WORLDWIDE GOLF NOVEMBER DIGITAL 2026 by Worldwide Golf

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 NOVEMBER

2026

W O H S E TIM

Yas Links Demands Pinpoint Precision • Dubai Sets Stage For Showdown • A Fresh Chapter For Emirates • Proudly Flying The UAE Flag • Golf’s Hidden Giant Turns Twenty • The Art Of Golf Retail • Golf, Pilates And New Beginnings • Feet Together For Perfect Balance • Rushika: Ahead Of His Years • Rory Returns, Dubai Bounces Back • Big Brands Losing Their Grip • Caddies Who Dropped The Bag • Why Pathways Matter In Golf • Worldwide Golf is the Official Media partner to the DP World Tour in the Middle East, The MENA Golf Tour and the official magazine of the Emirates Golf Federation

SALE CONTINUES TILL INVENTORY LASTS

VO ICE OF THE TOUR

WHY OUR FUTURE IS MORE GLOBAL THAN EVER Photography: Getty Images

Ben Cowan,

Chief Tournament & Operations Officer, DP World Tour

India: Where Global Golf Came to Life At this point in the year, the DP World Tour takes centre stage in world golf. Historic tournaments, outstanding fields, high stakes and tremendous support from fans in both established and emerging markets make our ‘Back 9’ a showcase for what it means to be golf’s global Tour. The recent DP World India Championship is a compelling example. In only its second edition, the championship attracted an outstanding field featuring three reigning Major Champions and multiple Ryder Cup stars. For those players, travelling to India offers far more than another tournament week. It is a chance to experience a different culture, compete in front of a new audience and face a course unlike almost any other on the international calendar. Delhi Golf Club has history in every corner. Established in the 1930s, its Lodhi Championship Course staged the inaugural Indian Open in 1964 and later hosted the first DP World Tour event in India in 2008. But history alone does not explain its appeal. At 6,912 yards, it tests the modern professional through precision and strategy rather than length. Last year, 58 of the 138 players chose not to use a driver during the tournament. Rory McIlroy went further this year, removing both his driver and three wood in favour of two and three irons. That matters. A truly global Tour should test different skills in different environments, rather than reproducing the same style of golf every week. Being global is also about making our tournaments relevant to the places that host them. In India, we launched a new ‘Locker Room’ content series, hosted by broadcaster Anna Jackson alongside Sir Nick Faldo and cricketing legend Kevin Pietersen. The twice-daily programme brought star golfers together with leading figures from other sports, offering fans a more informal window into the personalities and stories around the tournament. Cricketing legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brett Lee, Chris Gayle

and Yuvraj Singh all took part, alongside Brazilian football great Ronaldo. This was not innovation for its own sake. In a country where cricket has such enormous cultural reach, it provides a natural bridge through which new audiences can discover golf. It was certainly popular. A total of 50 short clips were posted, gathering 7.4million views on social media. India has a young population, an expanding economy and growing appetite for premium international sport. Golf still has considerable potential to unlock, and our role is to help create the conditions in which that can happen. But lasting growth cannot be built on star power alone. The championship is co-sanctioned with the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India, giving home players the opportunity to compete alongside some of the world’s best and, crucially, creating a pathway beyond a single tournament week. By topping the domestic Order of Merit, Saptak Talwar earned a DP World Tour card for 2027, turning opportunity into genuine career progression. The tournament’s $4 million prize fund, the largest offered at a DP World Tourevent in India, further demonstrates the scale of our ambition and the recent extension of DP World’s commitment as Title Partner until 2035 provides the continuity needed to further build the championship’s audience, identity and impact over time. The golf itself provided a fitting conclusion. Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra secured his third DP World Tour title of an outstanding season, winning by two shots and moving to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings. Now attention turns to the season-ending Play-Offs in the UAE, with the contest finely poised. But India demonstrated something bigger than the outcome of one tournament. It showed what a genuinely global model can achieve when world-class players, distinctive venues, local sporting culture, pathways for home talent and long-term partnerships come together. That is what being golf’s global Tour is really about.

CONFIRMED

05 – 08 NOVEMBER 2026 ABU DHABI ALDAR CHAMPIONSHIP Ⅰ YAS LINKS, ABU DHABI

TICKETS ON SALE

DISTANCE

YOURSELF

Contents N O V E M B E R

DUBAI SETS STAGE FOR SHOWDOWN

Major champions, rising stars and proven winners converge as the Race to Dubai reaches its DP World Tour Championship finale.

13 WHY PATHWAYS MATTER IN GOLF Pete Cowen backs Chacarra in Dubai, warns LIV returners about full fields and celebrates his grandson’s MENA Golf Tour card.

14 YAS LINKS DEMANDS PINPOINT PRECISION

Seventy players battle for fifty Dubai places as Yas Links hosts a pivotal shootout where precision could prove the difference.

22 RORY RETURNS, DUBAI BOUNCES BACK Tournament Directo, Simon Corkill on McIlroy’s return, LIV’s exiles and why the 2027 Hero Dubai Desert Classic could be historic.

26 PREPARING EARTH FOR THE FINALE Course Superintendent Craig Haldane takes us inside the 3am starts and months of planning behind the Earth Course DP World Tour Championship set-up.

30 CADDIES WHO DROPPED THE BAG From Tosti’s umbrella row to Allenby’s flying bag and Seve’s soft apple, we revisit tour golf’s most memorable caddie walk-offs.

38 THE ART OF GOLF RETAIL ProSports International brings refined design, leading brands and expert service to the newly reimagined Emirates and Dubai Creek pro shops.

ISSUE No.308 NOVEMBER 2026 • Published in Dubai by: ProGraphix • PO Box 24677 • Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Publisher: Alex Gallemore • Production/Design: Contactless Media Ltd • Editorial Panel: Alex Gallemore, Pete Cowen, Richard Bevan, Niamh McNamara Alex Leyno, • Photography: Getty Images, Alex Leyno • October 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 • Approval UAE National Media Council: MLN:8328516/MF02-3471314 Trade License No. 123127 PROGRAFIX ADVERTISING • 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.

BRANDS 48 BIG LOSING THEIR GRIP

Why PXG, Honma and Callaway are stumbling as Takomo and other challengers reshape the equipment market’s pecking order.

Kunal Seth, Emirates Golf Club’s youngest Men’s Captain, outlines his vision for community, inclusivity and inspiring the next golfing generation.

Stephen Deane shares a simple feet-together drill to coil your balance points, control low point and strike consistently.

BORROWED NOT OWNED

FEET TOGETHER FOR PERFECT BALANCE

GOLF’S HIDDEN GIANT TURNS 20

PROUDLY FLYING THE UAE FLAG

CEO, Stephen Riley, reflects on PRG’s remarkable journey from eighteen headcovers to global success while preserving craftsmanship and its family culture.

Lucia Maturi explains why she chose the UAE over American college golf and reveals her ambitions for a professional future.

RUSHIKA: AHEAD OF HIS YEARS

GOLF, PILATES & NEW BEGINNINGS

Dubai-based Alexander Rushika, 16, on his first UAE men’s title, chasing America’s top junior events and his world number-one dream.

Sacha Jade on how golf, Pilates and friendships have shaped her Dubai life, bringing confidence, community and a fresh purpose.

PETE COWEN

THE OFFICIAL COLUMN

Photography: Getty Images

Grandson: Freddie Parlby

Dave Parlby, Freddie’s father and caddie .

PATHWAYS ARE WHAT THIS GAME IS BUILT ON As the 2026 DP World Tour season draws to a close, there are two things I’ll be watching in Dubai. The first, of course, is who lifts the trophy at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The second is which players will be packing their bags for the PGA Tour next year. One name I’m certain of is Eugenio Chacarra. The lad has put in the graft this season. By the time he tees it up on the Earth course he’ll have played 30 events, and a schedule like that takes it out of you, body and mind. Can I see him winning both the Harry Vardon Trophy and the DP World Tour Championship? I see no reason why not. He’s certainly got the talent, and he’s proved three times already this season that he can get the job done. Winning isn’t something you can buy. You have to earn it, and he has. His main threat will certainly be Rory McIlroy. Nobody knows the Earth course better than Rory, and that knowledge will be his advantage. You can’t put a price on knowing exactly where you can miss it on every hole and which pins you can take on. Yes, he didn’t perform as he’d have expected in India, but that’s golf. Even the best players in the world have weeks where it doesn’t click. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s using the break to relax and get some practice in at both Yas Links and Jumeirah Golf Estates ahead of the play-offs. The UAE is a place where he feels at home, so I’d expect him to arrive fully recharged. Patrick Reed also looks to be heading back to the PGA Tour next season via the DP World Tour pathway. It’s a lifeline, and I’d not be surprised to see it mirrored by a few other players who have moved away from LIV Golf in search of a

fresh start. The only issue is that competition for those spots is only going to get harder as more unknown talent comes through the ranks. LIV Golf was good in many ways, but it failed in one important respect. It didn’t give players the pressure of competing against a field of 140-plus where anyone can win. That’s a different animal altogether. In a small field you know who you’ve got to beat. In a full field, a name you’ve never heard of can shoot 64 on the Thursday and just keep going. These young players coming through are fearless and they hit the ball miles. So wellknown players in the twilight of their careers who think they can just pick up where they left off might be in for a huge surprise. MENA GOLF TOUR LIFELINE On the topic of new talent, it was great to see a full field at the MENA Golf Tour’s England Q-School on the Royal Automobile Club’s Old Course. I followed it closely, as my grandson Fred Parlby was teeing it up. He’s had a mixed season on the Clutch Tour, and with a field that included Walker Cup winner Josh Hill, he was never going to be in for an easy time. The weather was challenging, to say the least. High winds and driving rain soon sort the men out from the boys. After an opening level-par round, Fred was on the right side of the leaderboard and in contention for one of the Tour card spots. Given the season he’s had, it was very interesting to see how he’d handle the pressure of a final round with something real on the line. With conditions deteriorating, most players started to leak shots, but I was delighted to see

Fred dig in. He finished on two under par to secure his MENA Golf Tour card, just four shots back of the winner, Daniel Mulligan. What a great name for a golfer, by the way! As a coach, and as a grandad, that’s what you want to see. Anyone can play well when the sun’s out and the putts are dropping. The real test is what you do when it’s blowing a gale, your card is going the wrong way and you’ve got to find a way to hold it together. Fred did that, and I’m proud of him. Pathways are what this game is built on. They give players of all levels a structure to strive for. Whether you’re Patrick Reed trying to secure PGA Tour status once more via the DP World Tour, or a young lad turning professional on the MENA Golf Tour to see if you can make a living under pressure, on new courses and away from home, each has a role to play in the development of the professional game. The big names will grab the headlines in Dubai this month. But somewhere down the line, the next Chacarra is already grinding it out on a wet and windy Q-School leaderboard. Keep an eye out for them.

Pete Cowen

Master PGA Professional

FEATURES

ABU DHABI ALDAR CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Photography: Getty Images

ABU DHABI ALDAR CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: YA S L I N K S R E WA R D S T H E SHARPSHOOTERS The DP World Tour Playoffs open on Yas Island with 70 players, 9,000 Race to Dubai points and only 50 tickets to Dubai. History suggests precision, not power, will decide who leaves with the trophy.

he DP World Tour Playoffs open on Yas Island with 70 players, 9,000 Race to Dubai points and only 50 tickets to Dubai. History suggests precision, not power, will decide who leaves with the trophy. Twelve months ago, Aaron Rai holed a 214 yard albatross on his way to winning the Abu Dhabi Championship in a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood. It was the biggest win of his career, until the PGA Championship this year, when the Englishman claimed his first Major. He returns to Yas Links as a Major champion and fifth in the Race to Dubai, and his title defence opens a DP World Tour Playoffs in which the top 70 have four rounds to prove they still have something to play for a week later. The tournament has a new name this year. Aldar, the Abu Dhabi developer that owns Yas Links, has come on board as title partner, so the event long known as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship becomes the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. The stakes are unchanged. The event runs from

5 to 8 November over 72 holes with no cut. There are 9,000 Race to Dubai points on the table, 1,000 more than at any of the earlier Rolex Series events, and only the top 50 after Sunday move on to Jumeirah Golf Estates. Last year the winner banked 1,500 points, enough to turn a quiet season into a title tilt in a single afternoon. Three players fighting at the top Patrick Reed has led the standings for much of the year after winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic by four shots in January, but his cushion has shrunk. A wrist injury forced him to retire at Wentworth and miss the Alfred Dunhill Links, and he then missed the cut in Madrid. Heading into the DP World India Championship he sat on 3,423.6 points. Eugenio Chacarra was 165.7 behind after finishing second at the Open de España, and Rory McIlroy was third on 3,115.9. McIlroy, the Masters champion, has a record in his sights. He has won the Race to Dubai four years running and

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB | RAS AL KHAIMAH

SAVED THIS YEAR

AED 7,600*

THE TROON EXECUTIVE CARD EXCELLENCE IN EVERY ROUND

• Special Green Fee Rate: minimum 15% saving off BAR** • Guest Rates • 7-Day Booking Window • Savings Tracker In App

• Event & Clinic Invites • Discounts on F&B and Merchandise*** • 12 Month Validity

Terms and conditions apply. Valid at participating Troon locations. Card is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. * Savings amount is based on the average savings on green fees, by the top ten golfers from January to June 2026 ** Minimum 15% saving valid on 18 holes only until 31st December 2026. ***Discount on F&B and Merchandise at participating Restaurants and Golf Shops Terms and conditions can be found at - https://troon.com/card/troon-executive-card

FEATURES

ABU DHABI ALDAR CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Photography: Getty Images

seven times in all, and an eighth would draw him level with Colin Montgomerie. He also has unfinished business here. He has finished second in this event four times without ever lifting the trophy, and he finished tied third at Yas Links in each of the last two Novembers. When he confirmed his entry, he said the course is always in immaculate condition, and it clearly suits his eye. Casey Jarvis (2,654.0) and Rai (2,408.5) complete the top five. With 9,000 points here and 12,000 in Dubai, anyone arriving on Yas Island inside the top 20 can still talk themselves into contention, and the order will shift again before November. Two very different Yas Links Kyle Phillips, the American architect behind Kingsbarns, built Yas Links on the western shore of Yas Island, and it opened in 2010. It took over the Abu Dhabi Championship from Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2022, and in four editions it has shown two distinct personalities. In January, it was a links test with real teeth. Thomas Pieters won the first edition at just ten under par in 2022, edging Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Shubhankar Sharma by one. Victor Perez won at 18 under a year later. Afterwards he explained how the northwesterly wind arrived in the early afternoon and turned the closing holes into a serious examination. Since the event moved to November to open the Playoffs, the scoring has exploded. Paul Waring, ranked 229th in the world and 39 years old, won in 2024 at 24 under. His opening rounds of 64 and 61 gave him the lowest total to par after 36 holes in the Tour’s history. Twelve months later Rai and Fleetwood both finished at 25 under before Rai won the playoff. The profile of a Yas Links winner Put those four winners side by side and a pattern emerges.

Precision beats power. Rai, one of the straightest drivers in the professional game, is the template. In warm November conditions with little wind, Yas Links becomes a course decided by approach play. The greens are vast and heavily contoured. The winners are the players who find the correct tier with their irons and leave themselves uphill putts, not those who carry bunkers off the tee. Links pedigree travels. Perez makes his home in Dundee, and Phillips’ design asks the same questions as a seaside course: running approaches, firm surrounds and putts that break more than they look. Good form at the Open, the Scottish Open or the Alfred Dunhill Links has been a useful pointer. You cannot wait around. When the winning score is around 25 under par, the tournament is often decided by who goes low early. Waring was 19 under after two rounds, and Rai’s 64 without a bogey on Friday put him in a share of the lead. Familiar faces keep returning. Tyrrell Hatton was second in 2024. Fleetwood was second in 2025 after a share of sixth the year before. Nicolai Højgaard was tied third last year, and McIlroy’s two straight top three finishes speak for themselves. English players have won the last two editions and crowded the leaderboard behind them too. Who fits the bill? Rai fits the template perfectly. His accuracy is made for this course, and a successful defence would carry him into the title fight in Dubai.

McIlroy has the record and the motivation, and if his putter warms up on these greens, the near misses may finally end. Fleetwood, if he tees it up, has finished second and tied sixth in his last two visits. For Reed, the question is fitness rather than ability. A healthy Reed has the short game for these greens, but a compromised one could see his lead disappear before the final event begins. Further down the standings, the players hovering around 50th have a simpler goal: one solid week to keep their season alive. By Sunday evening, 20 of them will be heading home, and the Race to Dubai will come down to one last week at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

FEATURES

DUBAI SHOWDOWN

Photography: Getty Images

Db a i u Showdown Majors, Momentum and the Fight for the Harry Vardon Trophy

DP World Tour Championship preview · Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course · 12–15 November 2026

FEATURES

DUBAI SHOWDOWN

Photography: Getty Images

or the first time in years, the Race to Dubai heads into its final act with real uncertainty over whose name will go on the Harry Vardon Trophy. The top 50 players in the rankings will tee it up on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates from 12–15 November. The contenders read like a review of the

2026 season: three reigning Major champions inside the top six, a Spanish leader in the form of his life, a 23-year-old South African on the rise, and a former Masters champion who knows exactly how it feels to come up short in Dubai. The Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links (5–8 November) will reshuffle the points one last time, but every road leads to the Earth course.

MCILROY

CHASING NUMBER EIGHT Rory McIlroy has made the Harry Vardon Trophy close to a personal possession. He has won it seven times: 2012, 2014, 2015 and four in a row from 2022 to 2025. That leaves him one short of Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight, and victory this year would draw him level with the Scot. McIlroy’s 2026 will be remembered for Augusta. In April he became only the fourth man to win back-to-back Masters, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. He made it hard

for himself, letting slip a record six-shot halfway lead before holding on to beat Scottie Scheffler by one at 12 under. It was his sixth Major title. He has played a limited DP World Tour schedule, and a share of 42nd in Delhi last time out cost him ground. But he is a three-time winner of this event, and the man he is chasing knows the danger. After his win in India, Eugenio Chacarra admitted that Rory always plays well in Dubai and that a big battle lies ahead.

THREE MAJOR CHAMPIONS IN THE TOP SIX

What makes this finale distinctive is the weight of Major silverware near the top of the standings. Alongside McIlroy sit two first-time Major winners whose seasons changed their careers. Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship at Aronimink in May on nine under. He became the first Englishman to lift the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes more than a century ago. Remarkably, it was his first top-ten finish in a Major. The Wolverhampton man is known for his two gloves, his iron covers and his loyalty to a driver released in 2019. He has played

only a handful of DP World Tour events this season yet sits inside the top five. He also has recent form in the Gulf, having beaten Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff to win in Abu Dhabi last November. His precision off the tee and with his irons has been underrated for years. Ryan Fox lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in July. He birdied four of his last six holes, including the 72nd, to finish on ten under and beat Cameron Young by a shot. His third-round 62 matched the lowest score in Major history. At 39, Fox became only

the second New Zealander to win The Open, after Bob Charles at Royal Lytham in 1963. The son of All Blacks great Grant Fox, he was a DP World Tour rookie at 30 and is the very definition of a late bloomer. He is also one of the longest hitters in the field, which is a real asset on the Earth course, and he was in contention in Korea this week. Together, McIlroy, Rai and Fox show how DP World Tour members dominated the men’s Majors in 2026, winning three of the four. Any one of them would be a fitting European Number One.

CHACARRA:

THE MAN THEY ALL HAVE TO CATCH The player they are all chasing is Eugenio Chacarra. The 26-year-old Spaniard has been the busiest and most consistent performer on Tour this season. He has played 29 events, with three wins, two runner-up finishes and two thirds. He won back-to-back in June at the KLM Open and the Open d’Italia, where he finished 24 under and five clear in Turin. Near misses followed in France and at his home Spanish Open, which he played with a fractured toe. Then he won the DP World India Championship, completing 25 holes on the final day in Delhi to

overtake long-time leader Patrick Reed at the top of the rankings. That heavy schedule cuts both ways. Chacarra is match-sharp and confident, but the final fortnight is the most demanding of the season, and he arrives with the leader’s target on his back. Victory would see him follow Seve Ballesteros, who was European Number One six times, and Jon Rahm, who won in 2019 and 2022. He would be only the third Spaniard to lift the Harry Vardon Trophy. Chacarra has called both men his heroes, and the chance to join Seve on that trophy is the motivation of his career.

JARVIS:

SOUTH AFRICA’S RISING STAR Casey Jarvis is the outsider with momentum. The 23-year-old South African was long touted as a winner in waiting. As a rookie in 2024 he played 34 events, more than anyone else on Tour, and in February the breakthrough finally came. He won his maiden title at the Magical Kenya Open in his 84th start. A week later he made it back-to-back with a three-shot victory at his national Open in Stellenbosch, which earned him first appearances at the Masters and The Open. He made the most of that chance with a top-ten finish at Royal Birkdale. Jarvis led after the first round in Korea this week, shared the halfway lead, and went into Sunday two shots off the pace. He has said his goal is a PGA Tour card, but a strong finish in Abu Dhabi and Dubai could deliver something even bigger.

REED:

UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON THE EARTH COURSE Patrick Reed led the standings from February until October after winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, a four-shot Rolex Series victory, and the Qatar Masters. The 2018 Masters champion will make his eighth appearance at the DP World Tour Championship and knows the Earth course intimately. He has come agonisingly close here before. Reed was runner-up to Danny Willett in 2018. In 2020 he arrived as Race to Dubai leader and shared the 54hole lead, then bogeyed three of his last seven holes to finish third as Lee Westwood took the title. Victory this time would make him only the second American European Number One, after Collin Morikawa in 2021. Reed skipped Korea to freshen up, so expect him to arrive in Dubai ready.

HORSES FOR THE EARTH COURSE What sort of player wins on the Earth course? ● Length off the tee. At around 7,700 yards, the Earth course is one of the longest on Tour. Big hitters can reach the par fives with mid-irons, and bombers have historically done well here. ● Long-iron and approach play. The greens are large and heavily contoured, so finding the right section from 180 yards and beyond separates the contenders from the pack. ● Par-five scoring. The week is often

decided on the long holes, ending with the 620-yard par-five 18th with water in play, which can produce eagles or disasters. ● Lag putting and nerve. Matthew Fitzpatrick’s two wins here, in 2016 and 2020, show that precision and a hot putter can beat raw power on these big, undulating greens. ● Experience. Course knowledge matters on a layout where the bunkering and run-offs punish the wrong miss.

FEATURES

THE RORY FACTOR

Photography: Getty Images

The

Rory Factor HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR SIMON CORKILL ON MCILROY, LIV AND DUBAI’S COMEBACK

FEATURES

THE RORY FACTOR

Photography: Getty Images

Rory McIlroy is coming back, LIV’s exiles may follow, and Dubai is primed to bounce back. Simon Corkill, CEO of Falcon and Associates and Tournament Director of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, explains why January 2027 at the Majlis could be one of the most significant weeks in the event’s history. Simon Corkill has seen Dubai weather difficult times before. Sitting down to talk about the 2027 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, he is calm about the regional conflict

that he couldn’t wait to get back and that the city felt like a home from home. Corkill is clear that the comments were not off the cuff. “He wasn’t just saying it,” he says. “I saw Rory and his manager at The Open and told them what was actually happening. He’s always had a lot of friends in Dubai, and he wasn’t going to say that without the right people telling him things were as they were.” Not every star has been as quick to commit. Matt Fitzpatrick has voiced reservations, and Corkill is

McIlroy finished 33rd in 2026, but Corkill believes the Majlis course will always bring out his best. “He’s almost unbeatable around the Majlis,” he says. “It’s always fair, but it’s tough and tight, the greens are slick and the rough is deep. You’ve got to be on your game.” He recalls the 2024 tournament, when McIlroy barely made the cut before charging through from ten shots back to win. “It’s not very often you think someone who just makes the cut is going to go on and win it. But he did.”

“Without sounding derogatory to other events, if you win here, you’re not winning a mediocre tournament. It’s fierce competition against the top talent.” that has hung over recent months, and optimistic about what comes next. “We’ve been through it before,” he says. “Dubai is strong enough that, once things calm down, it can press the go button. They’ve dealt with it very well. It wasn’t much fun, but you felt pretty safe. The last few months have been quiet, and life goes on. It’s pretty normal.” For Corkill, now CEO of Falcon and Associates as well as Tournament Director of the Desert Classic, that recovery is the opportunity. “Once the conflict passes, Dubai is going to be in a big position, because they’ll want to really push the sporting message,” he says. “We’re in a good position to help with that.”

The Rory factor

Few things send that message more clearly than Rory McIlroy saying it himself. At Wentworth, the Northern Irishman told reporters that Dubai was safe,

measured in response. “Anyone can make their own choice. He’s got a young family and I understand where he’s coming from. But he probably didn’t have as much knowledge as someone like Rory, with his close contacts here. Hopefully he’ll play later in the year, and potentially in January.” McIlroy, though, needs little persuading. A fourtime winner of the Dallah Trophy and now a two-time Masters champion, he will arrive chasing a fifth Desert Classic title. Corkill has no doubt about what his presence means. “He’s the box-office player you want in a tournament,” he says. “He’s golf’s living legend at the moment, and we’re not using that word lightly. A lot of the legends aren’t playing at the top of their ability any more. Rory is at the peak of his career. Luckily he plays in Dubai a fair bit, but he’s not going to play here forever, so we should take this opportunity.”

Corkill is also realistic. With the PGA Tour’s new Championship Series in 2028 likely to put pressure on top players to commit to 20-plus events, McIlroy’s early-season schedule may not stay fixed forever. “We can’t take him for granted,” Corkill says. “Rory’s been open about wanting to reduce his schedule. So we’ve got to keep putting ourselves in the best position: deliver a great tournament and provide elite facilities for all the players.” There is a personal warmth to the relationship, too. Corkill remembers McIlroy walking off the 18th green in 2025, buoyed by the atmosphere, despite not winning. “I said, ‘Fancy this next year?’ Rory looked at his manager and said, ‘Well, we’ve already agreed this. If it’s as good as this and we get the atmosphere, I’m in.’ He just likes it.”

A roll of honour worth defending

McIlroy’s record is only part of the Hero Dubai

Desert Classic story. Since 1989 the tournament has built one of the strongest rolls of honour outside the Majors. Tiger Woods, Fred Couples and Mark O’Meara have all lifted the Dallah trophy, while Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia both won in Dubai before claiming the Green Jacket. The recent winners keep that tradition alive. Tyrrell Hatton, a Ryder Cup stalwart, won in 2025, and Masters champion Patrick Reed followed in 2026. “The cream rises to the top,” says Corkill. Even Lucas Herbert, a surprise winner in 2020, has since proved his pedigree on the world stage. “The Desert Classic has always attracted a strong field,” Corkill says. “Without sounding derogatory to other events, if you win here, you’re not winning a mediocre tournament. It’s fierce competition against the top talent.”

The LIV question

The 2027 edition may test that depth like never before. McIlroy is the first big name to be announced, with several other significant stars set to follow and more in the pipeline. And what of the LIV Golf players whose contracts are coming to an end? “They’ll certainly bolster the field significantly,” he says. “Some of them have already said they’re going to commit to the DP World Tour.” He believes the shifting landscape will push many towards Dubai. With LIV 2.0 expected to run only around ten events, the Asian Tour route narrowed by its alliance with the DP World Tour, and the DP World Tour making clear that LIV 2.0 players will not be eligible, playing opportunities elsewhere look limited. “I think we’ll be the winners out of it,” Corkill says. “The tournament will be stacked with the stars we’ve come to see, and potentially the returning stars too.” Defending champion Patrick Reed’s own story offers a template. He won in Dubai as a LIV player, left the league the following week and is now on course for his PGA Tour card. “He saw it as a pathway,” Corkill says. “Hopefully some of the players coming off contract will see it the same way.” The Desert Classic has always tried to stay neutral ground. It has been a loyal partner to the DP World Tour while welcoming LIV players who kept their status. Corkill acknowledges the tensions of the early

men in the team,” says Corkill, “and there’s no better place to start the season than a Rolex Series event at the beginning of the year.” He likens the opening week to the start of a new school term. “There’s always a lot of excitement on the range, because people have been all around the world and they all congregate back in Dubai in midJanuary. There’ll be some old faces, regular faces, who may return. It’s always been an open, friendly event, and we want that to continue.”

using it as a base.” Health and wellness will also be a key theme. Building on the Mental Fitness and Recovery Zone for players and last year’s Step Fore It challenge for spectators, the tournament will carry the spirit of the Dubai Fitness Challenge into the new year. “A lot of people, after the festive period, are looking for a new fitness regime,” Corkill says. “We want to show golf can provide that, not just physically, but for mental and social health too.”

More than a golf tournament

Selling Dubai to the world

Behind the ropes, the 2027 event aims to raise the fan experience further. “We’ve always said we’re an event, not just a golf event,” Corkill says. “Emirates Golf Club is a fantastic place to be, even if you’re not watching golf. And it’s probably one of the best courses in the world to get around and watch.” Eat Street, the food offering launched last year, will be expanded, with brands and restaurants to be announced. Tournament Town will host a curated programme of entertainment and activities. The headline addition is Rooftop 18, a new mid-tier package that sits between general admission and the premium Dallah Lounge. Set on the roof of the 18thhole hospitality structure, it looks across the 9th and 18th greens and the 17th tee, with the Marina skyline beyond. The all-inclusive, brunch-style package runs for

For Corkill, the Desert Classic sits at the heart of Falcon’s wider mission: building Dubai’s reputation as a global sporting city. Alongside the tournament, Falcon works on other huge events such as the Emirates Dubai Sevens and the Dubai T100 Triathlon. His own connection to the event goes back to childhood. “I remember living in England, sitting in the freezing cold and rain in January, watching the Desert Classic and thinking, wow, that looks an amazing place,” he says. “Those pictures go to all corners of the world and put Dubai in its best light. We want people to think: I should go there next year for my winter holiday.” Broadcast remains vital, but social media now amplifies that reach. “All those pictures going through everyone’s Instagram, from players and spectators, have a lot of value,” he says. The heritage matters too. Now approaching its 38th edition, the Desert Classic is, alongside the Sevens, one of Dubai’s two oldest sporting events, in a country only marking its 55th year. “We haven’t been involved since the start,” Corkill says, “but we’re proud to be involved now and to be taking them to the next level with our partners.”

A hero moment

LIV era, including the much-publicised McIlroy-Reed spat, but sees January 2027 as a chance to bring everyone back together. Timing helps. With the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor later in the year and Luke Donald chasing a third straight win as captain, European players will be hungry for early points. “He’s going to need his best

five hours, so guests can come and go as they please. Don’t expect the raucous scenes of the PGA Tour’s stadium holes, though. “Not quite Phoenix, not quite LIV,” Corkill smiles. “It’s a really premium public experience. If you want to relax and have a good time, that’s the place for it. But if you’re a golf lover, you can watch from there, walk the course and come back,

All of which brings Corkill back to the image every tournament director hopes for. McIlroy, the Dallah Trophy in his hands, the Majlis clubhouse and the Dubai skyline behind him, broadcast around the globe. “If Rory wins, it goes to a different level. It’s on every news story around the world,” he says. “At a time when hopefully we’re coming out of the back of a conflict, that’s as good an advert as you can provide for Dubai. It gives people more confidence to come and visit.” He catches himself and laughs. “These hero moments, and I didn’t mean that as a pun, are really going to help.” It doesn’t have to be McIlroy, he adds. The event’s stature means the pictures will travel whoever wins. But Corkill makes no secret of where his money is. “Rory is an unbelievable player, and we’re very proud to almost call him one of our own. He’s a genuine, authentic ambassador. I’m pretty sure he’ll be in the mix come Sunday.” The Hero Dubai Desert Classic returns to Emirates Golf Club 21-24 January 2027.

FEATURES

DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Photography: Alex Leyno

Golf Course Superintendent Craig Haldane

Preparing the

EARTH Inside the team readying the Earth Course for the DP World Tour Championship

ours before sunrise, the Earth Course team at Jumeirah Golf Estates is already at work. Supervisors, foremen and greenkeepers turn soil tests and overnight weather readings into 18 greens that play the same on Monday as they do on Sunday. The countdown to the DP World Tour Championship starts long before November, with a post-event debrief, a summer of aeration and a month of fine-tuning in October. Worldwide Golf sat down with Golf Course Superintendent Craig Haldane, who explained how the team and process work, from the first alarm to the last mower. When does your preparation for the DP World Tour Championship begin, and what are the key milestones between then and the first tee shot? Craig Haldane: Having taken over earlier this year, my initial focus has been understanding the two courses,

the turf and the irrigation, and how they respond to different practices. The stock answer is the day after the final Sunday of tournament week. It’s not entirely true, but it’s not entirely false either! We debrief with the Tour Agronomy team as soon as the last group finishes and carry out a

critical analysis of the week. What should we continue? What could we improve? What did we learn? The answers shape our planning for the following year. In reality, the period after the event is just as much about recovery. We look closely at our soils, leaf tissue, water quality and organic matter, and plan our early summer aeration programme. That aeration is driven by agronomic targets fundamental to healthy surfaces at every course in the region, event or no event. We typically schedule two closures. By the second, we certainly have one eye on November, making the late-August aeration a key milestone. Recovery from that aeration is when we really begin to fine-tune. October is particularly important: gradual refinement rather than dramatic last-minute changes, moving towards our desired surface quality, consistency, firmness and presentation. The final weeks are about details, coordinating with our wider operations team and working closely with the DP World Tour on the agreed set-up. By the first tee shot, the hard work should be done. Tournament week is about execution, monitoring and sensible adjustments. What does a typical day look like for you and your team during tournament week? Craig Haldane: It starts with a 3am alarm clock! Mind you, that doesn’t change for us in Agronomy throughout the year. We’re early risers! Tournament week is busy, but the key is a clear plan and a team that understands what is expected. There are a lot of moving parts, so communication is incredibly important. Jamie Wright leads the Earth Course team, with great support from Callun Brook and our supervisors, foremen and greenkeepers. Jamie is probably the busiest man on staff in the run-in and throughout tournament week, and he does an incredible job leading daily operations. This will be his third event, so his experience is invaluable. We take data from the previous day and put detailed plans together the evening before. The day starts with an assessment of overnight temperatures, humidity, wind, moisture and how the surfaces have responded. From there, we coordinate mowing, rolling, bunker preparation, presentation and any requirements agreed with the Tour. We aim to have the greens where we want them for Monday’s practice round and keep them there through Sunday. It’s not just about completing the work; it’s about doing it to the required standard at the right time.

FEATURES

DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Photography: Alex Leyno

Throughout the day, we monitor the course and talk with the Tour Agronomy team. Conditions change, and moisture management in particular demands close attention in this climate. My role is to support the team, make decisions when needed and keep everyone focused on the bigger picture. I believe in giving people responsibility and trusting them to do their jobs. How do you set up the Earth course for Tour play compared with normal member conditions, including green speeds, rough and bunkers? Craig Haldane: Tournament preparation is geared towards elite professional golf, whereas member conditions must be enjoyable and playable for a much broader range of golfers. That doesn’t necessarily mean faster, firmer or more difficult. It means challenging the best players in the world while staying true to the design and intended strategy of the course.

On the greens, we work towards speeds and firmness agreed with the Tour, but consistency matters as much as the headline number. A fast green is of little value if it’s inconsistent, and the surfaces must stay healthy enough to last the week. With the rough, we want an appropriate penalty for missing the fairway without making recoveries unnecessarily unpredictable. In the bunkers, sand depth, consistency and firmness matter alongside the presentation of faces and edges, so players face a fair challenge when they find the sand. Ultimately, the course should reward good golf and expose poor execution. We want players to think their way around Earth. The aim isn’t difficulty for its own sake, but a proper test at the highest level. What are the biggest challenges of preparing a Tour-standard course in the Gulf climate? Craig Haldane: The climate is the biggest challenge, particularly when delivering fast, firm, consistent

Left to right : Jamie Wright (Assistant Superintendent Earth Course), Craig Haldane (Golf Course Superintendent), Marc Matias (Fleet Manager), Callun Brooks (Assistant Superintendent Fire Course)

surfaces while keeping the turf healthy. The transition from intense summer heat into the cooler growing season matters. As temperatures change, the grass responds differently, influencing nutrition, irrigation, mowing and surface preparation. You can’t follow a fixed programme and expect the same results every year. Water management is a major consideration. Too much moisture in the rootzone affects firmness, ball roll and consistency, but letting the turf get too dry compromises plant health and recovery. Water quality adds another layer. Salinity and the balance of ions influence both soil and plant, so understanding how the irrigation water interacts with the rootzone is fundamental to long-term turf performance. For me, it comes down to managing the turf in front of us. Data and technology are valuable, but they must be combined with observation and experience. The climate demands that we

“

Ultimately, the course should reward good golf and expose poor execution. We want players to think their way around Earth.”

balance is critical to the week’s success. We combine measurement with observation. Stimpmeter readings track speed, daily moisture readings guide irrigation, and we assess firmness, inspect the surfaces and watch closely how the ball rolls. Consistency across all 18 greens is key. They don’t share identical contours, sunlight, airflow or traffic, so the management required varies from green to green. There’s also a balance between short-term performance and plant health. You can push a green hard for a short period, but the real skill is producing the desired conditions without compromising the turf’s ability to withstand the tournament. That takes continual assessment, not a set formula. Does knowing this is the last event of the Race to Dubai change how you approach the set-up, and has your approach evolved since the finale first came to Jumeirah Golf Estates? Craig Haldane: The significance certainly adds to the occasion. I’ve been fortunate to deliver many events, but this is my first DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Players are competing for the season-long title as well as the tournament, which brings extra attention and expectation. From an agronomy perspective, though, the fundamentals don’t change: the best possible surfaces, consistent conditions and a fair test, whatever the event. Where the occasion influences us is in the level of detail, planning and coordination. Every aspect of

presentation and playing conditions matters, so we must anticipate what’s coming and make sure the whole team understands the standards we’re working towards. I’m fortunate to have inherited a fantastic team of greenkeepers with a wealth of experience, and I’ve taken every opportunity to ask questions, listen and learn from them. You’re only as good as your willingness to keep learning. Ultimately, a tournament of this stature is a team effort, involving our wider Golf Operations and support teams too. Who are the people behind the course that viewers don’t see, and what would you like to say about them? Craig Haldane: On television, viewers see the finished product, but not the planning, the hours of work or the many decisions behind those conditions. And that stretches well beyond Agronomy. We’re supported by our leadership team, looked after by our F&B colleagues and encouraged by our membership. The site set-up is immense, and the experience of everyone who attends is paramount. I’m very pleased to be back in Dubai and at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Having spent much of my career in the region, it’s exciting to be part of the team preparing Earth for the DP World Tour Championship. Our focus is on doing the fundamentals well, paying attention to detail and delivering a course and an experience everyone involved can be proud of.

stay adaptable and listen to what the course is telling us. How do you use tee positions, fairway widths and pin placements to create risk and reward, particularly over the closing holes? Craig Haldane: This is where agronomy and course strategy work together. The Tour decides tee positions and pin placements; our job is to present the course so it rewards good decisionmaking and execution, rather than simply making it harder. Tee positions change the angle of approach, the club choice and the risk a player will accept. Fairway widths and landing areas influence whether a player takes an aggressive line or a conservative one. Pin positions can change a hole’s character considerably. A pin tucked behind a bunker or near a slope may tempt a player to attack, but brings the consequences of a miss into play. The best positions reward a well-executed shot while still allowing a sensible alternative. Over the closing holes, with players chasing a title, protecting a lead or climbing the Race to Dubai, these decisions become even more significant. The course should offer calculated risks, with consequences attached. Agronomy can’t create good course strategy on its own, but it can support or undermine it.

Jan-Hendrik van Rooyen AIT (Assistant in Training) , Callun Brooks (Assistant Superintendent Fire Course), Jamie Wright (Assistant Superintendent Earth Course), Siyabonga Dube (Intern)

How do you balance green speed, firmness and slope so the greens stay fair across all 18 holes, and what do you measure to keep them consistent? Craig Haldane: Green speed gets a lot of attention, but speed alone doesn’t tell you whether a putting surface is good. You have to consider speed alongside firmness, moisture, smoothness, trueness and the natural slopes. All of those influence how a putt behaves and how fairly a green receives an approach. A soft, bumpy green running at 13 on the Stimpmeter is obviously not as good as a firm, true and smooth one running at 11. Finding that

FEATURES

TAKE THIS BAG AND SHOVE IT

Photography: Getty Images

Caddies are paid to go the distance. Every so often, one decides the distance ends at the car park. By Alex Gallemore

Robert Allenby

FEATURES

TAKE THIS BAG AND SHOVE IT Photography: Getty Images

olfers lose plenty over 18 holes: balls, tempers, the odd glove. Mislaying the person carrying your clubs takes real talent, though, and tour golf has managed it more often than you’d think. Words are exchanged, the bib comes off, the bag hits the turf, and a professional is left scanning the gallery like a man at a bus stop who’s just watched the last 37 go past. For the paying public it’s a rare chance to swap the grandstand for the inside of the ropes. For the player it raises a more urgent question: does anybody here have a yardage book?

“

EIGHT PARS AND A P45 Alejandro Tosti’s first round at September’s Biltmore Championship in Asheville looked, on paper, about as calm as tour golf gets. Starting on the back nine, he made eight pars in a row. Then, walking up the 18th (his ninth hole), cameras caught a heated exchange between him and caddie Cliff Ellis that ended with Ellis putting the bag down, peeling off his bib and heading for the car park.

be the last time,” he said afterwards. He wasn’t wrong. The 68 is awkward, mind. Players spend fortunes chasing marginal gains, and here was one shooting a good number minutes after his caddie threw his clubs into the distance. I wouldn’t recommend it as a strategy, but it does make you wonder. ALLENBY, PART TWO Eight years later, at the 2015 Canadian Open, it happened again. Allenby’s approach into Glen Abbey’s par-five 13th, his fourth hole, finished in a creek and led to a triple bogey, and things between him and caddie Mick Middlemo went rapidly downhill. Their versions don’t match. Allenby said he sacked Middlemo; Middlemo said he walked after an abusive exchange. Either way, they made it to the end of their opening nine together and no further. Up stepped Tom Fraser, a 61-yearold Ontario school principal who’d come to watch and offered to carry. Allenby signed for 81 and withdrew. You couldn’t ask for a better emergency hire. Someone whose day

Brian Stuard

IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME AND IT WON’T BE THE LAST TIME,” The best part is that Tosti didn’t twig straight away. He reportedly assumed Ellis had popped to the toilet near the green and carried on towards the first tee, where it finally dawned on him that his caddie wasn’t coming back. The row, by most accounts, had started over an umbrella. A spectator picked up the bag and Tosti got round in 72, one over. He missed the cut the next day with yet another caddie. Most of us would celebrate eight straight pars with a drink in the clubhouse and a quiet look at whether any equipment companies were hiring. Tosti got a resignation. As ways of handing in your notice go, leaving your boss alone with fourteen clubs is hard to misread. ALLENBY, PART ONE Robert Allenby has been through this at least three times. At the 1995 Open at St Andrews, caddie Michael Waite threw the bag down the fairway and stormed off, which set the tone nicely. In 2007 it was Matthew “Bussy” Tritton’s turn. During the second round of the BMW Championship, the pair fell out walking off the 16th tee, their seventh hole, and Tritton didn’t just leave. According to Allenby, he lifted the bag over his head and launched it about 100 yards. Australian trainer Vern McMillan happened to be standing outside the ropes and took over. Allenby birdied the hole and went on to shoot 68. “It’s not the first time and it won’t

job involves calming down frustrated people and settling arguments was exactly the right man for that bag. Fraser presumably turned up expecting a nice day out, and went home with the best answer to “anything interesting happen today?” any headteacher has ever had. THE FLIP-FLOP CADDIE At the 2014 Barracuda Championship, Brian Stuard and his caddie Michael Lawson bickered for several holes before Lawson dropped the bag on the 12th during the third round. He later blamed Stuard’s attitude towards the game; Stuard didn’t want to get into it. His replacement for the last six holes was Christy Atencio, a local amateur, who took over in a dress and flip-flops. Tour caddies tend to go for waterproofs, sensible shoes and a yardage book stuffed with notes. Atencio went the other way, and she’s still my pick for best-dressed emergency caddie in the game’s history. Stuard, for his part, said she did a good job. Two years later he won the Zurich Classic, so perhaps she taught him something. EVEN SEVE None of this is new. Seve Ballesteros was famously hard to caddie for, and Martin Gray had done well to last a year on his bag. The writing was on the wall a fortnight before the 1997 Spanish Open, when Seve reportedly took one bite of an apple Gray had given him and threw it away for being

Alejandro Tosti

Seve Ballesteros was known for being particular about his fruit. Billy Foster tells a great story about how Seve would only eat black bananas! Working for Seve was more like being a greengrocer that could get the yardage right.

too soft. Gray’s reply: “What am I - a caddie or a greengrocer?” At the Spanish Open, Seve found water on the 15th hole of his round, an argument followed, and Gray walked. Seve’s 16-year-old nephew finished the round on the bag. Most teenagers get asked to wash the car or mow the lawn. His uncle needed him at a tour event. Some caddies leave over a club, some over an umbrella, and at least one, arguably, over an apple. If you’re ever handed a tour bag from behind the ropes, my advice is simple: give the right yardage, and don’t bring fruit.

FEATURES

BORROWED, NOT OWNED

Photography: Alex Leyno

Borrowed, Not

owned

Kunal Seth became Emirates Golf Club’s youngest Men’s Captain on 1 September. A member for more than a decade, he talks about the Majlis, the Desert Classic, the moment that best defines the club – and his plans for a year built around community, inclusivity and the next generation of golfers.

Kunal Seth

Men’s Captain, Emirates Golf Club (2026–27)

FEATURES

BORROWED, NOT OWNED

Photography: Alex Leyno

the green, about to hit the shot Seve, Tiger and Rory have all hit. I’ve played golf for thirty-five years and I still get that feeling here. The day I stop is the day I should hand the jacket back. Every January the world’s best arrive and effectively take over your club. What is tournament week like for members, and how important is it to the club’s identity? Tournament week is when the club changes shape. The Majlis closes a couple of weeks beforehand, the grandstands and tented village go up, and the Faldo becomes the members’ home for the fortnight. But there’s real ownership in it: members marshal, members volunteer, members bring their children to watch the best in the world play the fairways they play on a Saturday. I’ve watched from behind the ropes as a member for more than ten years and I still turn into a fan for the week. Patrick Reed’s win in January was superb, and if Rory returns in 2027 chasing a fifth title, the whole city will come out again. It’s the Major of the Middle East, and it’s played at our club. The event and the club grew up together, and neither would be quite what it is without the other. Members see the Majlis set up both for everyday club golf and for a DP World Tour event. What’s the biggest difference in tournament condition? The greens. Members putt on beautifully conditioned surfaces all winter, but in tournament week they get firmer and quicker, the pins go to places you never see on a Saturday, and a five-footer suddenly has three ways to miss. Add grown-in rough, tees pushed back to the tips and the 18th playing as a proper risk-and-reward par five with the water very much in play, and a stern test becomes a full examination. It gives you enormous respect for the professionals — and it’s the best excuse in golf for your own scores that week. If you could choose one moment from the history of the Desert Classic that best represents Emirates Golf Club, what would it be and why? Rory McIlroy in 2009 — a 19-year-old winning his first professional title on the Majlis. Seventeen years on he’s a career Grand Slam champion, he

Becoming Men’s Captain at Emirates Golf Club is different from taking on the role at most clubs. What does it mean to you to captain a club with this much history and international standing? It’s the biggest honour of my sporting life, and I’m very aware it’s borrowed, not owned. Championship golf in this region began at Emirates Golf Club: the Majlis was the first grass championship course in the Middle East when it opened in 1988, and the Desert Classic followed a year later. So the Captain’s jacket has nearly forty years of other people’s work stitched into it. I’ve been a member for more than a decade, and I see being the youngest Captain not as a trophy but as the membership backing a fresh pair of eyes. The job is simple to describe and hard to do: be the bridge between members and management, and make sure every member — whatever their handicap, passport or length of membership — feels this is their club. Do you remember your first round on the Majlis, and what struck you on that first tee?

I do. It was within my first month in Dubai, when some colleagues took me out, and it still gives me goosebumps. What hits you on the first tee isn’t the golf, it’s the contrast — the clubhouse behind you, the Dubai skyline above the trees, and real grass in a place the world still thought of as desert. I’d played for years by then, but I’d never stood on a tee and felt I was somewhere the whole game had seen on television. It felt like an honour just to be out there. I’d love to tell you I played beautifully. I didn’t — but I walked off the 18th knowing I wanted to be a member here. You call the home of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic your home course. Does playing the Majlis regularly ever become normal? The routine does — the car park, the locker room, the post-round debrief in the Spike Bar. The course never does. Early on a winter morning the light comes up over the tents, you have the place to yourself, and you remember that people cross the world to play here. Or you’re on the tee of the par-four 8th, the skyline stacked up behind

has said many times how much this week means to him, and he keeps coming back: four wins now, and hunting a fifth. That’s what the Classic and this club have always done — it’s where the game’s great stories begin. I could have picked Seve in ‘92, Ernie’s 61 in 1994 or Tiger and Ernie’s play-off in 2006. But as a young Captain, a teenager lifting the Dallah — the famous coffee-pot trophy — and then spending a career coming back to Dubai is the moment that speaks to me. Emirates Golf Club has an international reputation, but it is still a members’ club. What makes the atmosphere special away from the cameras? The mix, and the warmth. On any given morning there are dozens of nationalities on the tee sheet, the Ladies’ Section running its Tuesday events, the seniors, the juniors, and colleagues who’ve been here twenty-five years and know every member by name. It’s a members’ club in the proper sense: competitive on the course, generous off it. The Majlis clubhouse is one of the great 19th holes in golf, but it’s the people in it who make it. My family’s life in Dubai has been built around this place. When you’ve had a bad round, someone will buy you a drink and tell you it was worse than it was. That’s a club. Golf in Dubai has changed enormously, with more courses, facilities and players. How does Emirates Golf Club keep its identity while continuing to evolve? When the Majlis opened it was the only grass course in the country. Now there are more than twenty, all excellent, and that’s fantastic for the game here. Our answer isn’t to chase anyone; it’s to keep being the original and keep investing in what made us that — the golf course first, then the practice facilities, the academy, the food and beverage, the member experience. The Faldo is the perfect example: the only fully floodlit 18-hole course in the UAE. Through the warmer months you can tee off after dark, when the temperature finally drops, and on a weekday it means a full eighteen after work rather than nine holes chasing the dusk. History is only an asset if you look after it. The silhouette of the clubhouse

hasn’t changed since 1988; what you find inside it has never stood still. What would you like to achieve during your year as Captain — on the course, socially and for the wider membership? When I took over on 1 September I said I wanted the year to stand for community, inclusivity and the next generation. In practice that means three things. First, participation: fuller fields at every medal, and a clear welcome for members who’ve never entered a competition to play in their first. Second, junior golf: more juniors playing, competing and holding handicaps, and more families enjoying the club together. That one’s personal. Both my children play, my son already has a few tournaments to his name, and I’ve seen through cricket what happens when a child gets a real pathway. Talent is everywhere; access is not. Third, giving back, by raising money for the Club’s Junior Colleague Fund, which supports our junior staff. And socially there’s the Captain’s Trip — around forty of us are heading to Cape Town in April for a week of golf. Which event on the members’ calendar are you most looking forward to, and is there anything new you’d like to introduce? Captain’s Day on 20 March 2027 — both courses, a full shotgun start, the whole club playing together. Close behind is the Indian Invitational in February, now in its 35th year, with 240 players across the Majlis and the Faldo; it’s a wonderful showcase of how diverse this club is. As for new ideas, I’m working on a Ryder Cup-style team event under the Cricket Meets Golf banner, and a series of evenings where members can hear from cricketers who’ve fallen in love with golf. Watch this space. You have one fourball on the Majlis: yourself plus any three golfers from any era. Who are you inviting, and who has the honour on the first tee? Seve Ballesteros, who won here in 1992 — I’d learn more about imagination in eighteen holes with him than in thirty-five years of trying. Tiger Woods, because his wins in 2006 and 2008 are part of this club’s folklore and I’d love to see the Majlis through his eyes. And Kapil Dev, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning cricket captain, who became

Through the warmer months you can tee off after dark, when the temperature finally drops, and on a weekday it means a full eighteen after work rather than nine holes chasing the dusk. a serious golfer and is the perfect man to settle the cricket-versus-golf argument that will inevitably break out by the third hole. The honour goes to Seve. You don’t ask Seve to wait. At the end of your captaincy, what would make you look back and say: ‘That was a great year for Emirates Golf Club’? If the fields are fuller in May than they were in September. If there are juniors holding handicaps who didn’t have one a year ago. If we’ve raised real money for the Junior Colleague Fund. If the members who went to Cape Town came home closer friends than when they left. And if a member who’d never spoken to a Captain before feels they can walk up to me in the Spike Bar, tell me what the club could do better — and see something change because they did. Captains come and go. If the next one finds the job a little harder because the bar has been raised, that’s a great year.

FEATURES

THE ART OF THE PRO SHOP

Photography: Alex Leyno

“

How the reimagined Emirates and Dubai Creek pro shops powered by Prosports International are elevating the retail experience in the Middle East and beyond

IT’S ABOUT MEMBERS AND GUESTS WALKING IN AND FEELING THE SAME SENSE OF OCCASION THEY FEEL STANDING ON THE FIRST TEE OF THE MAJLIS.”

Many rounds begin well before the first tee, with a few unhurried minutes in the pro shop. At Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf Club, those minutes have transformed into something more memorable.

a half months of refurbishment: calm, spacious, with soft lighting, clean lines and plenty of room between collections to breathe and browse at leisure, showcasing the latest equipment, apparel

THE ART OF THE PRO SHOP The vision was to create a new standard of pro shop: one befitting these historic clubs, and worthy of a place among the best in the world. Last month the pro shops reopened after two and

created a club retail environment that truly elevates the golfers’ journey” A STORE WORTHY OF THE MAJLIS With its landmark Bedouin tented clubhouse recognised well beyond the world of golf, Emirates Golf Club has been home to the Majlis since 1988 and the Dubai Desert Classic since 1989. The newly refurbished pro shop feels as if it has always been part of the club. “Emirates Golf Club is the iconic golf course in the region with

and accessories from the industry’s leading brands, all carefully considered. This is retail that takes its time. Behind the redesigns is a team of specialist designers, guided by some of the world’s best retail experts and by top golfers who know exactly what makes a pro shop a pleasure to spend time in. Together, they have created something that feels entirely its own, and entirely at home in the Gulf. “Our members and guests expect a world-class experience from the moment they arrive at our properties, and these beautifully redesigned retail spaces deliver exactly that,” says Christopher May, CEO of Viya Golf. “The transformation of the pro shops at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club is a testament to our enduring partnership with Prosports International. By blending premium, modern aesthetics with the unique heritage of these two iconic venues, we have

unmatched history, and we aimed to create a store that reflects that,” says Stuart Taylor, General Manager of Prosports International. “It’s about members and guests walking in and feeling the same sense of occasion they feel standing on the first tee of the Majlis.” “The look is only half the story,” he adds. “An elegant space means nothing without the right product and the right people. You will find best in case products from the world’s leading golf brands, and a team who can give expert advice, whether you are preparing for a

FEATURES

THE ART OF THE PRO SHOP

Photography: Alex Leyno

round, refreshing your wardrobe, or looking for that one club that changes your game.” AT HOME ON THE CREEK Emirates may be defined by the desert, but Dubai Creek is defined by the water. Opened in 1993, its unmistakable dhow-inspired clubhouse was designed by Brian Johnson, the same architect behind Emirates. The club has played host to the Dubai Desert Classic, and more recently the Dubai Invitational. Here, the refurbished pro shop has been shaped around its rich history with a feel that suits its easy, waterside setting. “Dubai Creek has a personality unlike any other club in the region,” says Taylor. “The architecture, the water, the history of the Creek itself, it’s a special place. We wanted to create a store that respects that character.” “On any given day, you can meet long-standing members, hotel guests and first-time visitors. Now, every one of them will enjoy a unique retail

experience and walk out with exactly what they need.” THREE DECADES IN THE MAKING “On-course retail has a direct impact on how golfers experience a club, and we take that responsibility seriously,” says Ara Nakhnikian, CEO of Prosports International. “Thirty years in this market have taught us what works. Emirates and Dubai Creek now set the benchmark for every store we operate, and for what golf retail in the region should be.” For Jai Khandelwal, Chief Operating Officer of Prosports International, these projects say a lot about how the game has evolved in the Gulf. “Golfers in this region are some of the most discerning in the world,” he says. “They expect the same level of experience from a pro shop that they expect from a five-star hotel. Our investment at

Emirates and Dubai Creek is about not only meeting that expectation but, wherever we can, exceeding it.” Prosports International was established in 1995 by H.H. Sheikh Saeed Mohamed Hasher Al Maktoum and Ara Nakhnikian, when golf in the Gulf was still finding its feet. Today it runs 31 stores across the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and KSA. The work at Emirates and Dubai Creek is part of a wider reinvestment in its on-course network, with a further upgrade planned at Jumeirah Golf Estates, home of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. “We have worked alongside Viya Golf for many years, and these refurbishments are a celebration of that partnership,” says Taylor. “Emirates and Dubai Creek are two of the most prestigious clubs in the region, and being entrusted to reimagine their pro shops is something we’re really proud of.”

FEATURES

FEET TOGETHER

Photography: Alex Leyno

FEET

TOGETHER

A simple drill for swinging in balance

This month we’ll look at a drill Peter Cowen showed me 18 years ago, and one I still use with my students today. It’s simple: we hit shots with our feet together.

WHY IT WORKS

With a normal stance it’s easy to sway or slide and still hit the ball. With our feet together, we can’t. We have to coil around a stable centre, which gives us a better strike and better balance.

COIL YOUR BALANCE POINTS TOGETHER

Last month we looked at the club’s balance point. Our body has balance points too: our feet,

our midsection and our upper body. At address they sit in line, one above the other, with our weight centred over our feet. The aim of this drill is to coil those balance points together. As we swing back, the upper body and midsection coil around the same centre, staying over our feet. Nothing slides off to the side. As we unwind, they unwind together and finish in line again, this time over our lead side. If one balance point moves away from the others,

for example the midsection sliding or the upper body tipping, we’ll feel it straight away with our feet together because we’ll lose our balance.

LOW POINT AND STRIKE CONTROL

Keeping our centre stable also controls our low point, the bottom of the swing. When our balance points coil and unwind together, the low point stays in the same place, giving us a more consistent strike.

STEP 1: SET UP

As always, we start from a good posture by tipping from the hips. Take a 7 or 8-iron, then bring your feet together so they touch, with the ball in the middle of your stance, as shown in picture 1. [Picture 1: Stephen at address with feet together, front view]

STEP 2: COIL TO THE TOP

From here we make a smooth backswing, coiling the upper body and midsection together over our feet, as shown in picture 2. Our weight should stay centred. [Picture 2: Stephen at the top of the backswing with feet together]

STEP 3: UNWIND AND HOLD YOUR FINISH

From the top, we unwind our balance points together through to a full finish at a speed we can control, with the upper body, midsection and feet finishing over our lead side, as shown in picture 3. Hold that finish until the ball lands. If you can’t hold it, slow down and try again. [Picture 3: Stephen holding a balanced finish with feet together]

STEP 4: GO BACK TO YOUR NORMAL STANCE

Once you can hit five shots in a row and hold every finish, go back to your normal stance and keep the same feeling. Alternate five balls feet together, five balls normal stance.

Written by

Stephen Deane Viya Head International Development Coach

THE KEY THOUGHT

Coil your balance points together, unwind them together and finish in balance. Keep your centre stable and your low point will look after itself. This is a fantastic drill and one I recommend to all my students. Practise it every time you go to the range and you’ll soon enjoy a more balanced swing and a far more consistent strike.

Stephen is an ambassador for Viya and coaches at their wonderful array of facilities while in Dubai. He also spends a proportion of his time developing professionals, amateurs and VIPs internationally.

FEATURES

THE HIDDEN GIANT OF GOLF

Photography: Provided

PRG at20. THE HIDDEN

GIANT OF GOLF

Twenty years after a first order of 18 headcovers for Royal County Down, PRG now makes around seven million products a year for more than 7,000 venues in 35 countries. CEO Stephen Riley reflects on the Ryder Cup, craftsmanship at scale and keeping PRG’s family culture alive.

FEATURES

THE HIDDEN GIANT OF GOLF

Photography: Provided

You founded PRG with your mother, Pauline, in 2006, beginning with a single order of just 18 headcovers for Royal County Down. Today, PRG produces around seven million products annually. Was there a particular moment when you realised the business had the potential to become something truly significant? Stephen Riley: I’m not sure there was ever one moment when I thought, “This is going to become something significant.” That first order of 18 headcovers for Royal County Down was exciting and gave us the belief that there was a real market for bespoke golf accessories. As we

Before establishing PRG, you played professional golf. How has your experience as a player influenced the way you think about product design, functionality and what golfers actually want? Stephen Riley: Playing professional golf gave me a strong understanding of what golfers care about, but for me it has always come down to attention to detail. Even today, we are testing more materials, construction methods and product ideas than ever before. We are constantly asking what makes a product perform better, feel better and ultimately stand out. You have previously described PRG as “the brand you don’t know you know”. You can travel almost anywhere in the golfing world and see PRG products, often without golfers realising who made them. What does that level of reach and recognition mean to you? Stephen Riley: It’s something I’m very proud of. I have friends constantly messaging me from golf trips around the world, sending photographs of PRG products they have spotted at different clubs and resorts. It’s always a great feeling, and a really nice compliment to the work our teams are putting out around the world.

started seeing PRG products at major clubs, resorts and championships around the world, I began to realise that we were building something much bigger, and that PRG was becoming a recognised name within the industry.

PRG’s first Ryder Cup involvement came in 2016, an experience you have described as a defining moment for the company. How has PRG’s role with the Ryder Cup evolved since then? Stephen Riley: The Ryder Cup has been incredibly special for PRG. Our first involvement in 2016 was one of those moments when you stop and appreciate exactly who you are working with. You have some of the best players in the world competing on one of golf’s biggest stages, and to see them using PRG products was a very proud moment. To be trusted to supply products for the teams is a huge honour. At that level, every detail matters, and that responsibility has always meant a great deal to us. Beyond PRG, you have been involved in developing other businesses, including Evnroll Putters, as well as establishing manufacturing operations in Asia for Direct Line. What have those experiences taught you that you have subsequently brought back into PRG? Stephen Riley: Being involved in founding Evnroll and in manufacturing projects in Asia has taught me a great deal. Probably the biggest lesson has been understanding the complete journey of a product: from the initial idea and design, through manufacturing, logistics and retail, and ultimately into the customer’s hands. It has also taught me a lot about people, culture and doing business internationally. I try to bring those experiences back into PRG and share them with our management team whenever I can.

Building a business from the ground up rarely comes without setbacks. Were there moments in PRG’s early years when you questioned whether the company would succeed, and what helped you push through those periods? Stephen Riley: Absolutely. There were plenty of difficult periods along the way. What kept me going was the belief that we had the ability to grow the company, together with the responsibility and commitment I felt towards the team we were building. Once other people believe in the vision and become part of that journey, it gives you even more determination to keep pushing forward.

You have spoken about the challenge of balancing speed and scale with craftsmanship and attention to detail. With PRG now working with more than 7,000 venues across 35 countries, how do you remain personally connected to the products and ensure quality is never compromised? Stephen Riley: This is something I think about constantly. Growth is exciting, but you have to be careful not to lose what made the company special in the first place. I still look at products, question designs and focus on the small details. More importantly, though, we have built a team that genuinely cares about what they do. That passion for the product has to exist throughout the business, not just with one person. PRG has its roots in Northern Ireland, a significant manufacturing presence in Asia, and a growing operation in the United States, including your new headquarters in Vista, California. As the company becomes increasingly global, how do you maintain a consistent culture and distinctive creative identity? Stephen Riley: Each part of PRG brings something different. Northern Ireland is a huge part of our character and foundation. Asia gives us tremendous manufacturing knowledge and capability, while the United States keeps us close to the largest golf market in the world. The challenge is making sure all of those parts still feel like one company. For me, that really comes down to finding the right people, with the right attitude and passion for the brand. PRG has collaborated with artist Lee Wybranski on PGA Championship collections for the past

four years. How did that relationship begin, and what do you think happens when art, golf and craftsmanship come together in a way that turns a functional product into something collectible? Stephen Riley: Working with Lee has been fantastic because he understands golf and its culture so well. When you combine strong artwork with craftsmanship, the product becomes more than simply a golf accessory. It becomes something people want to collect, and something they associate with a tournament, a course or a particular memory.

If you could take the Stephen Riley of 2006 – the person working on that first Royal County Down order – and show him PRG today, what do you think would surprise him most, and what would make him proudest? Stephen Riley: I think the scale of it would probably surprise me most. Back in 2006, we were simply trying to make that first order the best it could be. I certainly wasn’t thinking about where PRG might be 20 years later. What would make me proudest, though, is the people and the relationships we have built along the way. We work with some incredible names in golf, but we have also built a team around the world who are genuinely passionate about the brand and what we do. That, more than anything, is something I’m very proud of. As PRG enters its third decade, what excites you most about the next chapter of the business, and where do you believe the greatest opportunities lie over the next five to ten years? Stephen Riley: What excites me most is that we have built a very strong platform and a vertically integrated business, yet there are still significant opportunities in markets and categories that we are only beginning to explore. What really motivates me is continuing to evolve without losing what made PRG special in the first place. I want us to keep pushing creatively, keep growing, and make sure people enjoy being part of the journey.

Golf is full of stories and traditions, and I think the best products capture some of that emotion. KEEPING THE FAMILY CULTURE ALIVE PRG began as a family business, founded alongside your mother, and you have often described the company as being very peopleand family-oriented. As PRG has grown into an international organisation, how have you worked to preserve that original family-first culture? Stephen Riley: PRG started as a family business, and I still think that feeling is very much part of who we are today. I’m passionate about what we do, and I like to think that passion carries through to our teams around the world. I’m very lucky that I get to spend my year working with great people in great countries, experiencing different cultures and building relationships that often become much more than just business. As the company has grown, that connection with people has become even more important to me. We may be a much bigger international business today, but personal relationships, shared passion and giving people the opportunity to grow are still at the heart of our success.

If, over the next five to ten years, we can grow significantly while still protecting the quality, culture and passion behind the brand, I would be extremely proud of that. For more information about PRG products contact stuart@prosports.ae

EQUIPMENT

For decades, the golf equipment pecking order looked fixed. A handful of big names owned the tour vans, the shop walls and the marketing budgets, and everyone else fought over scraps. That order is starting to wobble. Direct-to-consumer upstarts, creator-owned brands and even a Formula One team are now chasing the same golfer, and some established names look poorly placed to respond.

By Alex Gallemore

FEATURES

FALLEN GIANTS?

Photography: Getty Images

Justin Rose

Fallen Giants?

The Golf Brands Losing Their Grip as the Challengers Arrive

PXG: from Ferrari to forecourt special When Bob Parsons launched Parsons Xtreme Golf in 2015, the pitch was simple: the best clubs money could buy, priced accordingly. Parsons liked to call them the Ferrari of golf clubs, and price tags often 30 per cent or more above rivals were part of the appeal. Owning PXG said something about you. Then the strategy changed. From 2019 the company introduced cheaper lines such as the 0211, and by 2022 the 0211 driver was selling for $219, while the flagship 0311 Gen5 driver had been cut from $499 to $349. Discounting became habitual, and at one stage PXG drivers were going for under $200. It broadened the customer base, but it blurred the message. A brand built on exclusivity now has to convince golfers it is premium and affordable at the same time, and that is a hard trick to pull off. Tour results haven’t filled the gap. Céline Boutier has been a superb ambassador, winning twice on the LPGA this season including the ShopRite Classic, and PXG spent heavily in January to sign Marco Penge and Aldrich Potgieter alongside Eric Cole and Jake Knapp. But that is a roster built on promise rather than silverware. None of them is yet the kind of marquee name whose Sunday win sells drivers on Monday, and until that changes PXG risks sitting in an uncomfortable middle ground: too expensive to be a bargain, too discounted to be a luxury.

Honma: beautiful, but stuck in time Few clubs look as striking as a set of Honma Beres, with gold-plated heads and handfinished detailing from the company’s Sakata factory in Japan. Honma is a genuine heritage brand, and its top-end sets can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But beauty is not the same as relevance. To many Western golfers the designs feel like they belong to another era, and the appeal often rests on the price tag as a status symbol rather than on performance. Contrary to popular belief, Honma has not pulled out of the US. It reported 370 points of sale in North America in March 2025 and says it still wants to grow there. Yet it has spent the best part of a decade trying to crack that market, and back in 2022 North America accounted for just four per cent of its revenue. Its momentum is strongest in Asia, particularly Korea, rather than with the club golfer in Ohio or Surrey. The brand’s boldest attempt to change that ended in embarrassment. In January 2019 Honma signed world No.1 Justin Rose. He won the Farmers Insurance Open within weeks, but his form faded and he slid to 14th in the world. By the Honda Classic in early 2020 he had a TaylorMade driver in the bag, and by Bay Hill there was not a single Honma club in sight, with his old TaylorMade P730 irons back in play. The deal was formally ended shortly afterwards,

barely 14 months in. For a brand trying to prove its clubs could win at the highest level, the image of its star ambassador quietly reverting to his old irons did lasting damage. Callaway: the surprise casualty If PXG and Honma were already on the watchlist, Callaway is the shock. This is one of the sport’s biggest names, built on decades of tour success and sharp marketing. But two things have gone wrong in 2026. The first is Jon Rahm. Callaway went all in on the Spaniard, giving him an equity stake and becoming the first major manufacturer to sponsor a LIV Golf team, his Legion XIII. In fairness, Rahm has won on LIV this year, in Hong Kong and Mexico City. The problem is where those wins happen. LIV still draws a fraction of the PGA Tour’s audience. In the majors, where most club-buying golfers actually tune in, Rahm’s season has been patchy: a share of 38th at the Masters, a missed cut at the US Open and a tie for 46th at The Open, lifted only by a share of second at the PGA Championship. The face of the brand is winning, but largely out of sight. The second wound was selfinflicted. In August, a 15-second social video promoting a co-branded Good Good x Callaway driver showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving Epson Tour player Alexis

Miestowski to the ground for reaching for his new club. The backlash was immediate. Critics accused the brands of trivialising violence against women, and some called for a boycott. Callaway admitted it had approved the video before it went out. Within a week it had cut ties with Good Good and pledged $1 million to organisations working to prevent violence against women. The response was decisive, but the damage was done, and at the worst possible moment: women now make up a record share of golfers and are driving much of the game’s growth.

Grant Horvat

The new wave While the old guard stumbles, the challengers are moving in. Finnish brand Takomo, founded in 2021, sells irons online for roughly $579 to $679 a set, around half what the big brands charge. It argues that golfers have been paying for tour contracts and retail margins rather than performance. Its masterstroke was bringing YouTube star Grant Horvat on board as a part-owner in January 2025. Horvat has more than a million subscribers and speaks directly to the newer, younger golfer who has never cared what is in a tour van. When he puts Takomo irons in his bag, that audience notices, and buys. At the other end of the market sits McLaren Golf. In April, Justin Rose, yes, the same Justin Rose, became the face of the Formula One team’s new golf venture. He debuted its irons at the Cadillac Championship at Doral in place of his Miura set. This time the arrangement is different. Rose is an investor and co-developer who had worked with McLaren’s engineers for well over a year before the launch. His results have cooled since the switch, but his approach play has held up, and he insists the clubs are not the problem. Where the Honma deal felt like a cheque, this one feels like ownership. What it all means The thread running through all of these stories is that golfers no longer automatically buy what the tour pros play. They buy brands that feel authentic, consistent and in tune with them. PXG blurred its identity, Honma never quite translated, and Callaway learned how quickly a viral moment can undo years of goodwill. Meanwhile, a creator-backed iron brand and a racing team are proving that credibility can be built in new ways. The giants are not finished, but they can no longer assume the next generation of golfers will come to them.

Jon Rahm

DUBAI’S LONGEST INDOOR SHOOTING RANGE • 200M NOW OPEN

SCAN TO DISCOVER

Near Palm Jebel Ali, Sheikh Zayed Road, Exit 13, Dubai, UAE JAresortshotels.com

JASPORTSDXB

RANGE FINDER JA The Resort has added Dubai’s longest indoor shooting range and a steakhouse built around open flame to the list of things to do once the round is over. Golfers like to think they know a thing or two about precision. JA The Resort now has somewhere to test the theory, and there’s no handicap to hide behind. JA Shooting Club, part of JA Sports & Shooting Club near Palm Jebel Ali, is built around a 200-metre rifle and shotgun range, the longest indoor shooting range in Dubai. Six lanes run the full distance. A 12-lane, 50-metre range and a 10-lane, 25-metre range complete the set, and all three use digital scoring and monitoring, so every shot is tracked.

One house rule is worth knowing. Shooting under the influence of alcohol isn’t permitted, so the running order writes itself: range first, steak second.

The club also has the UAE’s only indoor trap shooting range, plus an indoor archery range for those who’d rather draw a bow. Younger guests who aren’t permitted on the live-fire ranges get a dedicated simulator room, which means families can make a day of it; adults take to the lanes while the children are supervised on the simulators. Nobody needs to arrive an expert. The 25-metre range is aimed at first-timers, and the team walks newcomers through safety, stance, focus and technique before the first shot. Groups and corporate parties can combine live fire, trap and archery into team-building days. For golfers, the detail that matters is the address. JA Shooting Club is the only shooting club in the UAE connected to a hotel. That hotel is JA Lake View Hotel, around which Peter Harradine redesigned the opening three holes of the golf course at JA The Resort in 2018. Fairways in the morning, range in the afternoon, without changing hotels.

Stuart Gibb, Group General Manager, JA Sports & Shooting Club, to be approved. Suggested draft: “We wanted a club that works as well for someone picking up a rifle for the first time as it does for an experienced shooter. Put it alongside Smokin’ Gun and the golf course, and guests can fill a whole day here, from the first tee to dessert.”

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Then there’s dinner. Smokin’ Gun, the club’s new steakhouse, cooks over open flame and makes a show of it. It all starts at the butcher’s counter, where a female butcher talks guests through a selection of prime cuts before each one goes over the fire. The menu runs from smoke-seared steaks and wagyu burgers to lobster tail. A central bar anchors the room, two floor-to-ceiling wine cellars hold a collection chosen to match the grill, and private dining rooms take care of anything worth celebrating, a hole-in-one included.

l Age limits: 13 and over for trap shooting; 15 and over for .22 calibre firearms; 21 and over for 9mm firearms l ID required on entry, in line with Dubai Police regulations: passport, Emirates ID or UAE driving licence lJA Shooting Club: +971 4 814 5300 | jasc@jaresorts.com lSmokin’ Gun: +971 4 814 5604 | smokingun.restaurant@jaresorts.com

FEATURES

LUCIA MATURI

Photography: Alex Leyno

Lucia Maturi

When Lucia Maturi first picked up a club at six, it was simply a chance to play a few holes with her dad. More than a decade later, the England-born, Dubai-based golfer is one of the most exciting young talents in the region.

FEATURES

LUCIA MATURI

Photography: Alex Leyno

hen Lucia Maturi first picked up a club at six, it was simply a chance to play a few holes with her dad. More than a decade later, the England-born, Dubai-based golfer is one of the most exciting young talents in the region. Since moving to the UAE in 2022, Lucia has collected a string of accolades, including a dramatic final-round win at the Middle East Schools Championship at Arabian Ranches.. This year she has chosen to compete under the UAE flag at international events in England, St Andrews and Vietnam, and has turned down US college scholarships to build her future in the Middle East. Lucia sat down with Worldwide Golf at her club, Jumeirah Golf Estates, to look back on her Junior World Finals memories, talk about the rise of girls’ team golf, and explain why the UAE has come to feel like home. You started playing at six in England. What are your earliest memories of golf, and who first put a club in your hands? Lucia Maturi: My dad first introduced me to golf when I was six. I’d tried lots of team sports, but I loved the freedom of practising on my own or just playing a few holes with him.

You qualified for the Junior World Finals in California when you were still young. What was that experience like, and why was it the moment you decided to take golf seriously? Lucia Maturi: It was unforgettable. There was an opening parade with players carrying their country’s flag, an Air Force flyover and a big American-style party. I loved meeting girls from all over the world and being part of it. The standard was really high, especially among the American girls, and I was a long way off the leaders. That made me want to work harder, come back and be more competitive. I qualified again two years later, but couldn’t travel because of Covid. You moved to Dubai in 2022 and settled quickly. What made it feel like home so fast? Lucia Maturi: Golf helped me settle in because it gave me a routine outside school and kept me busy, so I didn’t have much time to feel homesick. My teachers and coaches were really supportive, and everyone I met at school and through golf was so welcoming that I soon felt at home. I also felt safe here, which gave me so much more freedom and independence. It was a really positive experience from the start. How does playing golf in the UAE compare with the UK, in terms of the courses, the conditions and the golfing community? Lucia Maturi: It almost feels like a different game. The grass, weather and course layouts are so different that playing in both places helps me develop different skills. The courses I play in the UK tend to have tighter fairways and smaller greens, with less grain to read when putting. I also have to adapt the shots I play, especially

from the tight lies on links courses. You’ve chosen to play under the UAE flag at international events this year, including in England, St Andrews and Vietnam. What does representing the UAE mean to you? Lucia Maturi: I feel very lucky to call the UAE home. When I first went back to England to compete, some friends and parents had an impression of life here that was very different from my experience. Their questions made me realise how many misconceptions there were. Having the UAE flag beside my name starts conversations and gives me the chance to share what living here has actually been like: welcoming, safe and full of opportunities. I’m proud to be a UAE resident, and flying the flag is my way of giving something back to the country that’s given me so much. You recently turned down US college scholarships. What went into that decision, and what does your path look like now? Lucia Maturi: I was grateful for the scholarship offers, but moving to Dubai helped me realise that the UAE is where I want to build my future. I’ve already experienced living and studying abroad, so for me, the decision was about where I could develop best as a golfer. Here, I

“

I’M PROUD TO BE A UAE RESIDENT, AND FLYING THE FLAG IS MY WAY OF GIVING SOMETHING BACK TO THE COUNTRY THAT’S GIVEN ME SO MUCH.” have access to incredible courses, first-class practice facilities and elite coaching, with the weather to train throughout the year. I also feel safe, settled and supported, which allows me to focus on my game. What are your goals for the next few years, both in golf and beyond? Lucia Maturi: My goal is to have a career in golf and, for now, to concentrate on playing. I want to keep developing my game and learning from every tournament. Being based in the UAE gives me a great opportunity to do that, and I’m determined to make the most of it. Beyond golf, I want to keep growing as a person, travel and enjoy all the experiences along the way. What has been the toughest moment in your golf so far, and who was in your corner to help you bounce back? Lucia Maturi: My toughest setback was a back injury last year. Two bulging discs kept me out of golf for four months during the peak UAE season. I couldn’t even practise putting, and missing major competitions was particularly frustrating. Dr Tom Dawson, my coach Graham Forbes and my personal trainer Ali Parlane developed a structured rehabilitation plan that helped me return with confidence and taught me the importance of patience. I’m now playing full-time, supported by Ali at CH3 and my physiotherapist, Chris McCormick. I’m grateful to Graham for everything he helped me achieve, and I’m excited to work with my new coach, Paul Shields, and draw on his experience at the highest level. Reg Van Rooyen at Club Lab has also fitted my clubs for several years, ensuring they suit my height and game. I also appreciate the support of Maydale Falcons, Prosperity Wealth Management, Aguila Performance and the northstarr Group, alongside my parents and close friends. Having the whole team behind me makes a real difference. Which events are you aiming for over the coming season? Lucia Maturi: I’m taking it week by week and planning my schedule around how my back responds. I’m keen to compete and keep improving, but I want to build up steadily and avoid another setback. The aim is to stay healthy and give myself the best chance to play at my best. What achievement are you proudest of so far, and why? Lucia Maturi: Being selected for the Yorkshire under-18 girls’ team at just 11 is something I’m really proud of. Competition for places was fierce, so being picked meant a lot, and winning both my debut matches made it even better. You were part of the first all-girls team to win the Derbyshire Junior Team County Championship, beating an all-boys team in the final. What do you remember about that day? Lucia Maturi: It was such an exciting day. We were all great friends, so the team spirit was amazing. I won my match on the 14th, which meant I could cheer on the other girls. At 2–2, it came down to our last player holing a five-foot putt on the 18th, and she did! Becoming the first all-girls team to win made it even more special. I’d love to see more opportunities for girls’ team golf in the UAE, so others can experience that same feeling. What is the best round you’ve ever played? Talk us through it. Lucia Maturi: My most memorable round was at the Middle East Schools Championship at Arabian Ranches in Dubai. Going into the final round, I was second, two shots behind the

leader, and we were paired together. It felt like a match-play battle: every time I gained a shot, she responded. We kept pushing each other throughout the round, all the way to the 17th, when I drew level with a birdie. On the last, I sank an eight-footer to win. What does a typical training week look like for you? Lucia Maturi: I train six days a week, with one day off to rest and recover. My schedule adapts around competitions, but most days include putting, short-game practice and range work, alongside carefully balanced PT sessions. Dubai’s heat can affect outdoor training, so I’m fortunate that Greg Holmes at Aguila Performance, nearby at JGE, allows me to practise indoors. It’s a calm, private environment where I can concentrate fully, and the world-class technology on site helps me get the most from every session. Which golfers do you look up to, and why? Lucia Maturi: I admire Lottie Woad for her fearless approach and the impact she’s made on tour at such a young age. She’s also a Leeds United fan, like me, so we have that in common. A round together at JGE, followed by watching Leeds at the Dubai Whites HQ, would be an ideal day! What do you enjoy doing in Dubai when you’re not playing golf? Lucia Maturi: My day off is a chance to recharge and keep up with my wellness routine. I enjoy eating out and making time for self-care and the everyday things that can get squeezed out by a busy training schedule. What advice would you give to girls in the UAE who are just starting out in golf? Lucia Maturi: Join a group coaching session to learn the basics, especially your grip and set-up, and meet other girls to practise and play with. Having friends in the game makes such a difference, and we should support each other. Don’t rush to keep score; let your coach guide you on when you’re ready. Enjoy playing, laugh, remember the good shots and let the bad ones go. Give yourself time to learn without putting pressure on every round. It started with a few holes alongside her dad. Now, with a strong team behind her and the UAE flag beside her name, Lucia Maturi is one to watch.

FEATURES

ALEXANDER RUSHIKA

Photography: Alex Leyno

ALEXANDER

RUSHIKA

Ahead of his Years At just 16, Dubai-based Alexander Rushika has already claimed his first men’s title in the UAE, winning the Cedars Golf Championship by four shots. He talks to Worldwide Golf about learning from near-misses, chasing a place i How did you first get into golf, and what made you want to pursue it seriously? My journey started in the UAE. My mum took me to Montgomerie Golf Club, where we had a few lessons with coaches and some group sessions for kids. The sport was developing here and she wanted me to be active and try different things – I was playing football and tennis, swimming, pretty much everything. When I was about seven, I decided golf was the one. I played a few local tour events in Italy, where I lived, and then in Azerbaijan, where I met my coach, Michael Sweenie. He’s been my coach for eight years now and has helped me develop my game enormously. I felt the

sport was for me. I found I had a talent for it and that my swing was pretty good, so I kept going, and I’ve loved it ever since. How has growing up in Dubai shaped you as a player, and who have been your biggest influences? The facilities are excellent, and the heat is tough. You have to be disciplined to spend hours and hours on the range in those conditions, and that prepares me mentally for playing in the UK or Europe, where it’s cooler. It’s made me mentally tougher and given me good endurance, so a six-hour round in a big tournament doesn’t faze me. As for influences, I look up to Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, like most young golfers.

FEATURES

ALEXANDER RUSHIKA

Photography: Alex Leyno

Hanging out with my best friends – that’s really what I like to do to get away from golf. I also play a lot of other sports: tennis, padel, swimming. It’s nice just to have some time off.” I’m grateful I put myself in those positions last year, leading and in contention going into the final round. The last few holes – 16, 17 and 18 – were mentally hard because I knew I could win, and thinking about that started to get to me. The more you put yourself in those positions, the better you handle them. At Cedars, it was easier to overcome thoughts like “What if I make a double bogey? Will I need a birdie?” I’d been there before, so I felt freer to play. That experience makes all the difference.

What were the biggest challenges in your early competitive career, and how have they helped you mature? Golf is a mental game. I’d say it’s 70 per cent mental and 30 per cent physical, and when you’re younger that’s tough. You get frustrated. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned to deal with anger and keep my composure on the course. That more mature approach has helped me win more tournaments and play better. Golf builds a lot of character. You recently won the Cedars Golf Championship by four shots at three under par. What did that first men’s victory in the UAE mean to you? I was really happy. I’d put in a lot of work and it paid off. Last year, as a 15-year-old playing men’s events, I finished second three times in eight events, often after leading going into the final round. That was tough, but I think I needed to go through it. It gave me the experience of playing in final groups and leading into the last round, and that’s what helped me get the win at Cedars. How different is competing against older, more established golfers? It’s all about experience. Players such as Thomas Stevenson, Mark Scumbie and James Slade have been through a lot over the years, and they’ve given me plenty of advice, especially on the mental side. Junior events are good for comparing my level with players my age, but men’s events help me mature more quickly. And competing with older players gives me a confidence boost. You’ve competed in England, Bahrain and Morocco. What have you learned

from playing outside the UAE? Becoming a professional is my main goal, and that will mean travelling a lot: Europe, America, Asia. Conditions vary hugely, whether it’s hot or cold, and the grass types are very different. Playing internationally now means I’ll be able to adjust much more quickly when I get to that level. I’m getting to know different courses and learning to compete against international fields. How has the Emirates Golf Federation’s development programme supported your progress? They’ve done a lot for me and I’m really grateful. The UAE is where I grew up – I’ve always treated it as my first home – so representing the UAE team is a big opportunity, and I do it with honour. The federation has really helped me develop my game over the years. The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, DP World Tour Championship and Hero Dubai Desert Classic bring the world’s best to the UAE. Are there players you’re looking forward to learning from? I’ve watched the events a few times over the past three years, and learning from those players is very important. I practise at the Tommy Fleetwood Academy, and having Tommy around means I learn a lot from his experience. I’m looking forward to watching how the players swing and practise, and maybe bringing some of that into my own sessions. They’re the best players in the world, and at 16 I’ve still got plenty to learn. How do you handle pressure in important rounds, and what has winning taught you?

How do you balance school, training, travel and competition? Everything I do – golf, school, academics – is geared towards my goals. I practise Monday to Friday, at least six hours a day: range work, a couple of hours on my short game, some gym work, then nine holes on the course. Saturday is my rest day, when I catch up on schoolwork.

COACH’S VIEW

Managing it all is really important, and I think that’s what a lot of players lack. Nobody says it’s easy, but it’s what we have to do to become the best we can be. What do you enjoy away from the course? Hanging out with my best friends – that’s really what I like to do to get away from golf. I also play a lot of other sports: tennis, padel, swimming. It’s nice just to have some time off. What are your goals for the rest of the season and into 2027?

I’ve recently secured a World Amateur Golf Ranking, so I want to improve that and get into more invitational tournaments in the US, such as the Junior Invitational, and qualify for the US Junior Amateur. I’m not fixated on one event, though. I just want to keep developing as a player. If I stick to my routines, my schedule and the way I’m working, success will follow. What’s the next big step in your development? Playing bigger events with bigger fields. You see how the best amateurs and juniors have developed. They’re trying to improve just like me, but they’re the top of the amateur game. That’s why I’d love to play events such as the Junior Invitational or the US Amateur. It’s all about levelling up in experience, and that will help me compete more easily in events back here. Is turning professional something you’re working towards? Yes. It differs from junior to junior, depending on how much work and dedication they put in. What matters to me is knowing I do more work than everyone else – but quality over quantity. I want to do proper work on the range rather than just hitting balls, and know exactly what I need to work on. Every junior has their own goals. If I stick to my plan and my journey and don’t focus on anyone else, hopefully it works out. Ten years from now, what would you like to have achieved, and what kind of person do you hope to be? I hope to become world number one – I think everyone wants that. But I also want to be as kind a person as possible, and to support the people I love and those who have supported me. Tommy Fleetwood is a great example. Everyone loves him. He’s such a kind soul, and people look up to him not only because of his golf but because of his character. That’s the kind of person I want to be: someone people look up to and are inspired by. I want to be a hero to people.

MICHAEL SWEENIE I’ve been Alex’s coach for nine or ten years, and it’s been an absolute pleasure. I first remember him walking into my academy aged five or six. Even then you could see his athletic ability, his passion for the game and, perhaps most of all, how competitive he was. I could tell he had enormous potential. It’s been rewarding to watch him mature. We’ve built a fantastic player-coach relationship, and what I’m most proud of is his continued desire to challenge himself and find out what the next steps are. I believe Alex has many of the qualities needed to play at the very highest level, and we’re making great strides towards that. Golf is an incredibly challenging sport and there are no guarantees, but his maturity and development over the last year in particular have been outstanding. The intensity of his practice and the way he organises his schedule have improved significantly. He increasingly understands what it takes to be a high-performance golfer, not just technically but in his preparation and approach. Students, players and fellow coaches regularly tell me how good Alex’s swing looks, and it is a fantastic swing. But for me, the real keys to his potential are the things you can’t see when he hits a ball: his competitiveness, his drive and his genuine passion for getting better. Those qualities will determine how far he can go. There’s so much more to come. His technique is a fantastic foundation, but it’s his mindset, character and willingness to keep pushing himself that give me such belief in his future. It’s been a privilege to be part of his journey, and I’m excited to keep working together as we take the next steps.

FEATURES

FINDING HER BALANCE

Photography: Alex Leyno

FINDING HER BALANCE: SACHA JADE ON GOLF, PILATES AND THE POWER OF COMMUNITY Five years after arriving in Dubai knowing no one, Sacha Jade has found her people on the fairways of Jumeirah Golf Estates. Now training as a Pilates instructor, she talks friendship, frustration, and why a stable pelvis might just be the secret to a better swing. Golf was part of your life from an early age. Your mother managed golf clubs and several members of your family played. What are your earliest memories of the game, and how did growing up in that environment shape your connection to it? Sacha Jade: Golf always seemed so fun and social to me. I grew up around golf clubs (society days, awards evenings and so on), and we always had the golf on the TV at home. I found it so relaxing and therapeutic to watch, and I still do.

Yet it wasn’t until you moved to Jumeirah Golf Estates five years ago that you truly took up the game yourself. What inspired that step, and how has golf become part of your life in Dubai? Sacha Jade: When I moved to Dubai five years ago, I knew no one. I wanted to throw myself into something I could build a social circle around, and living in Jumeirah Golf Estates, golf seemed the obvious choice. Now golf is a huge part of my life. Anyone who loves golf will tell you how addictive it is.

FEATURES

FINDING HER BALANCE

Photography: Alex Leyno

You’ve spoken about the friendships and community golf has brought into your life, particularly through the Lady Links society. What makes that environment so special, and how important has the social side of the game been for you? Sacha Jade: There are a few ladies’ golf societies in Dubai, but Lady Links is where I’ve found my people. It’s based at the Tommy Fleetwood Academy in Jumeirah Golf Estates, which is very handy for me. It’s a lovely group to be part of. We have all skill levels, and everyone is so supportive of each other’s golf journeys. We don’t take it too seriously; everyone’s there to have a good time together. The DP World Tour Championship returns to Jumeirah Golf Estates this November. Are you looking forward to it, are there any players you’re excited to watch, and who will you be going with? Sacha Jade: I’m so excited for the DP World Tour Championship weekend. It’s the highlight of the year! I’ll go with various people across the weekend, including the Lady Links girls, as a few of our players are taking part in a ladies’ day challenge. I’ll be rooting for Tommy Fleetwood, of course, as a fellow Jumeirah Golf Estates resident. Beyond the friendships, golf offers a constant opportunity for personal growth. What are you working on in your game right now, and what has the sport taught you about patience and resilience? Sacha Jade: Right now, the key things I’m working on are consistency in my swing and gaining some extra distance. But golf is hard! It’s such a mental sport, and so much of it is in your head. There are no quick fixes; you need perseverance and a dedication to improving if you want to see results. Pilates has been part of your life for many years, but you’ve recently begun training as an instructor. What inspired you to teach, and how has studying Pilates changed your understanding of movement, strength and the body? Sacha Jade: My career background was in events, sponsorship and marketing, but I wanted something

I could do on my own terms. I’ve always had a very active lifestyle and a passion for Pilates, so it felt like the perfect next move. It has taught me so much about the body. The instructor exams involve a lot of studying, especially anatomy and physiology. The mind–muscle connection is a huge part of Pilates and how we move. Golf and Pilates might seem very different, yet both rely on balance, coordination, rotation and control. Where do you see the greatest connection, and how can Pilates help golfers move more efficiently? Sacha Jade: There’s so much crossover between the movements we practise in Pilates and what benefits golfers. Spinal and hip mobility are key elements of Pilates, helping you move through your available range with control.

“It’s such a mental sport, and so much of it is in your head. There are no quick fixes; you need perseverance and a dedication to improving if you want to see results.” Has your Pilates journey made a difference to your own game, whether in flexibility, stability, body awareness or confidence over the ball? Sacha Jade: I’d say body awareness is key: understanding how to move your hips whilst keeping the pelvis stable, how to rotate through your swing with power and control, and knowing your body well enough to trust your spine to do that. Many amateur golfers spend hours on their swing but overlook physical conditioning. For someone completely new to Pilates, where should they start to support their performance and longevity in the game?

Sacha Jade: You don’t need to begin with anything complicated to benefit from Pilates. I’d start with the basics: learning to breathe well, move with control and build strength alongside mobility. For golf, the aim is to have enough freedom through your hips and upper back to rotate comfortably, along with the strength and stability to control that movement. The goal is to build a body that can keep enjoying the game for years to come. Both golf and Pilates demand focus, patience and the ability to stay present. How has Pilates shaped your mental approach, particularly when managing pressure or recovering from a frustrating shot? Pilates has taught me to slow down, connect with my breathing and bring my attention back to what I’m doing in that moment. That’s something I try to take onto the range and the course with me. After a bad shot, it’s very easy to carry that frustration into the next one. Taking a breath and resetting helps me focus on the next shot, rather than the one I can’t change. Your lifestyle brings together golf, Pilates, movement and wellbeing. In a city as fast-paced as Dubai, what does finding a healthy balance mean to you? For me, balance means making time for the things that help me feel like myself. Life is busy, and movement gives me space to recharge. Pilates helps me feel strong and centred, while golf gets me outdoors, challenges me and brings a lovely social side. In a city like Dubai, both help me slow down and feel more present. Looking ahead, what are your ambitions? Could you see yourself bringing these two worlds together to help other golfers? I’d love to bring the two together as I develop my teaching. Helping golfers move more freely, feel stronger and build confidence in their bodies is something I feel passionate about. Personally, I want to keep learning, keep improving my own game, and make Pilates feel more approachable for people who may never have considered it before.

FAIRWAY MAGNET. THE NEW STANDARD IN STRAIGHT. In the new G440 K driver, we’re taking forgiveness further than ever. Its combined MOI is our highest ever and makes the G440 K our straightest and most forgiving adjustable driver to date. For you, that means longer, straighter drives — and shorter approach shots from the fairway to the green.

CG SHIFTER A movable, 32-gram backweight dials in ball flight in three positions (Fade, Draw, Neutral).

DUAL CARBONFLY WRAP Lightweight carbon sole and crown save mass, helping move the CG lower and deeper for more ball speed and distance.