAT I ON

Favourite club in the bag and why?

My 17-year-old putter. It’s 50% of the game and I love it!

Favourite player?

Ian Poulter. I like his fighting soul and he’s helped my son Ahmad a lot, especially with his putting.

He is a master at putting.

Fantasy fourball?

Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter and my son Ahmad.

Driver: TaylorMade M5 Woods: TaylorMade M6 Hybrid: Nike Vapor Speed Irons: TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB Irons Wedges: Titleist SM7 52° Callaway MD3 Milled 56° TaylorMade Hi-toe 60°C

Best Course in the UAE? Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport

Favourite par 3 hole in the UAE? 6th at Montgomerie. It’s tough and challenging!

Item you never leave behind on your travels?

My golf bag!

Bryson or Books?

Brooks. Bryson is too interested in his muscles!

Worldwide GOLF 64

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