Club Life December

Editor: Jacqui Barry barrydxb@eim.ae

December

2014

ISSUE 46

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Emirates Golf Club Senior Management

Editorial

elcome to all ladies who are going to be at EGC for the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. I know that there will be a strong field with some new faces and many who come to this tournament every year. It promises to be a great event as always and it’s a pleasure for us, as members, to see the pros in action on the Majlis. Enjoy your golf, the hospitality and, on behalf of the members, I wish you all the best for the tournament.

Christopher May

Chief Executive Officer cmay@dubaigolf.com

Andrew Whitelaw

General Manager awhitelaw@dubaigolf.com

The month of December is very busy as we head into the festive season. We have just recently had Eid, Diwali, Thanksgiving and National Day celebrations, and now Christmas. Isn’t it wonderful that we all embrace these occasions, regardless of our religion or nationality, which certainly makes living in Dubai so unique.

There is a huge range of activities on for the festive season (see information in this issue), many of which get booked up quickly, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

It’s the time of year too when we all have lot of family and friends visiting, mostly because they want to be with us, but also because it’s the best place in the world to be at this time of the year with this wonderful weather.

Craig Haldane

Andy Meech

Director - Golf Course Maintenance chaldane@dubaigolf.com

Head of Sport and Leisure ameech@dubaigolf.com

Barney Coleman

Adele Cowgill

Ganesh Mangathil

Keith Wilkes

Chef Max Grenard

Culinary Director mgrenard@dubaigolf.com

The Majlis is a walking only course now until mid-February and it’s fantastic to be able to be out in perfect weather conditions and walk the course which is now in peak condition. Thank you Craig and the Golf Course Maintenance crew who do such a great job!

One of EGC’s honorary members, Stephen Gallacher, was in Dubai last month for the DP World Tour Championship and then stayed on to play in the ‘golf in DUBAi’ Charity Invitational, hosted

by Emirates Golf Club. A total amount of AED 70,000 was raised through an auction and this money will benefit both the Stephen Gallacher Foundation: http://www.sgfoundation.co.uk/ and the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation http://shaikhmaktoumgolffoundation.net/index.html Both organisations aim to assist in developing grass roots golf.

Stephen seemed to be very much at home here and loves to spend time in Dubai to play the Majlis whenever he can, as he said it is one of his favourite courses. He is a double winner here, having won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2012 and in 2013! He is a really down-to-earth guy who just loves being with people - a wonderful ambassador for golf in every sense of the word. Stephen’s manager, Iain Stoddard remarked, “It is a credit to the whole Club that we are always made to feel so welcome.”

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

In House Publishing Manager Retail Manager gmangathil@dubaigolf.com kwilkes@dubaigolf.com

Martin Drugan

Food and Beverage Manager mdrugan@dubaigolf.com

Saeed v

Financial Controller mahamed@dubaigolf.com

The staff/member scramble takes place on 16th December; all the staff really look forward to this competition and it’s great to play a fun competition with them so if you are able to play, please support this event as it means so much to our hardworking staff.

Best wishes to everyone for an enjoyable festive season. See you in the New Year!

Jacqui Barry

CONDOLENCES from Mark Yexley

Gary Anderson, a member of Emirates Golf Club, sadly passed away on 13th November 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer five months ago. Gary was the CEO for the DGCX. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends around the world.

Andrew Matthews PGA, Membership Services Manager

Stephen Deane

Head Academy Professional sdeane@dubaigolf.com

EGC Key Telephone Numbers Main Switchboard

04 417 9999

Members Golf Reservations 04 417 9800 Membership

04 417 9801

Recreation

04 417 9850

Accounts

04 417 9875

SensAsia Urban Spa

04 417 9820

Haridas Palliyalil

Resident Engineer hpalliyalil@dubaigolf.com

Follow Emirates Golf Club on Facebook for the latest news, views and special offers.

We already have over 21,780 likes. Follow us on Twitter @emiratesgc and Instagram @emiratesgc

A few days ago I was invited to play for our Club team in a charity event hosted by Stephen Gallacher, a two time champion of the Dubai Desert Classic and also a Ryder Cup team member this year. What a gentleman – it felt like he was a full Club member, not someone who has achieved so much. He joined each four-ball to play a couple of shots and he really made it look effortless. My team on the day included Jacqui Barry (Welsh) and two members from Scotland, Drummond Welsh and Malcolm Wood (a late replacement for Irishman Tom Barry who had to withdraw due to a back injury).

Well, as you can imagine it was a case of ‘Lost in Translation’ trying to decipher two Scotsmen…and then a third Scotsman joined us

on the first hole, in the form of Stephen Gallacher…I think I managed to understand one out of every 15 words!! I was really impressed with myself!

The tournament itself was fantastic – well done giD for organising it, and to EGC for hosting it. I would play this format seven days a week if I could… I just love it. It was a scramble format, whereby every player played every shot and no minimum number of drives was needed, which was great as we had our secret weapon, Jacqui, whose drives we took on sixteen of the eighteen holes! It’s a quick format, very few decisions to make and we are walking at this time of year also, which makes for a perfect day on the course! Now I am coming to the best bit…our team also won which was the icing on the cake.

Stephen Gallacher, you are one of the best pros around and I loved

having had the opportunity to play with you and have dinner with you in the evening. giD did a superb job and a lot of money was raised for charity through the auctions, so this has truly been one of the highlights of my year so far.

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Our Club competitions are attracting many players but may I request you to please make an effort to stay for the prize presentations, particularly when it is a shotgun start.

in’s Club Capta Message

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t’s unbelievable how quickly my Captaincy is passing. I feel like I have just started my year but the first quarter is almost over already as we get into the festive season. There is still lots to look forward to…now and in the New Year so please make a note of all the events, sign up, enjoy the golf and meet some of your fellow members.

Our courses are looking in great shape so big thanks to Craig Haldane and his crew who do a superb job. Please help them, and other players, by filling in divots and repairing pitch marks as it really helps to keep the course in tip-top condition.

So my friends, I wish you a very happy festive season, happy golfing and as you surely know…I LOVE you all.

Your Kamal.

Kamal Kosta Club Captain 2014-2015

COMPETITION RESULTS Mashreq Medal in association with BMW & Ruth’s Chris Steak House Friday 14th November 2014 A DIVISION (HCP. 0-10) WINNER: Charles Stricklin RUNNER UP: Zubin Chandra THIRD: Jignesh Sangani BEST GROSS: Marcus Wallman Overall Best Net: Sudhir Vora B DIVISION (HCP. 11-20) WINNER: Arjun Gupta RUNNER UP: Cody Isles THIRD: Ishu B. Rupani C DIVISION (HCP. 21-28) WINNER: Sudhir Vora

Net 69 Net 70 Net 70 Gross 74 Net 64 Net 69 Net 72 Net 73 Net 64

CLUBHOUSE TROPHY 28th November 2014

Glory for Gupta in Clubhouse Trophy Young Arjun Gupta, who is currently enjoying a fine run of form, scored 22 points on the back nine of the Majlis course to claim the Clubhouse Trophy. His 40 point tally was two clear of his closest rival Gokul Mani on 38. In third place was Dileep Kumar with 37 points.

In A division (handicap 0-14) Jignesh Sangani claimed first place with 37 points.

Suvansh Arora was the runner-up also on 37 points, Sangani claiming top spot with a better back 6.

Ishu Rupani won B division (handicap 15-24) with 37 points, followed closely by runner-up Amresh Sangani on 36 points.

The Clubhouse Trophy on-course prizes were sponsored by Dunning Golf, who donated prize vouchers for a polo shirt for nearest the pin on holes number 4 and 15. Nearest the pin on the 178 yard 15th was won by Andy Hendry. A special mention to Nitin Kripalani who won the other prize in spectacular style by acing the 4th hole with his last shot of the day in fading light.

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in’s Lady Capta Message

s I mentioned at the beginning of the season time flies so quickly, particularly in Dubai. The festive season is already knocking at the door and many people are travelling out of town as usual. I personally never travel between November and March because I love staying in Dubai in this great weather and busy season. It is time to sit outside and enjoy BBQs with friends. I often ask myself why I like living in Dubai and I always answer “Of course, because it is busy”. I don’t think I should mention our summer here because I think we all know what it’s like!. However, I was surprised at how busy it was in

Dubai this summer, which means I was here too! Even some of the restaurants were fully booked which we could not believe, so we walked into a restaurant one evening without a reservation and got turned away so we had to go elsewhere to celebrate ‘Busy Dubai Summer’.

At EGC this month, as you know, we will have the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. How nice it is to see these lady professionals with their beautiful swings alongside us. I love watching how they practise putting. They must spend 50% of their practice sessions just on putting. “Drive for show but putt for dough”.

There will be a cafe between

hole no 11 and 5th green which will be very relaxing.

After the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters we will have our Christmas Scramble on Monday 15th December and Christmas lunch after the competition. I hope you don’t forget to bring your favourite clothes and shoes! Please sign up in teams of four for the competition and the sign up sheet for Christmas lunch will be on the notice board in the ladies’ locker room very soon. Ladies enjoy our best season!

Mitsuko Emmerson Lady Captain 2014-2015

LADIES’ COMPETITION RESULTS Ladies’ Medal Monday 3rd November 2014

SILVER “A” DIVISION (HCP. 0 – 14)

Sponsored by

Winner:

Veronica Elias

NET 70

Runner Up:

Amarjeet Radia

NET 71

Best Gross:

Jayshree Gupta

GROSS 78

SILVER “B” DIVISION (HCP. 15 –23) Winner :

Sabine Choudry

NET 64

Runner Up :

Natali Gupta

NET 72

BRONZE DIVISION (HCP. 24 –42) Winner:

KELLOGG’S SERIES Monday 10th November 2014

T

he latest Kellogg’s series event was an 18 hole four-ball team stableford tournament on the Faldo course. With a total of 48 competitors, the event format proved challenging and fun. Each team score was compiled by counting the best stableford score on the par 5s, two best stableford scores on the par 4s and three best stableford scores on the par 3s.

The winning team was Arathi Appaiah, Mimi Hosking, Sandra Broedelet and Mieke Slotboom with a fabulous score of 90 points. As a fourball team they

Gillian Black

Supported by managed a total of six birdies and 20 pars.

The runners-up team included Sulafa Hamdan, Veronica Elias, Jane Jones and Movana Sadek with a solid score of 88 points.

Finishing in third position with a team score of 86 points and a better back nine was Lorraine Logan, Margaret Breen, Mariana Kyrkiris and June McDonald.

Congratulations to all the winners and well done to all participants.

Winning Team

HERITAGE TROPHY 17th & 24th November 2014 Winner:

Sulafa Hamdan

36 + 38 = 74 Pts.

Second:

Amarjeet Radia

35+ 36 = 71 Pts.

Third:

Rajni Sud

32+ 38 = 70 Pts.

Best Round 1:

Sabine Choudry

39 Pts.

Best Round 2:

Natali Gupta

37 Pts.

Sulafa Hamdan receiving her prize from Lady Vice-Captain Helen Srivastava

NET 73

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LADIES’ CLINIC with Bryan Smyth

Committee

Thursday Tune Up with Senior Golf Professional Alastair Brown Looking to brush up on your golfing skills?

Emirates Golf Club members are invited to join The Academy’s Senior Golf Professional, Alastair Brown, in a weekly tune-up session. This complimentary supervised men’s practice session is exclusive to Emirates Golf Club members and will cover a different topic of the game every week.

Join Alastair every Thursday 16.30 – 17.30 at the members’ area at the back of the Majlis range and benefit from his handy tips and hints as you practice under his watchful eye.

Sign up is on a first come, first served basis; simply add your name to the weekly registration form in the men’s locker room. For more information, please email ABrown@dubaigolf.com

DUBAI GOLF’s

UAE National DAy celebrations

PRO’S TIP OF THE MONTH by

Pro’s Tip

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Stephen deane

HOLE MORE PUTTS

WITH

During last month’s Race to Dubai I took the opportunity to learn the craft of the very popular green reading system called AimPoint Express from top European Tour Instructor Jamie Donaldson. Jamie works with many tour players including Adam Scott and has helped them claim global tournament success on variety of greens.

Adam Scott AimPoint express tour player

B

asically AimPoint works by gauging the slope of the green with your feet and the use of your eyes if needed. With AimPoint the big factor is you don’t have to walk in 360 degrees around the golf ball and hole looking at your putt from all angles. In fact it’s discouraged as you’re filling your mind with conflicting information (i.e. looking at a downhill putt from behind your ball and then from behind the hole gives two different pieces of conflicting information that won’t help you make a good read). It’s also a great way to speed up play and has been encouraged by the R&A. The system is very easy to grasp and after you hit a few putts you’ll instantly become aware of how well it works. To begin you have to learn what a 1 degree through 5 degree slope feels like through your feet. This is easily done by marking varying slope angles 1 degree to 5 degree using a spirit level during your practice session. Once these five positions are marked you can then learn what they feel like through your feet. This is the most important part of the learning process and once you can feel the varying levels from slight to severe the rest becomes easy.

1

2

3

With putts four feet and under you feel the slope by standing directly behind the ball with both feet shoulder width apart (Picture 1). From here you then determine the slope rating using your 1 to 5 scale. Always remember to favor a 2 over a 1 or a 3 over a 2 if unsure! This will ensure you never under read your putts.

After feeling the slope (ranked 1 - 5) you stand behind your ball and hold up 1 to 5 fingers depending on the slope you felt with your feet. With your finger intersecting the hole in half you close your non dominant eye. The edge on the outside of your outside finger is your AimPoint. (Picture 2) On longer putts over 4 feet you go through the same process but measure the slope rating by standing half way along the line of your putt. This is called the mid point from which your determine your slope rating from 1 to 5 (Picture 3) There are nuances such as uphill/downhill and stimp reading (how fast the green is) that affect the break (i.e. add or subtract a finger from your Aimpoint) but overall this system is very effective and will certainly improve your scoring.

To book an AimPoint Express putting session please contact Head Academy Professional Stephen Deane by emailing sdeane@dubaigolf.com.

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Junior Link

Elite squad We had an excellent showing from Emirates Golf Club’s Junior Elites in the Emirates Junior Amateur Open!

Junior open results

Proud coach and Head Professional, Stephen Deane, was delighted to see Junior Elites Natali Gupta and her twin brother Arjun, both card superb net 66s to win both the boys’ and girls’ net divisions in the recent Emirates Junior Amateur Open.

BOYS CHAMPION: GIRLS CHAMPION: RUNNER UP: THIRD:

Jung Bin Kim (ADGC) Laila Hrindova (BSS) Jakub Hrinda (BSS) Bradley Mogire (EGC)

GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS

Furthermore, a solid gross 75 from Elite Junior Bradley Mogire, secured him third place in the overall gross division with his best competitive score to date.

DIVISION “A” BOYS (HCP. 0-14) BEST NET: Tariq El-Chaib (CGAD)

NET 69

Coach Stephen remarked that he was delighted with Bradley’s progress over the past few months and his hard work and dedication are fundamental to his success.

DIVISION “B” BOYS (HCP 15-28) BEST NET: Arjun Gupta (EGC)

NET 66

GIRLS DIVISION (HCP 0 - 36) BEST NET: Natali Gupta

NET 66

Well done guys!

Saturday 15th November 2014

Spotlight on

Bradley Mogire I am a 14-year-old from the depths of the Rift Valley, Nakuru, Kenya. I go to The English College and I am now in Grade 10.

Tatyana, my sister, and I used to accompany my father to the golf club from the time I was seven, but it was not until I was about twelve that I developed a keen interest in the game.

Stephen Deane

trained with ex-pro James Bishop for about eight months, resulting in my handicap dropping and the consistency of my scores increasing.

While playing, Aime’ my Dad’s friend and Dr. Abdullah would always help spot a defect in my swing which had a massive effect on my consistency and this has helped me enormously, just showing how much support I was given.

It was while playing with Dr. Abdullah, that he challenged me to take it more seriously and even gave me his golf set, as mine was a junior one and he felt I needed to be treated like a pro. I My sister Tatyana

This term, my Dad signed me up for the Junior Elite programme with Stephen Deane in order for me to continue getting my handicap down, to improve any errors in my swing and to maintain my fitness.

I hope to have the honour of representing my country in the Golf Olympic games, and my ambition is to become a professional golfer.

EGC Elite Squad

73 76 74 75

B

“

radley has been in the Junior Elite Squad for two months now.

His game has improved dramatically due to his dedication and physical ability to improve his mechanics with ease.

He’s a listener and takes information on board quickly and successfully. I was delighted to see his hard work pay off with a superb 75 and third place gross finish in this year’s Emirates Junior Open.

I look forward to seeing Bradley develop into a great player and represent his country in the Olympics.

”

www.dubaigolf.com

Club News

8 Greenkeeper’s Cuttings

Photos 14 days apart before and after seeding rough

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olf Courses are attractive to a variety of birds as they offer food, water, breeding opportunities and predators are largely absent. Many bird species enhance the ambiance of a round of golf with their presence through their song and colourful plumage, adding to the whole outdoor experience.

Unfortunately, some species by their gregarious aggressive nature, can have the complete opposite effect and became “pests”. Opportunistic feeders can became a nuisance to golfers as they start to “steal” food from any unsuspecting golfer. The feeding habits of some species can also be destructive and costly to maintaining fairways and greens. Many pest species, due to their omnivorous nature, can also have a negative effect on the breeding success of more popular, usually indigenous, bird species by preying on both eggs and chicks.

This human-wildlife conflict is increasing in the modern world and both lethal and non-lethal control methods are being employed to control pest species. Many people do not understand the basis of human–wildlife conflict issues and hopefully this short article will give a small insight.

Non-lethal control methods include, among others, visual and audio displays such as fake predators, flashing lights, lasers, sirens, bird alarm calls and fireworks. The downside to these methods is that before long the pest species became habituated to these visual and audio displays and pay them no heed.

Lethal control methods include culling by poisoning, shooting and destroying eggs and nests. Poisoning, besides the expense, is often non target specific and has the potential to having a negative impact on the whole ecosystem. Shooting in residential areas, besides the legal issues, is considered unethical and socially unacceptable.

Emirates Golf Club WildFlight Pest Bird Management Partnership During November 2014 Emirates Golf Club entered into a Pest Bird Management partnership with a local based falconry company WildFlight.

WildFlight provides a professional bird pest control service to hotels and other industries to help combat environmental and aesthetical challenges that arise when pest birds over populate their premises. Feral pigeons, crows and seagulls are three of the most serious problem bird species in urban environments worldwide. WildFlight has extensive experience in this field and an impressive success rate.

WildFlight employ a variety of non- lethal strategies to combat pest bird problems. Hawks and falcons used are natural predators to a variety of bird species and the primary strategy used by WildFlight is to exploit the predatorprey relationship. By scheduling regular flights with their falcons and Hawks in strategic locations, WildFlight effectively dissuade pest bird species from taking up residence at a facility. WildFlight work within the scope of the UAE environmental laws and do not employ any method that endangers humans or protected birds and animals.

The psychology behind Crow Pest Bird Management using birds of prey Vigilance is the key to reducing predation risk for all bird species. Birds are more vigilant where the risk of predation is higher; where they seem to feel safe in their surroundings, they appear less vigilant. Urbanization, including golf courses, alters perceived predation risk, since natural predators are often scarce, thus crows experience safer conditions than in natural landscapes. The presence of hawks and falcons at EGC in time will reduce the crow population.

In this context, the concept of population reduction refers to reducing the attractiveness of the estate to crows, in order to reduce the number of crows visiting the estate.

The success of the use of falconry is to affect the behaviour of the crows and thus make the course environment less attractive to the crows.

The non-lethal green harassing of the crows on the golf course with Harris Hawks, Goshawks and Falcons is the aim. The aim is not to kill crows en-masse but to manage and understand the psychology behind flock animals.

One of the reasons crows flock together is for safety as they rely heavily on the early warning calls of their fellow flock members to avoid and escape predators. Using birds of prey for scaring problem birds exploits this fact. Crows on golf courses have no fear of golf carts or people at the outset of the conditioning process.

Harris Hawks and Goshawks, in this case, are flown from golf carts at the crows. Hawks are particularly suited to the task of scaring crows because they are large enough to appear as a real threat to the crows. Hawks, calling on their natural propensity to hunt large quarry, are therefore ideally suited to this task.

This predator prey interaction achieves two important objectives, it results in the crows seeing golf carts as a potential threat, and as more and more crows are exposed to the hawks being flown from golf carts, the association between carts and hawks starts to build fear in the flock. This fear spreads to the rest of the flock, including birds that have not previously seen the hawks. This, over time, results in a large flock of crows being fearful of golf carts and the people in them. As the golf course continually has carts moving about the course, the crows continue to feel unsafe and move off to areas that carry less risk from the hawks. Humane methods of scaring the crows depend largely on making the area seem unsafe, with minimal actual harm to the crows.

An often misunderstood fact of successful pest bird management when employing a natural predator, is the prey species needs to live to tell the tale. Killing crows on the golf course is therefore counterproductive to the conditioning process. The hawk needs to hold the crow until the falconer can subdue it. To avoid unnecessary injury to the crow, the hawks’ talons are blunted.

Once caught, the hawk is removed, the crow inspected for any injuries and unceremoniously released. A released crow becomes the bird abatement crew’s best ally. WildFlight’s methods are environmentally sound and ultimately save the lives of many crows by reducing unscrupulous and unethical methods from being employed.

The team from WildFlight looks forward to meeting members and sharing the success of this partnership with EGC members and guests.

Craig Haldane Director - Golf Course Maintenance

BIRDS OF THE EMIRATES THE near passerine bird

T

his Near Passerine Bird belongs to the Meropidae family of birds.

This species, like other bee-eaters, are slender bodied and are distinctively coloured. They are predominantly green; the face has a narrow blue patch with a black eye stripe and a yellow and brown throat; the tail is blue and the beak is black. It can reach a length of 23–26 cm, including the two elongated central tail feathers. Interestingly, both sexes are alike in appearance.

As the name suggests, their diet includes bees, hornets, dragon flies, wasps and other small insects. The insects that are caught are beaten on the perch to kill and break the exoskeleton. Occasionally, the catch is also flung into position by the bird as shown in the picture, before being swallowed.

At Emirates Golf Club, these birds can be spotted near water features during early mornings and late evenings. In and around the perch, during feeding times, they can be found at lower heights while they are otherwise seen flying high.

Photo Courtesy: Akhil Menon, golf in Dubai

The Indian Roller

T

he Indian Roller (Coracias Benghalensis), is a member of the Roller family of birds. They are found widely across tropical Asia stretching from Iraq, eastward across the Indian Subcontinent, to Indochina and they are best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. They are very commonly seen perched along roadside trees and wires and are commonly seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats.

They are not migratory, but undertake some seasonal movements.

The largest populations of the species are within India, and several states in India have chosen it as their state bird.

You will find this bird now at EGC .

Photo Courtesy: Ganesan Mangathil

golf in Dubai Charit

in association with Ste

ty Invitational

ephen Gallacher

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

The ‘golf in Dubai’ Charity Invitational, in association with Stephen Gallacher was played last month.

The money was raised to benefit both the Stephen Gallacher Foundation http://www.sgfoundation.co.uk/ and the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation http://shaikhmaktoumgolffoundation.net/index.html. Both organisations aim to assist in developing grass roots golf. The total amount raised was AED 70,000.

Results: 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place

Kamal Kosta, Jacqui Barry, Drummond Welsh & Malcolm Wood Chris May, Ornella Parigi, Barney Coleman & Mitsuko Emmerson Boyd Edmonson, Andy Matthews, Lynne Dickinson & Susan Baron

b tee omLmait Fit C

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Dear Members,

F

it Lab would like to start off by introducing the latest member of our team Nikky Harradine - SRA (U.K.) Trained Squash Coach

Nikky has been coaching and training juniors, ladies and men for the past twenty years in the UAE. She represented the National Team of Cyprus, her mother’s country, for six years, winning gold and silver medals.

She was captain and player in the men’s league (2nd Division) for fifteen years in Dubai producing winning teams. Nikky was the founder of the Dubai Ladies’ Squash league that she continues to run still.

She has competed in road running races in the UAE, UK and Switzerland.

Results: 5 km - 19 mins.

10 km - 39 mins 21 km – 1 hr.27 mins Marathon - 3 hrs.30 mins She has taken many courses in fitness, speed, power, agility, functional and mobility training and has been running Fitness Bootcamps since 2005. In 2012, Nikky became a group exercise instructor.

Just recently, in October 2014, she underwent intensive militarystyle Bootcamp training for ten days in Thailand.

To sum it all up, Nikky, has the knowledge and experience to give you an all-round physical workout whatever it may be.

BESPOKE WELLNESS RHABDO

By Vcitoria Roper

A controversial, and topic all on its own, is Rhabdo (rhabdomyolysis). Rhabdo is when the proteins from broken down muscular tissue are released into the blood stream that can cause kidney damage and, in extreme cases, kidney failure. Signs and symptoms of this include muscular pain, vomiting and confusion. It has been raised as a concern in cross-fit because of the often high frequency of workouts per week, with little or no rest. Other factors include the high weights used and often high repetitions in some workouts. Rhabdo is an extreme condition; however, it is good to be aware of this, particularly if you are participating in cross-it five to seven times/ days per week.

It is important to recognise that rest is needed - a rest day at least once, if not twice per week is advisable that every workout is not a competition and. It may not be necessary or possible to ‘win’ at every session and if you try, to you may be setting yourself up for an injury.

CHALLENGE Our challenge for you this month is ‘Test Your Strength Challenge’ which is 10 exercises with 25 reps of each, in the quickest time possible and adding 25 reps each week for the four weeks. To get involved in this challenge please see the Fit Lab team for more information.

As always, the Fit Lab team continues to do its very best to give you what you may need in order to achieve your goals, so please feel free to contact any member of the team if you have any ideas or suggestions to make fitness more fun for you. We are always on hand to help you stay on the right track and get better results than ever before.

I look forward to seeing you at the gym.

Healthy Regards, Andy Meech Head of Sport & Leisure

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ensAsia Urban Spa’s spectacular Christmas gift vouchers are back... and ready to pamper your pals (and of course yourself) for another blissful year.

These lovingly-designed vouchers and bespoke, thought-provoking gift tags have caused quite a stir throughout SensAsia Urban Spa’s 10 years as Dubai’s most successful spa chain, and the celebration-fuelled 2014 series stands out as its most sparkling yet.

Spa fans can pick either a numeric value or specific treatment from SensAsia’s menu of unrivalled facials, massages and body blitzes and receive a tailored voucher, tied up with a bow and bearing the gift-giver’s choice of six cute Christmas messages on its extra special tag. Do you want to send a note of “Thanks to a Spa-vellous Mum” or ask someone to “Meet Me Under The Mistletoe”? No problem at all.

SensAsia has created incentives for the extra generous spa ‘Santas’ out there, too! Those spending over AED 1,900 on SensAsia gift vouchers will receive a 20 per cent discount, and those spending just AED 500 or more will be treated to free spa time for themselves. Free delivery can also be arranged for purchases of AED 500 or more.

As well as tailored treatment vouchers, SensAsia has also come up with some stocking filler inspired spa treats for the holiday season. The ‘Spaaaah-La-Carte’ menu features six 15-minute mini massages including the De-stresser for neck and shoulders, Hand-ology, Pressure Point facial massage and Sole Revival for feet – which can be purchased as packs of three, at the purse and presentfriendly price of just AED 195.

There are also some incredible corporate Christmas gifting solutions available from SensAsia Urban Spa, that boast huge rewards for bulk buys. Companies (or individuals!) purchasing AED 10,000 of Christmas gift vouchers will receive a 10 per cent discount, plus 35 SensAsia oil burners as an added employee treat. When AED 15,000 is spent, the discount goes up to 15 per cent, plus 35 SensAsia oil burners – and a AED 25,000 total earns the gift- giver a two-hour pop-up spa to treat the team to mini massages in their place of work.

To purchase SensAsia Urban Spa Christmas gift vouchers, call +971 4 423 8053. For more information and a full SensAsia treatment menu, visit www.sensasiaspas.com

Fitness Activity Schedule December 2014

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

STUDIO

STUDIO

STUDIO

STUDIO

STUDIO

STUDIO

STUDIO

07.00 - 08.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky)

07.00 - 08.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky) 07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga

07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga

07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga

07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga 08.00 - 09.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky)

08.45 - 09.45 ZUMBA STEP (Tracy)

08.45 - 09.15 Insanity (Tracy)

10.00 - 11.00 BOOTCAMP (Robert)

07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga 8.45 - 9.30 Primary Ballet (6years +)

08.45 - 09.45 ZUMBA TONING (Tracy)

08.45 - 9.45 PURE 30/30 (Elaine)

09.00 - 10.00 AQUA BOOTCAMP (Aquazone)

09.00 - 10.00 AQUA BOOTCAMP (Aquazone)

09.20 - 09.50 Metafit (Tracy)

10.00 - 11.00 BOOTCAMP (Robert)

08.45 - 09.45 ZUMBA (Tracy)

9.30 - 10.45 Grade 2 (8 years+) 10.45 - 11.15 Pre - Primary (5 years+) 11.15 - 11.45 Pre-school Level 1 and 2 (3 and 4 years)

10.00 - 10.30 Insanity (Tracy)

10.00 - 11.00 ZUMBA TONING (Tracy)

11.45 - 12.45 Grade 1 (7 years+) 12.00 - 12.45 FIT FOR KIDS (12-16years) (Robert)

10.00 - 11.00 BOOTCAMP (Robert)

12.45 - 14.00 Grade 3 (9 years+) 14.00 - 15.30 Grade 7 (12 years+) 14.30 - 15.30 FIT KIDS (5-12years) (Nikky)

18.30 - 19.00 METAFIT (Tracy)

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

18.30 - 19.00 METAFIT (Tracy)

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

19.05 - 19.55 Insanity 50min (Tracy)

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

19.05 - 19.55 Insanity 50min (Tracy)

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

19.00 - 20.00 TRX Suspension Outdoor

19.00 - 20.00 AQUA BOOTCAMP (Aquazone)

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky)

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

19.00 - 20.00 TRX Suspension Outdoor 20.00 - 21.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky) 20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

For reservations, please call +971 4 417 9850 or email egcfitlab@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

INTRODUCING RHYS JAMES R

hys James, from Wales, recently joined the team here at Emirates Golf Club as a Club Services Intern, to assist the Golf Operations and Membership departments until July 2015. Rhys is a qualified PGA Professional, although in recent years, he has made the transition from coaching to operations, a direction he wishes to progress along in the future. His previous role before coming to Dubai was as Championship Manager for the Golf Union of Wales; during this time Rhys gained valuable experience in the Rules of Golf and he is happy to help with any of your queries. Rhys is hugely impressed with what he has experienced so far at the Club, and he is now looking forward to becoming a part of the team here during the busy season ahead and is looking forward to meeting the members over the coming weeks.

Please be sure to introduce yourself to Rhys on your next visit to the Club!

20.00 - 21.00 Weightloss Yoga

C

ongratulations to Emirates Golf Club’s honorary member, Henrik Stenson who retained his DP World Tour Championship title last month, finishing two shots clear of Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Victor Dubuisson with 16 under par! Stenson secured second place in the Race to Dubai behind winner Rory McIlroy.

Well done Henrik and Rory!

Club News

07.30 - 08.30 Artistic Yoga 08.00 - 09.00 BOOTCAMP (Nikky)

EGC Honorary 13 Members

Club News

14

AN EVENING WITH

PETER COWEN T

his was an excellent evening with Peter Cowen who returned to Emirates Golf Club to host a dinner, talk and Q&A for the first time in ten years. He spoke for over an hour on many subjects including some great stories about the players and the Ryder Cup. Thank you to all the members who attended the event!

The Marketing Team L – R: Chantal Jones, Adele Cowgill and Kirsten Ferguson

Chris May and Andrew Whitelaw getting into the festive spirit

15

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Monday 1st

Ladies’ Monthly Medal

10th-13th

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters Majlis

Monday 15th

Ladies’ Christmas Scramble

Faldo

08.30 shotgun

Tuesday 16th

Staff/Member Scramble

Faldo

13.00 shotgun

Friday 19th

Mashreq Medal Championship

Majlis

08.00 & 13.00 shotgun

in association with BMW & Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

Saturday 20th

Mixed Christmas Scramble

Faldo

13.00 shotgun

SOCIAL

WHEN Monday 15th 8.00-9.00pm Friday 19th & Saturday 20th Tuesday 23rd Wednesday 24th Wednesday 24th Thursday 25th Thursday 25th Thursday 25th Friday 26th Wednesday 31st Wednesday 31st Wednesday 31st

Faldo

WHAT WHERE Christmas Tree Lighting & Choir Spike Bar terrace Festive Brunch M’s Christmas Gourmet Tuesday Le Classique Christmas Eve Carvery M’s Christmas Eve Club Night Spike Bar Christmas Day Brunch M’s Christmas Day Lunch Le Classique Christmas Day BBQ Lunch Spike Bar Boxing Day Brunch M’s New Year’s Eve Family Disney Dinner M’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball Le Classique New Year’s Eve New York Party Spike Bar

Members’ Christmas Draw

M

embers are invited to enter the Members’ Christmas Draw between 1st and 31st December for a chance to win a set of PING I25 irons and PING cart bag. The lucky winner will also receive a custom fitting session with PGA Golf Professional, Bryan Smith, from The Academy at Emirates Golf Club to personalise their new set of irons.

Tickets are available for purchase in the Pro Shop for AED 50 per square.

The lucky winner will be chosen at random after the New’s Year Scramble on 1st January 2015.

Good Luck!

08.30 shotgun

What’s On

GOLF

ai Omega Dub ters Ladies Mas

16

Cheyenne Woods

Club Update

OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS

E

mirates Golf Club is excited that Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods, will make her first appearance in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters held on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club from December 7th to 13th! Cheyenne’s breakout victory in the Australian Ladies Masters in February this year marked a significant step in the young professional’s career.

Cheyenne will join defending champion Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand, English legend Laura Davies, and rising star Charley Hull, among other notable golfers in the 108-player field.

OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS

... AT A GLANCE

Held under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is the first full Ladies European Tour (LET) event ever to be played in the Middle East.

Since making its debut in the region in 2006, the euro 500,000 event, promoted and organised by ‘golf in DUBAi’, has seen seven different winners from seven different countries. The roll of honour includes Annika Sorenstam (2006, 07), Anja Monke (2008), In Kyung Kim (2009), Iben Tinning (2010), Alexis Thompson (2011), Shanshan Feng (2012) and Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand).

In 2013, Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum, two behind overnight, shot a closing 66 to win the title on 15-under 273. It was the biggest final round comeback by a winner.

China’s Jing Yan and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda are the only two amateurs who have made the cut in the season-ending Ladies European Tour event. Yan finished in a tie for eighth place in 2013 on 2-under 286, while Ciganda took a share of the 18th place on one-under par 287 in 2007.

Sunday 7th - Saturday 13th December 2014 at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Sunday, December 7 Official Practice Day – Day 1

Majlis Course 07:00 - 15:00

Monday, December 8 Official Practice Day – Day 2

Majlis Course 07:00 - 15:00

ODLM Challenge Match Par 3 Course (9-hole Competition) 18:00 Pairings are: Laura Davies & Maha Haddoui Shanshan Feng & Pornanong Phatlum Sophie Gustafson & Anna Nordqvist ODLM Challenge Match Dinner & Prize Presentation at Emirates Golf Club after competition ends.

Tuesday, December 9 ODLM Pro-Am

Majlis Course 07:30 & 12:45 (Shotgun Starts)

Wednesday, December 10 ODLM – Round One

Majlis Course

Thursday, December 11 ODLM – Round Two

Majlis Course

Friday, December 12 ODLM – Round Three

Majlis Course

Saturday, December 13 ODLM – Final Round

Majlis Course

ODLM - Prize Presentation 18th Green (Majils Course) immediately after close of play (approximately 16:15)

T

he 2014 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is fast approaching, the event will once again start on a Wednesday and finish on the Saturday to ensure a great weekend atmosphere for the final day.

Key Dates Challenge Match Par 3 course Monday 8th December, 18.00 Pro-Am Majlis course Tuesday 9th December Omega Dubai Ladies Masters Majlis course Wednesday 10th - Saturday 13th December

Faldo Course We are delighted to announce that once again, the Faldo course will remain open for the duration of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters this year, giving members access to golf during the week of the event. Tee times should be booked online or by phone as usual.

The bag drop and cart staging area will be located at the Faldo driving range close to the members’ parking area and players will have the option to check in either at the par 3 course starter hut or in the main clubhouse as usual.

Due to the unavailability of the ladies’ locker room during the week, ladies are requested to use the recreation changing room facilities. Although these are not as extensive as the main locker room, access to this is strictly restricted to the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters players.

The men’s locker room will be available for players to use as normal with unrestricted access.

Finally, as the Faldo range will be used for parking during the event no practice area will be available to warm up before your round.

Par 3 Course

17

Majlis Range: Closed 6th 13th December

Glenmorangie, a sponsor of The Open Championship, has revealed its list of the world’s top 18 golf holes:

Faldo Range: Closed 8th - 13th December

1.

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Tuesday 9th - Thursday 11th December OPEN FROM 17.00 Friday 12th- Saturday 13th December OPEN ALL DAY

Course/Range Closure

Bag Storage We would request members with bags in bag storage to remove them by Saturday 6th December, as space will be required for the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters players’ bags. Bags remaining in bag storage after this date will be removed and stored by the Club. If you intend to play the Faldo course during the week of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, we would recommend that you keep your clubs to avoid any delays in bringing your clubs to your carts during tournament week. Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for any damage or loss that may occur in relocating your bag.

Lockers The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters players will use the ladies’ locker room during the tournament. We would ask members to clear their lockers for the week and hope that this does not cause too much inconvenience. Membership Services have been in touch with many of you already to seek your assistance with this. Lockers will need to be cleared by Saturday 6th December. Items remaining in the lockers on this date will be removed and stored by the Club.

Access to the locker room during the tournament will not be available so please ensure any items that you may require for the week of the event are removed in advance. Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for any damage or loss that may occur when clearing your locker.

Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole Hole

17 17 12 13 14 18 7 8 11 9 14 18 8 9 16 10 8 4

Golf News

Majlis Course: Closed 5th – 14th December

The World’s 18 Greatest Golf Holes

Sunday 7th – Monday 8th December: CLOSED

The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland TPC Sawgrass, USA Augusta National, USA Augusta National, USA The Old Course, Scotland Pebble Beach, USA Pebble Beach, USA Pebble Beach, USA Augusta National, USA Leopard Creek, South Africa Muirfield Village, USA Muirfield, Scotland Royal Troon, Scotland Royal Aberdeen, Scotland Cypress Point, USA Ailsa Course, Turnberry Emirates Golf Club, Majils Course, Dubai Banff Springs, Canada

38,000 Glenmorangie fans from around the world took part in a competition to create the ideal ‘virtual’ golf course. They had the opportunity to nominate and vote for their favourite hole which, like Glenmorangie whisky, they believed was ‘Unnecessarily Well Made’. http://18greatestgolf.com/blogs/blog/15813996-the-worlds18-greatest-golf-holes — with Javier Jayson

Recreation The gym at Fit Lab will remain open as normal throughout the event, tennis and padel tennis will also remain open with two tennis courts operating during the daytime and all four operating in the evenings after 5pm. The swimming pool area will be closed for the duration of the event.

Volunteers Our membership services manager Andy Matthews has taken on the responsibility of Chief Marshal for the event and is in charge of Marshal recruitment. If you are interested in volunteering as a Marshal during the tournament, please visit dubailadiesmasters.com.

If you require any further information regarding volunteering for the event please speak to Andy.

Kind regards, Barney Coleman Director of Golf

Hole 8 Emirates Golf Club, Majils Course www.dubaigolf.com

19th S Hole SNIPPET

GET WELL SOON Some of our members (and staff) have been ‘laid up’ recently…

Claret jug Welcome back to Shona McRae who was visiting Dubai for a few days last month. Shona used to be part of the Golf Office team and is now Assistant Director of Rules for the R & A. She had been conducting rules courses in China, as well as one here in Dubai and then had a few days holiday before travelling back to Scotland. She and her colleague took the claret jug with them to put on display in China and at Al Badia. There are three claret jugs in total. The original never leaves the clubhouse, one goes to the champion and the other one, which Shona Ross Barry with the brought here, claret jug at the is over 100 Barry’s house! years old itself and is insured for a pretty sizable sum!

Fay d’Abo had a back operation during the summer in London.

Andy Meech from Fit Lab here at EGC, ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing squash.

Nitin Kripalani Majlis Hole No. Friday 28th Nov

Best wishes to all of you for a speedy recovery Sandy MacPherson broke his leg whilst on vacation in the UK

FAMOUS FACES

After a succe a team from to play a retu the course im Le Classique

GM Andrew Whitelaw with Sir Nick Faldo Steen Simon with Peter Andre at EGC

Chef Jeffrey with Justin Rose

Unique Golf Courses around the World

Uummannaq Golf Course, Greenland The northern-most layout on the planet, Uummannaq plays host to the World Snow Golf Championships, which more closely resembles an ice fishing expedition. Collared shirts and shorts? Try thermals and down parkas, in temperatures that drop as far as 30-below. No graphiteshafted clubs are used here as they are prone to shatter in the extreme elements.

Emirates Golf Club was proud to win the Favourite Sports and Outdoor category in the What’s On Awards 2014!

Congratulations to all of the team at Emirates Golf Club and thanks to all of our supporters for voting!

4 vember 2014

HOLE-In-ONE

The Uummannaq course, which is laid out on top of the local port, changes every year depending on the movement of the many local icebergs. The port stays frozen until mid-May and then refreezes again for play by the end of November, leaving locals and visitors a new golfing challenge each year. The course changes every year because the snow and ice are constantly shifting, because it’s played on a glacier.

There are more than five miles of space for the course, leaving plenty of room for a regulation length ninehole course with two par 3s, one par 5 and four par 4s. The course, which is governed by the Danish Golf Union and the Royal and Ancient of St. Andrews, Scotland, is laid out in metres with some special local rules.

Suresh Shewakramani Faldo Hole No. 8 20th November 2014

The many icebergs, which dot the layout, are treated as ground under repair and golfers are given a free drop with no penalty. The balls themselves are orange to stand out from the miles of white ice and snow and brooms are provided on each green to sweep off your path to the hole. The holes themselves may also be cleaned out from the blowing debris.

essful EGC team visit to the Czech Republic in June, Albatross Club in Prague visited Dubai last month urn match against EGC, which they won. They enjoyed mmensely, as well as enjoying the hospitality in and at a dinner hosted by Moshe Kohli at his house.

Scott MacPherson and Paul Byrne beat Stephen Deane and Alastair Brown 3 & 2 in a recent Amateurs v Pros matchplay

Stephen Gallacher donating his driver to the collection of past winners’ clubs

Surprisingly, a well-struck ball off the tee will fly as far near the top of the world as it does in your regular Saturday fourball. Where it lands, either on solid ice or in a snow bank, will certainly determine its post-shot roll. Putting and chipping are another matter, as the hard-frozen greens (whites) don’t lend themselves to any feel putts. The harder, the better, is the key to putting success on the Uummannaq links.

Can’t decide what to buy your loved one for Christmas this year? Dubai Golf has a host of gift packages on offer this festive season.

Choose from a series of golf, recreation and dining packages specially designed to make the perfect gift for your loved ones. Gift vouchers include the Learn Golf in a Week lesson package, one month Night Golf Pass, Putting Lesson, Fit Lab membership and Pro Shop vouchers. Alternatively why not treat friends and family to brunch or dinner for two in Le Classique or Legends, our award winning fine dining restaurants.

Visit the Pro Shops at Emirates Golf Club or Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club to purchase festive gift packages.

For more details and prices, please email festivegifts@dubaigolf.com or visit our website www.dubaigolf.com