Club life december2013

Editor: Jacqui Barry barrydxb@eim.ae

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EMber 201

EC ISSUE 36 D

Season’s Greetings

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Emirates Golf Club Senior Management

Editorial

elcome to all Lady Professionals who are going to be at our Club during the first week of December for the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters which is the final event of the season for them - a week when we will be treated to watching a host of top players on the Majlis course. Welcome to each and every one of you - enjoy the course and the wonderful hospitality and welcome at Emirates Golf Club.

As I am writing this I am on my way back from Dublin having been for the weekend to watch the Ireland v New Zealand rugby match. With fewer than 30 seconds remaining of the match, Ireland were ahead 22-17 and seemingly on course to walk into the history books with their first win over the All Blacks in 109 years of trying but unbelievably, the AllBlacks scored a try and converted it giving them a two point victory! It was such an exciting match to witness although an agonising conclusion for the Irish but here we are with Ryan Crotty, the final try scorer for the All Blacks, sitting alongside us on our flight back to Dubai. Isn’t sport great though...he had to be congratulated for his play and it was interesting to get an insight into how the match was for them. Another great sportsman sitting in front of us was a regular visitor to Dubai, Des Smith on his way for the annual Dubai Duty Free World Cup golf event. Des won eight tournaments on the European tour across four different decades and is continuing his successful career now on the Seniors’ tour.

The last few months have given us some fantastic sporting moments in the world of golf, football, tennis, rugby , etc., and there’s we more to come with big events taking place on our doorstep with the Qatar Masters, the Abu Dhabi Championship, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Rugby 7s and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tour so there’s plenty to look forward to.

The Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the end of January will mark the 25th anniversary of this event. There is a full programme planned for this, the highlight of which will be a special one-day event to which all past winners of the Desert Classic have been invited...and what a line-up that will be! Representing the late Seve Ballesteros will be his son Javier and only two past winners are not able to commit to this event, but with the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Miguel Angel Jimenez and many others, it will certainly be an exciting time.

As we approach Christmas there will be many social events taking place at the Club, details of which are in this issue.

Please book early for functions as they are likely to get full very quickly. The Mixed Christmas Scramble takes place on 20th December - book early for this also and don’t forget the Christmas attire. It’s sure to be a fun day and one that will get everyone into the festive spirit.

Christopher May

Chief Executive Officer cmay@dubaigolf.com

Chef Max Grenard

Andrew Whitelaw

General Manager awhitelaw@dubaigolf.com

Craig Haldane

Culinary Director mgrenard@dubaigolf.com

Director - Golf Course Maintenance chaldane@dubaigolf.com

Barney Coleman

Adele Cowgill

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

Ganesh Mangathil

Keith Wilkes

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

Andy Meech

Head of Sport and Leisure ameech@dubaigolf.com

Steen Simon

Food and Beverage Manager ssimon@dubaigolf.com

Saeed Ahamed

Financial Controller mahamed@dubaigolf.com

Season’s Greetings to everyone!

Jacqui Barry

Congratulations to Dubai on winning the bid to host Expo 2020 beating opponents Brazil, Russia and Turkey.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said after the win, “We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020.

Dubai Expo2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity,” He promised that the Dubai expo would “undoubtedly stand out as the best edition in the history of the event in terms of preparation and presentation”.

Andrew Matthews PGA, Membership Services Manager

Stephen Deane

Head Academy Professional sdeane@dubaigolf.com

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

417 417 417 417 417 417

9999 9800 9801 9850 9875 9820

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 10,293 likes.

Follow us on Twitter@emiratesgc

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he Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters is upon us once again and we look forward to another fantastic week with an exciting line up of international stars, including world number two Stacy Lewis and defending champion Shanshan Feng. The event once again starts on a Wednesday and finishes on Saturday to ensure larger crowds and a great atmosphere for the final day. The Majlis course is in tremendous condition with the greens running hard and fast and the rough beginning demand accuracy off the tee ensuring we once again get a great champion at the end of the week.

We are fortunate this year to have the Faldo course open for play during the week of the event

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ell, notwithstanding the recent storms, the weather has certainly improved over the past few weeks and that is helping to fill up the fairways. Our Club competitions are very well subscribed and everyone appears to be getting into the swing of the new season. That’s great to see, even though a busy course inevitably leads to some delay in the pace of play. There is one point concerning which I would like to ask for everyone’s assistance; on these busy days, please exit the green of the hole just played as soon as you have finished. This will help to ease the collective blood pressure of those waiting to play their approach shots! Cards can be marked on the next tee, and to save some time, please don’t leave your clubs at a point where you have to walk back down the fairway to retrieve them! Thank you.

I mentioned last month that I was discovering more of what goes into making this the renowned Club that it is and some of those details are surprising. I went to visit the accommodation in Al Quoz where the Junior staff live, and it is quite a facility. There are nearly 900 people housed there, including some in married quarters and the facilities for dining, recreation, and sports are comprehensive. The site houses staff from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, and Dubai Sports

allowing golfing access to our members for the entire week of the tournament. The Faldo course has been overseeded this winter to enhance the look and playability of the course and we hope that you continue to enjoy the changes we have made to the course.

There will be lots happening in the coming weeks with a packed calendar of events both golfing and social and I hope you are able to make use of the club.

Bookings for the festive period are now open and filling up fast so please remember to reserve your space in advance at one of our themed events. We have special celebrations in all of our restaurants including family brunches in M’s, gourmet dinners in Le Classique and a Christmas day with a difference in Spike

City in addition to EGC. Living off-site of course necessitates extra time for travel and buses start running to and fro at 4.30am (3.30 in the summer!) and thus breakfast is served for them from 2.45am onwards – and you thought you had to get up early to book a tee time…………… At EGC full breakfast catering is available from 6.00am onwards and staff are serving at the various outlets throughout the day. Indeed, staff in Le Classique do not depart until after the last diner chooses to leave and this can sometimes be after the new dawn has broken!

We have over 20 different nationalities working at our Club, with the youngest aged 18 years, and the oldest, a splendid 60. All 325 of them work hard to make our time at the Club as enjoyable as they can, and I for one, very much appreciate the job that each of them does. In this respect, I would again ask for your contribution of gifts towards the raffle for our Junior Staff fund. Lanie Amora in Membership Services is the lady to contact and your generosity will be very much appreciated.

Congratulations to all those members who have managed to win prizes in our various competitions over the past month; there has been some very good play indeed on the fairways.

Competition for The Hickory Putter

Bar. In addition if you want to celebrate at home but don’t want to do the cooking then our popular turkey takeaway service returns for the 2013 festive season.

Message

Dear Members,

New Year’s Eve is set to be another fantastic evening with a host of exciting events taking place throughout the Club including Oscars Night in Le Classique, a New Year’s Eve dinner in M’s and a Hollywood Bollywood themed evening in Spike Bar! I look forward to welcoming you to Emirates Golf Club during December.

Andrew Whitelaw CCM General Manager

is also keen with the leading score presently a net 59 – wow!! I would also like to record the victory by our Scratch League Team, captained by Johnny Aldridge, in their recent match against Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club. They managed to record a 3:1 victory on the Faldo course – well done team!!

We really do have an excellent Scratch League crew; EGC came second in the League last year, so let’s hope they can go one step better than that this year.

On the subject of winners, it was great to see Henrik Stenson’s victory in the Race to Dubai. Henrik is a familiar face to many at our Club, having been based here in Dubai for a number of years. Given that he was in a serious slump until this year, it just goes to show what hard work can accomplish – time for me to go and book some lessons!

Finally, we have the Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters coming up very soon so it will be an opportunity to watch some real experts. Club Management has also decided to leave the Faldo course open for play at the same time so you won’t have to forgo your own game either!

Dick Purchase Club Captain 2013 – 2014

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MEN’S COMPETITION RESULTS

MASHREQ MEDAL

Club News

CLUBHOUSE

Friday 15th November 2013

TROPHY Friday 8th November 2013

A DIVISION (HCP. 0-10) WINNER

Matthew Baxter

70

RUNNER - UP:

Humayun Shahryar

72

THIRD:

Johnny Aldridge

72

BEST GROSS:

Ross Hopwood

73

B DIVISION (HCP. 11-20) WINNER:

David Formas

RUNNER - UP:

Ishu Rupani

71 71

THIRD:

Haris Michaelides

72

C DIVISION (HCP. 21-34) WINNER:

Marc Charlet

77

www.dubaigolf.com

WINNER

Mohamed Pirmohamed

40 Pts

RUNNER UP

Amresh Sangani

40 Pts

THIRD

Gurmukh Ghuldu

39 Pts

A DIVISION (HCP. 0-14) WINNER

Pavan Nihalani

39 Pts

RUNNER UP

Kouroche Achtari

38 Pts

B DIVISION (HCP. 15-24) WINNER

Suresh Shewakramani

35 Pts

RUNNER UP

Marc Charlet

33 Pts

INTERNATIONAL PAIRS Saturday, 23rd November 2013

WINNERS

Shuresh Shewakramani, Manoj Kapur

42

RUNNERS UP

Connie Sayal, Ashish Nanda

41

THIRD

Dhiren Harchandani, Praveen Manghnani

40

Dick Purchase (captain), Suresh Shewakramani and Manoj Kapur with Rod Bogg (On Course Golf)

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Our own Ladies’ Section has had a full and busy month with a Medal, Stableford and the Heritage Trophy, a two-week event with a round on the Faldo and one on the Majlis.

Congratulations go to Cathrine Clark who was victorious overall scoring an amazing 80 Stableford points with runner-up Ashley Anderson and Mimi Hosking hot on her heels. Thanks to all the regulars who turn out week after week in our various competitions. .

November has seemed somewhat quiet after Pink October and I am

LADIES’ COMPETITION RESULTS Monthly

Medal

Monday 4th November

Sponsored by

delighted to announce that we raised an amazing AED 67,630 in aid of Breast Cancer Arabia. Thank you to everyone who got involved in this.

The year seems to be speeding to an end and I am looking forward to our Christmas events in the Ladies’ Section – we have the Ladies’ Christmas Scramble on Monday 9th December with all the wonderful Christmas outfits that day followed by the traditional Christmas Lunch on Wednesday 11th December in Le Classique.

There is also a Staff/Member Scramble in December and as someone who has played in these before I would urge you to get involved – it is a chance to play and get to know some of the staff who look after our golf out there on the course and I know the staff really enjoy these events.

I have spoken to many new members who seem unaware that we have a special raffle at

this time of year with all of the funds raised going to the Junior Staff at the Club. A letter has gone out about this but I would ask all of you to remember just how much of a contribution the staff make to us in our everyday activities at the Club, from the minute we arrive to the minute we leave, and to donate to this worthy cause. This raffle is drawn at the Christmas Mixed Scramble on 20th December.

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inter has finally come to Dubai and we are now beginning to enjoy walking the Majilis which is in preparation for the Dubai Ladies’ Masters from the 1st – 7th December. This should be a marvellous event showcasing the best of the ladies professional golf circuit and I hope to see many of you there.

I would like to wish everyone staff and members – Season’s Greetings and a ‘Guid New Year 2014’ For those who are travelling to see families, I wish you a safe journey and ‘haste ye back’ . If you are staying here and perhaps welcoming family, as I am, then have a wonderful time. See you out there on the courses.

Barbara Head Lady Captain 2013 - 2014

SILVER “A” DIVISION (HCP. 0 – 14) Winner

Fiona Berry

Net 68

Runner Up

Maria Petre

Net 70

Overall Best Gross

Jayshree Gupta

Gross 79

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

Noemy Bertuol

Net 72

Runner Up

Thea Hendrix

Net 72

BRONZE DIVISION (HCP. 24 –42) Winner

June McDonald

Net 69

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INDIVIDUAL Monday 11th November

STABLEFORD

Club News

Overall Winner

Mitsuko Emmerson

Winner

Cathrine Clark

36 Pts

Runner Up

Elaine Belcher

34 Pts

Third

Lorraine Main

34 Pts

BRONZE DIVISION (HCP. 24 –42)

HERITAGE

Winner

Sandra Chia

33 Pts

Runner Up

Maggie Neil

30 Pts

TROPHY

Monday 18th November and Monday 25th November

Winner

Cathrine Clark

42 + 38 = 80 Pts

Second

Ashley Anderson

35 + 42 = 77 Pts

Third

Mimi Hosking

39 + 37 = 76 Pts

Best Round 1

Mieke Slotboom

41 Pts

Best Round 2

Sylvia Weber

39 Pts

MIXED COMPETITION RESULTS

CLASH OF THE 13th November 2013

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36 Pts

SILVER DIVISION (HCP. 0 –23)

TITANS

lash of the Titans, a bi-annual competition between Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club took place last month when fifteen Members and five Golf Pros from either side contested this prestigious trophy.

Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club claimed victory with a total of 381 points in comparison to Emirates Golf Club’s 367. George Horan, Club Captain of the Creek, accepted the trophy from Dick Purchase.

Mark Irwin claimed Nearest the Pin on hole 2 while David Formas took the Nearest the Pin award on hole 11.

Within the tournament eleven members from the two clubs who had clinched a Mashreq Medal Championship in Association with BMW and Harvey Nichols Dubai, competed in an individual stableford competition. Dalip Tripathi recorded a fantastic score of 34 Stableford points and, as a result, he was invited to join the BMW Pro-Am team at the DP World Tour Championship on Tuesday 12th November.

EGC Club Captain Dick Purchase handing the trophy to Creek Club Captain George Horan.

DIWALI

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Friday 1st November 2013

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he Midcom Diwali Scramble attracted a superb turnout of 128 players on the Majlis course with the quartet of Charlie Stricklin, Mathys, Sanchia and Quinton Oberholster combining well to win with a score of 58.5. Following their support of Moshe Kohl’s Captain’s Day last season, Midcom continued their affinity with Emirates Golf Club by coming on board as the main sponsor of the Diwali Scramble.

The team of Husam Al Sayed, Saad Ahmed, Ahmed Mashgari and Ahmed Menhali clinched runners-up place with a 59.4 total. One shot further back in third place was the team of Rakish Misra, Manoj Kapur, Madhu and Archie Sharma.

The nearest the pin prizes were also well supported with Dhamani Jewels kindly donating a pearl necklace for the most accurate shot by a lady golfer on the fourth hole.

Maura Duggan was delighted to go home with such a fantastic prize. Prime Tankers sponsored the prize on the 7th hole with a voucher for M’s restaurant that was won

by Robert Curtis. Qamar Rasheed won a prize on hole 11, kindly sponsored by Sanjeev Gheewala. Mukesh Kochar and Richi Rich Foods sponsored the 15th hole which was won

by Mathys Oberholster.

The 128 golfing members and additional guests were treated to a fantastic evening celebration including a presentation of the Diwali festival by Jayshree Gupta.

WINNERS

Mathys Oberholster Sanchia Oberholster Quinton Oberholster Charlie Stricklin

58.5

RUNNERS UP

Husam Al Sayed Saad Ahmed Ahmed Mashgari Ahmed Menhali

59.4

THIRD

Rakesh Misra Madhu Sharma Archie Sharma Manoj Kapur

60.4

NEAREST THE PIN HOLE # 4 (LADIES): HOLE # 7 (GENTS): HOLE # 11 (FOR ALL): HOLE # 15 (FOR ALL):

Maura Duggan Robert Curtis Qamar Rasheed Mathys Oberholster

Club News

SHAMBLE

Club News

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Tim Evans Born in Beirut, Lebanon; learned to play golf at Mentmore Park in UK; favourite hole any hole I birdie.

Paul Byrne

Rohit Gupta

Born in Dublin Ireland; learned the game in Forest Little GC Dublin; favourite hole is normally the 19th but on course it’s the 18th hole!

Born in India; learned the game at Nad Al Sheba; favourite hole -18th; huge risk and reward… a real game changer.

B Sw the G

EGC SCRATCH MATCHPLAY TEAM 2013-2014 EGC has a squad of 19 low handicap players, captained by Johnny Aldridge; the team will compete in six matches throughout the season as per the schedule below: HOME Sharjah Golf 16th November 1pm - 1.30pm (Won 3 and 1) AWAY Jumeirah Golf Estates on the 29th November Tee Times 8.40 – 9.10 Course – Fire AWAY Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club 30th November 1pm shotgun AWAY Sharjah Golf 18th January 7.40am - 8.10am HOME Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club21st March 1pm - 1.30pm FALDO • TBA HOME FALDO against Jumeirah Golf Estates

Chris Turlik, Born in Kampala, Uganda; learned the game at Emirates Golf Club; favourite hole – 6th.

• •

• • •

The semi-finals will be made up of the four league winners, and will be played at neutral venues (which will be agreed once the participants are known), with the final again being on a cumulative home and away basis.

Eight players are selected from the squad for each match and the format is betterball matchplay, with all players playing off scratch.

One point is awarded for a win and half a point for a halved match.

The team would like to thank Ewan Cameron and Johnny Aldridge for the team uniform. What a success! They certainly look like the top players from a top club like EGC and they truly appreciate what Ewan and Johnny have done! Below is an introduction to the players from our scratch team who have shared a few snippets of information about themselves…. where they were born, where they learned the game and their favourite hole on the Majlis.

Johnny will be sharing a write-up after each match with the all results… Good luck to our team!

Tony Azoulay Born in Manchester UK; learned to play golf in Dubai at Nad Al Sheba Club. favourite hole – 2nd.

Paul Donovan Born in Hastings, England. Learned the game at Rookery Park, Lowestoft; favourite hole - 8th.

Humayun Shahryar Born in Aligarh, India, learned to play golf in Dubai at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club; favourite hole – 8th.

Ross Hopwood Born in Birmingham England . Learned to play when I was 12 in UK; favourite hole -13th… and just the entire back 9.

Johnny Aldridge m. Born Captain, EGC Scratch Tea game the ned lear ; USA do ora in Col Club; ht Yac & f Gol ek Cre at Dubai favourite hole -14th.

Pontus Fredriksson Born in Stockholm Sweden; tried to learn the game at Saltsjobadens GK favourite hole – 8th.

on Ewan Camer Scratch Team. Born Vice Captain, EGC and; early starter otl Sc Dumfriesshire, s, (Southerness on the Scottish link -15th.

GC); favourite hole

Inaan Budhira ja Born in Delhi, India. I began to play golf tw o years ago in Dubai at Emirates Golf Club; favourite hole – 8th.

Michael Harradine Born in Sharjah, UAE. Learned to play golf here with my father; Favourite hole, hmmm.... don’t really have one. If I have to choose I think I would probably go with the 7th.

Marcus Wallman Born in Adelaide, South Australia; learned the game at Royal Adelaide Golf Club; favourite hole – 17th.

Ian Scott

Born in Sunderland learned to play gol at Seaham Golf Clu County Durham; favourite hole - 7th

Edward Hesso

Born in Philadelphia learned to play golf oiled browns, astro-t and sand at Abu Dha Golf Club; favourite h -13th as well as all 5s and the 2nd and 1 which I can drive

Born in Alabama USA; learned the game in Bombay (Mumbai), India, favourite hole – 5th.

h.

on

PA; on turf habi hole par 17th e

Club News

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland; learned e game at Lausanne Golf Club; favourite hole – 8th.

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Charlie Stricklin

Kouroche Achtari,

Our first match against Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club

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n a blustery Saturday afternoon, the EGC Men’s Scratch Team was ready for the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club as they rolled in to play the Faldo. We were eager to test our skills against Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club for the first time this season. With the EGC Team arriving just before noon at Faldo course, the team marvelled at the spectacular conditions and course quality so a big THANK YOU to Craig Haldane and his crew!

After a pep talk and handing out our new uniform, the EGC scratch team felt well equipped both physically and strategically to face their first opponents.

In the first match, Pontus Fredriksson and Kouroche Achtari led the team off and came home with a 4 & 2 victory which included an eagle on the 10th hole (Pontus was -5 under for a while!).

Rohit Gupta & Ed Hesson teed off second, and due to a great performance that ended the match 2 & 1. Teammate Rohit commented that Eddie Hesson played like a rock star!

Third to play was Michael Harradine & Ross Hopwood 4 & 3, who played well, but had to deal with the other team trying to play mind games, rattling tees in their pockets, dropping balls on the green when our player was about to putt goodway to keep focused guys!

Vice-Captain Ewan Cameron with partner, Charlie Stricklin fought hard but lost on the 18th against their star group; though it was a tough loss for the Ewan and Charlie, it was a well-fought battle to the end, and it could have gone either way.

Emirates Golf Club Scratch Team secured three victories and won their first match. Well done boys!

The goal is to build off this strong win in order to attain new heights. I would like to thank all for their support so far this season. We are grateful for everything you do!

Johnny Aldridge

Mark Donovan Born in Hastings, England; learned to play golf on Tiger Woods PGA Tour | Golf Video Game; favourite hole - 4th.

I think most members know or recognise Craig Haldane, Director of Golf Course Maintenance, but many are perhaps not so familiar with two senior members of his team, Luke and Peter.

Meet

Luke Partridge

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uke is 28 years old and hails from Adelaide, Australia. He’s been working in the turf industry since the age of 15 and has been fortunate enough to have worked in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Sweden and now the Middle East.

Luke has been involved in various golf course construction projects for architects such as Jack Nicklaus and Thompson Perrett and Lobb. In 2005 he received a scholarship to work and study in the US as an intern as part of the Ohio State Universities Global Turfgrass Management Programme where he was fortunate enough to spend 18 months on the crews at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh and Sea Island Resort in Georgia. He has also worked on maintenance crews at Royal Adelaide Golf Club in South Australia and The Kinloch Club in New Zealand. With a passion for sport that extends beyond the golf course, he really enjoys being involved in the sports industry. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two and a half years at Emirates Golf Club and I look forward to progressing my career with Dubai Golf.”

Meet

Peter Stewart

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orn and brought up in St. Andrews, Scotland, Peter has been involved in the turf industry for fourteen years. He worked on the Old Course for five years and was involved in two British Opens, a British Amateur Open as well as five Dunhill Cup European tour events. Peter was then selected by the St. Andrews Links Trust to go and work at Royal Melbourne in Australia for eighteen months, during which time he was part of the Heineken Classic and Australian Open tournament preparations. From there Peter went to work in America for eighteen months on the Ohio State programme and during this time, he was involved at prestigious venues in the south such as TPC Sawgrass and the Players Championship as well as Augusta National and the Masters. Peter then looked after technical advice, sales and marketing for SubAir the subsurface aeration system invented at Augusta National by Superintendent Marsh Benson. In this role Peter was responsible for Europe and Asia and worked on many interesting golf course and stadium projects.

During his career Peter has been awarded the Toro Student of the Year award as well as the R & A Scholarship award. He is fortunate enough to be invited back to help with the set up of the Masters every year at Augusta and will be returning to do so again in April representing Dubai Golf and Emirates Golf Club.

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Junior Series Event of2013-14

Khanna scores 26 in the first Dubai Golf

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ubai Golf hosted the first Junior Tournament Series event of the season on Thursday 31st October at Emirates Golf Club’s 9-hole Academy Course, which was made up of a strong field of 40 budding Junior golfers.

Winners received vouchers for Wild Wadi Waterpark in addition to valuable Order of Merit points.

The weather and course conditions were perfect, which added to some fantastic scoring and a great start to the Dubai Golf Junior Series.

The event is the first of an eighttournament series and is part of an initiative by the Dubai Golf Academy Professionals to encourage Junior golfers to move from the driving range to the golf course. Between the two Dubai Golf Academies at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek and Yacht Club, over 500 Juniors participate in regular weekly lessons as part of the Dubai Golf Junior Development Programme sponsored by Jumeirah and Wild Wadi Waterpark.

This first event was a huge success and the Juniors are already looking forward to the second event that takes place on November 29th at Dubai Creek.

Mark Bruce, Golf Professional commented, “Although many of the Juniors do take the opportunity to play on the Par 3 course whenever possible, it was great to watch them showcase their skills in a competitive environment and allow our newer participants to truly see and feel what they have been working towards during their weekly lessons and practice.”

Juniors in each of the five programme levels competed against one another and each level was highly contested.

JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 9th November 2013

BOYS’ CHAMPION Inaan Budhiraja GROSS 70

GIRLS’ CHAMPION Kavita Sehmi GROSS 84

RUNNER-UP

Aaron Smith GROSS 79

THIRD Matthew Lauren GROSS 80 BEST GROSS SUPER JUNIOR CATEGORY Suvansh Arora GROSS 94

BEST NET BOYS’ DIVISION Karam Sehmi NET 70

BEST NET GIRLS DIVISION Alison Muirhead NET 82

Results

Yellow 1.

2.

Blue 1.

2.

Purple 1.

2.

Black 1.

2.

Tobias Lundgren 45 Krishna Kakar 52

David Polo Tom Rietiens

46 52

Dilan White Hoshi Yadav

32 32

Punya Khanna 26 Matthew Baxter 27

Nearest the Pin

Hole 3: Punya Khanna Hole 9: Tanishq Lalvani

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Golf Academ

Long Term Development v The Quick Fix L ong term development v The quick fix Every golfer is unique and individual, with differing abilities, physicality, lifestyle, mindset and goals. Each golfer is also different in how they learn, not only in how they take on board information (visual, kinaesthetic, auditory) but also preferences in their approach, what they wish to achieve and ultimately, their end goals. Of course it can be a natural instinct for every golfer to want to improve as quickly as possible; this is completely understandable and there is nothing wrong with wanting to attain this.

It does raise the question, ‘can I improve instantly with a quick fix, or do I opt for a longer term plan of development?’

Both options will give the golfer a solution; however, the key differences lie in how long the solutions will last for?

A quick fix is generally a tweak within some aspect of the set up or swing that will potentially create a cure for the next round or competition, or maybe a little longer! If this is what is wanted, then again, there is absolutely no problem in this, providing it comes with the understanding that it may be temporary. Quite often a quick fix is offering a compensation for something else that is happening in the swing, a bit like putting a small sticky plaster on a gushing wound! There is no denying that there are times when a small tweak is all that is needed to provide some relief and improvement within your game, even if it simply provides a lift in confidence and enjoyment. However if you are finding that under pressure, the same problem shot consistently gets you into trouble, the quick fix option may not be the best solution.

On the flip side, long term development can sometimes seem slightly less appealing and comes with the misconception that the swing must be completely broken down

and remodelled with months of frustration, painstaking hours on the range and taking a huge step backwards before going forwards.

This doesn’t have to be the case. The first key is to gain an understanding of your own swing. What is the root cause that is at the heart of my problem shot? Your coach will be instrumental in this and where possible, try not to be swayed by the well-meaning advice of your playing partners! With this understanding you start to become much more self reliant, gain faith in what you are working on, less frustrated and ultimately less tempted to try various other methods (repetitive experimentation in the long run, drags improvement out further). So the term, ‘long term development’, doesn’t have to mean long term, as in the time it takes to improve; yes it may require a little more time than the quick fix, but it simply means initially, gaining an understanding of your swing and its correlation with the ball flight, what the key root cause is and how to develop that with the most effective practice plan possible. It is worth noting that effective practice plays an integral role in speedy development, based around quality not necessarily quantity.

Part of the process may also involve a more holistic approach, assessing fitness, mindset and any areas in need of change to help support development. Ultimately ‘long term’ simply means an approach that will provide consistent results further down the line and certainly assist greatly when under pressure.

As mentioned previously, all golfers are unique, individual and want different things from their game and their methods of progress. With this in mind, both options are widely available. There is not necessarily a right or wrong but the key lies in understanding and acknowledging how they operate and what they can offer to your game. With this knowledge comes free will and the choice of personal preference!

The Ladies’ Section raised the amazing sum of over 67,000 AED for Breast Cancer Arabia at the EGC Pink Ball Day on 28th October 2013. Many thanks to sponsors and to all those who bought raffle tickets in support of this charity!

Fit Lab

14

T

he last few months have been very eventful at Fit Lab with many of the classes back in full swing now that the nice weather has finally arrived.

Parveez Mohammed is a new TRX instructor at EGC who is excellent and has a wide range of experience teaching TRX which is a full body workout challenging all the muscles in the body and with different ranges of motion.

Next month please look out for a TRX class that will be specifically aimed at improving your golf game.

Aquatix Swim Training is a registered Swim School with experience in teaching and coaching swimming in Dubai.

We presently operate at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Our Instructors are primarily AUSTSWIM trained, which is the accredited Australian programme for swimming.

Aqua Babies Splash Coral

The Elite Tennis Academy has been going from strength to strength with lessons that cater for all standards. They have recently introduced group sessions from the age of four and it is fantastic to see how well the children respond to Luis, the Academy Director.

This is the first beginner parent and child class for 3-18 month olds.

We recently held a tennis tournament which resulted in a fantastic turnout as you can see from the photos below. Please watch out for the Christmas tournament that is to be held on December 16th 8am-10.30am, followed by a chill-out at the swimming pool and lunch. The Ladies’ tennis mornings are still ongoing on Mondays and Thursdays 8am-10am and all standards are welcome.

Aquatots Splash

A special mention must go to Jonathan Soares who has been with Dubai Golf for 20 years. He started out at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club as a Recreation Assistant and has progressed to Head Tennis Professional for the Elite Tennis Academy. It is a credit to Jonathan that he has had such an impact on the Tennis Academy and he will be sorely missed by everyone here.

We wish you and your family all the best Jonathan in your new venture.

On the Squash front, Adam Pursglove, our resident Professional, is doing a fantastic job of organising the leagues with up to 50 people participating at all levels.

The social evening on Mondays 6pm-8pm is very successful and great for all standards. Why not give it a try, then go onto quiz night and indulge in the buffet after your workout?

Anemone This class is for babies from 18 months to 2 ½ years.

Frogs These are new swimmers to the Aquatix Swimming programme over 2 ½ years old, or those swimmers who still need more time and practice at using cueing to go under the water.

Tadpoles These are our confident swimmers aged from 2 to 3 years of age who are experienced at putting their faces in the water and have progressed through our younger levels.

Beginners’ Splash Platypus - new swimmers 3 to 4 plus years of age Beaver – 3 to 4 plus years of age Private adult lessons and stroke corrections are also offered at both Clubs.

Mums and babies’ classes are run daily at Emirates Golf Club on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday mornings.

An assessment of all swimmers over the age of 3 years will be made to ensure they are placed in the correct group based on their ability.

For booking and enquiries please email your child’s name and date of birth to: kati@aquatix.me or natasha@aquatix.me

With the year nearly coming to an end the Fit Lab team is already working on 2014 so please look out for the Fit Lab Running Series next year - more information will be coming out soon.

Healthy Regards Andy Meech Head of Sport & Leisure

PINK TENNIS TOURNAMENT

by Philippa Stumbles

On Monday 28th October, Emirates Golf Club hosted a tennis tournament in aid of Breast Cancer. Sixteen enthusiastic tennis players, all donning pink, enjoyed a wonderful morning of tennis and recreation followed by a lunch in the Spike Bar. An impressive 1480.00 AED was raised for the Safe and Sound Breast Cancer Charity from a percentage of the entrance fee as well as donations from the players and other tennis members Thanks to Emirates Golf Club management as well as Elite Tennis for the winners’ prizes.

Any new or keen players are most welcome to join the ladies’ tennis group on the courts from 8:00–10:00 am on Monday and Thursday mornings.

Interest is already gathering for the Christmas Tournament being held on 16th December. All players are welcome – see below for more information.

Festive Tennis Tournament at Emirates Golf Club Register now for our special Festive Tennis Tournament at Emirates Golf Club.

Date

16th December Time

8am - 10.30am Format Round robin knockout Dress Code Wear something festive!

Cost

AED 40 for members AED 60 for non members Prizes will be available for winners. All participants receive access to the swimming pool and are welcome to enjoy a Christmas Lunch at M’s for AED 150 from 12 noon after the tournament.

Please contact Jonathon Soares on 050 346 0451 to register.

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Lynda Kirby wins SensAsia for a Year!

On November 19th we presented Lynda Kirby with our ‘SensAsia for a Year’ prize after she purchased a raffle ticket during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We presented Lynda with gift vouchers for a series of treatments and a basket full of SensAsia Signature products. Lynda an avid fan of SensAsia, said, “I really can’t believe my luck! I haven’t been able to stop smiling all day!” Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets and enjoyed our ‘Twist of Pink’ treatment.

All monies raised will go to helping women to fight breast cancer.

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Parveez Mohamed Parveez is a TRX Programme Developer and Fitness Director for Advantage Sports with over 15 years in the Health & Fitness industry as a group fitness trainer, personal trainer and Club Operations Manager. Parveez takes TRX Suspension Training to a new level, introducing the functional and fun elements of training that deliver safe and effective changes to your body. He has worked with individuals whose goals are weight loss, rehab, sports performance or general fitness. Parveez moved to Dubai eight years ago as part of the pre-opening team for Emaar’s leisure brand, Hayya Health Clubs where he worked for two clubs as Leisure Operations Manager, master trainer, Director for demo team and brand ambassador for Hayya. As a fitness expert he has written for Good Taste and Men’s Health magazines on health tips and fitness knowledge.

Fit Lab

16 The difference between static and dynamic stretching

by Donna Masing, Sports Massage Specialist.

I

f you have ever played any level of club sport, it’s likely you have received some conflicting information about stretching.

Ballistic, static, dynamic, proprioceptive neuromuscular…..what? It all sounds so complicated!

Here’s how to simplify it. If you are about to hit a round on the Faldo, you need to warm up your muscles to prepare them for the activity. As it’s golf you’re playing, you’ll need to specifically address the muscles surrounding your pelvis, thighs, middle back and your shoulders.

Try this; stand in your tee off position (minus the driver!) and place your hands in front of you, palms facing the ground. Turn to one side, raising your arm as you do so, and follow with the head, so you continue looking at your hand. Relax the knees but keep your feet planted, so the movement is coming from your thoracic (middle) spine.

Reaching really far is not the objective, so do not strain yourself. Lower the arm to meet the other, and repeat the action on the opposite side. Do this action a few times, until you feel yourself loosen up and start to naturally move further around.

This is a great dynamic way to bring blood flow to the back muscles and to a lesser extent, to the shoulders. A nicely warmedup muscle is going to be able to withstand greater force before reaching the point

of injury, so this is why it’s important not to do sport ‘from cold’.

In fact, according to one golf-specific study performed at the Bloomsberg University of Pennsylvania, you are nine times less likely to injure yourself if you warm up.

Warm muscles also pull oxygen from the blood more effectively and are better at using muscle fuel that’s been stashed elsewhere.

Around two-thirds of golfers seldom or never bother to warm up. Consider this, a 2004 study showed that golfers who did dynamic warm up exercises increased their club head speed and were projected to have dropped their handicaps by seven strokes over seven weeks.

A good dynamic warm up should only take about 5 to 10 minutes, 5 minutes prior to the start of your event or tee off. These exercises are most effective when they are sports specific. There’s not much point in a golfer using a sprinter’s warm up routine.

So you finished the Faldo and you are making a beeline to

the buffet at Spikes. Hold it right there!

You haven’t cooled down or returned your muscle fibres to their correct length. When we exercise, blood flushes our muscles, allowing us to take them into further ranges of motion than before. But if you don’t follow a cool-down regime, the muscle fibres can form haphazard patterns – also known as muscle knots. We need to guide the fibres to the right direction and length by doing static stretching.

Studies performed by the University of Nevada in 2008 show that static stretching before an event can decrease muscle strength by up to a whopping 30%. For the intellectuals reading this, that’s called a neuromuscular inhibitory response.

So remember this, before activity you need to bring blood, oxygen and fuel to your muscles for more power, stamina and reduced risk of injury. After activity you need to prevent stiffness and muscle knots.

An important tip: when static stretching ,move so that you feel a pull on the muscle, but not pain. Static stretches really need to be held for a minimum of 30 seconds and performed multiple times.

Happy golfing!

To book a sports massage with Donna, contact Bespoke Wellness on info@bespoke-wellness.com or call 055 372 4670

MEET THE STAFF Engineering Team

Fitness Activity Schedule December 2013 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Studio

Studio

Studio

Studio

Studio

Studio

Studio

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

8.30 - 9.30 Grade 4 Ballet (Lisa)

7.30 - 8.30 Artistic Yoga

8.45 - 9.45 Zumba Toning (Tracy)

8.30 - 9.30 TRX Suspension Outdoor (Advantage Sports)

8.45 - 9.45 Zumba Toning (Tracy)

8.30 - 9.30 TRX Suspension Outdoor (Advantage Sports)

8.45 - 9.45 Zumba (Tracy)

9.30 - 10.00 Beginner Ballerina (Lisa)

8.45 - 9.30 Pre Primary Ballet (Lisa)

18.30 - 19.00 Metafit (Tracy)

8.45 - 9.45 Pure Body Blast (Elaine)

8.45 - 9.45 Pilates Reformer Intermediate / Advanced (Amanda)

8.45 - 9.45 Pure 30/30 (Elaine)

8.45 - 9.45 Pilates Reformer Intermediate / Advanced (Amanda)

10.30 - 11.45 Grade 2 Ballet (Lisa)

9.30 - 10.45 Grade 1 Ballet (Lisa)

19.00 - 20.00 Kettlebell Training Intermediate to Advanced

14.30 - 15.00 Grade 3 Tap (Lisa)

18:00 - 19:00 10.00 - 11.00 10.00 - 11.00 Pilates Reformer Pilates Mat Intermediate / Pilates Mat Intermediate / Beginner / Intermediate Advanced (Amanda) Advanced (Amanda) (Kirsty)

11.45 - 13.00 Grade 3 Ballet (Lisa)

10.45 - 11.15 Beginner Ballerina (Lisa)

20.00 - 21.00 Artistic Yoga Weight Loss

15.15 - 16.00 Grade 3 Ballet (Lisa)

17.00 - 18.00 Pilates Mat / Reformer Mixed Level (Kirsty)

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

13.00 - 14.00 Grade 4 Tap Dance (Lisa)

11.30 - 12.30 Primary Ballet (Lisa)

16.00 - 17.00 Modern Jazz Dance (Lisa)

18.30 - 19.00 Metafit (Tracy)

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

12.30 - 13.45 Grade 2 Ballet (Lisa)

17.00 - 18.00 Grade 4 Tap (Lisa)

19.00 - 20.00 Kettlebell Training Intermediate to Advanced

20.00 - 21.00 Artistic Yoga Weight Loss

13.45 - 15.30 Grade 6 Ballet (Lisa)

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Artistic Yoga Weight Loss

13.30 - 14.30 Private Dance Lesson (Lisa)

SATURDAY

18.00 - 19.00 Artistic Yoga

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

19.00 - 20.00 Artistic Yoga

20.00 - 21.00 Artistic Yoga Weight Loss

20.00 - 21.00 Artistic Yoga Weight Loss

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

Social Events – Dates For Your Diary 9th

Christmas Tree Lighting,

Club Night & Choir

16th

Festive Club Night Ball

20th & 21st Festive Family Brunch

What’s On In December Golf Events

Spike Bar Terrace 7pm - 10pm

4th-7th Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters Majlis

Spike Bar

8pm - 2am

M’s

12pm - 3pm

Monday 9th Ladies’ Christmas Scramble

21st

Festive Gourmet Brunch

Le Classique

12pm - 3pm

24th

Christmas Eve Carvery

M’s

7pm - 10.30pm

24th

Christmas Eve Club Night

Spike Bar

24th

Christmas Eve Gourmet Dinner Le Classique

7pm - 1pm

25th

Christmas Day Brunch

M’s

12pm - 3pm

25th

Christmas Day Lunch

Le Classique

12pm - 3pm

Monday 16th Ladies’ Medal in association with JW Marriott Marquis

25th

Christmas Day Barbecue

Spike Terrace

26th

Boxing Day lunch

Spike Bar

12pm - 4pm

Tuesday 17th Staff/Member Scramble

31st

New Year’s Eve Oscar’s Night Le Classique

7pm - late

31st

New Year’s Eve Dinner

7pm - late

31st

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

Hollywood/Bollywood theme Spike Terrace

by

Ba y rne

Ask

M’s

Friday 13th Mashreq Medal Championship in association with BMW & Harvey Nichols Dubai

Faldo

08.30

Faldo

08.00 & 13.00

Faldo

08.30

Faldo 13.00

Friday 20th Mixed Christmas Scramble Faldo 13.00

7pm - late

The Rules Wizard

Colem an

During the final round of the DP World Tour Championship I was called to a ruling on the 14th hole of the Earth course. Raphael Jacquelin had gone for the green in two on the long par 5. His ball had missed the green to the right plugging in the top of a bunker. He asked me what his options were under the unplayable ball rule.

I informed him he has 3 options: 1) Go back to where he last played, 250 yards plus down the fairway 2) Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped (but must stay within the bunker) 3) Drop a ball within 2 club lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not hearer the hole (and must stay within the bunker) Raphael chose option 2 and cleverly dropped the ball on the down slope so that his ball didn’t plug. This was using the rules to his advantage and as the ball didn’t role more than 2 club lengths from where it pitched it was in play..

18 Club News

National Bank of Oman Classic at Almouj, Oman

R

Kakko claims card with Classic Oman victory

ooke Kakko, from Finland, sealed his card for the 2014 European Tour season as he claimed his first title as a Professional with a nerveless performance and a twoshot win in the inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic.

In searing hot conditions at the majestic Almouj Golf, The Wave, Muscat, Oman, the 31-year old produced a final round worthy of the occasion in the penultimate event of the European Challenge Tour season.

The victory, courtesy of a three under par final round 69, elevated the Orlando-based player from 17th to sixth in the rankings, guaranteeing him one of the 15 cards available for the European Tour at the conclusion of the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club the following week.

Dane Lucas Bjerregaard made an almighty push for the title midway through the day when he carded three consecutive birdies from the tenth hole to get within one of Kakko.

A bogey for Bjerregaard at the 13th and a birdie for Kakko at the 14th meant the gap was back to three and, while the Dane picked up one more shot at the par five 16th to ensure a nervy finish, Kakko pierced the middle of the fairway with his drive down the 18th before finishing with a solid par to clinch the title on 14 under.

“Today I felt like this was my moment, when I was going to grab hold of it, so it feels amazing,” said Kakko, who let out an almighty roar when he holed the final putt. “What an accomplishment. I’m just so proud of how I handled myself on the golf course and how I kept hitting good

While Kakko began with two birdies to extend his one-shot overnight lead to three before moving four clear at one point, it was no walk in the park for the man whose only previous victory on the Challenge Tour came as an amateur and on home soil back in 2004.

shots and good putts.

“After I hit that tee shot at 18 I figured that had to be pretty much it. I saw that Bjerregaard made par on the last so the drive was the big one, not the putt. I haven’t won as a Professional and that’s why we’re here every week. We want to win these tournaments and I’ve had a couple of chances.

It’s unbelievable to have a European Tour card secured. When you set yourself a goal for top 15 and then accomplish that, it’s such a fulfilling feeling.

I don’t have words for it. I’m so happy, just delighted. I get to go home now to my family after the Grand Final and I don’t have to go to Qualifying School, so that’s such a big plus. I think I get to play the World Cup with Mikko Korhonen too so that’s going to be a nice Christmas present.”

Bjerregaard, meanwhile, was disappointed to have missed out having come close, but having needed a huge result this week just to secure a place in the season-ending Grand Final, he was delighted to have achieved that goal by moving from 57th in the rankings to 35th.

UAEPGA EVENT

E

mirates Golf Club Professional Alistair Brown continued his solid start to the 2013/14 UAEPGA season by claiming his first ever UAEPGA title in a tense, sudden death play-off over Anthony Buchanan (Tower Links) and fellow Emirates Golf Club Professional Jonathon Craddock All three players posted impressive one-over par rounds of 73 on the immaculately presented layout at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

In the play-off Alistair held his nerve on the tough 4th hole a to score a solid par 4 to his opponents’ bogey 5s to claim the win.

A small consolation for Buchanan after finishing 2nd in all three events so far this season, is that he is now top of the Order of Merit ahead of Alistair Brown and the absent Callum Nicoll.

Another Emirates Golf Club Professional Andy Matthews, who played well in his first

event back after shoulder surgery, shared fifth place.

Alistair was delighted with his performance but also his overall experience at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club: “This was my first time playing the course at Saadiyat and I can honestly say this was one of my best experiences on a golf course. The service standards, views and golf course are among the best in the world.”

19

Tom has previously worked at two highly prestigious golf clubs, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, the home of amateur golf and the site for many historic British Opens and secondly, at Castiglion Del Bosco Golf Club, Tuscany, a highly exclusive private members’ club providing a high-end service in coaching, golf operations and retail.

Tom is delighted to be back in the region where he learned the game and hopes to pass on his expertise, helping his students to achieve their golfing potential at The Academy at Emirates Golf Club.

Club News

H

aving moved to Dubai at the age of 15, Tom enjoyed a successful amateur career reducing his handicap from 16 to +2 in four years under the guidance of Mark Gregson-Walters. Tom then spent three years at the University of Birmingham achieving a 2.1 in the Applied Golf Management Studies BSc (Hons) degree programme. During his time in Birmingham, Tom developed an interest in golf specific fitness and focused on this area for his final year dissertation working with leading 3D analysts Mark Bull and Matt Bridge, exploring the effectiveness of Ramsey McMaster’s golf specific fitness training techniques upon the performance of elite amateur and professional golfers.

Introducing the Emirates Cup The Emirates Cup is a brand new members event where you get the opportunity to challenge the staff from Dubai Golf.

Matches will be played over 18 holes on the Majlis or Faldo course and will be a pairs format, where two members will take on two members of Dubai Golf staff. All matches will contribute to the overall team score to determine who claims overall victory in the series!

Event dates for November and December are provided below:

December Monday 9th

12.55pm

Faldo course

Thursday 12th

8.05am Majlis course

Monday 16th

12.50pm Majlis course

Thursday 19th

8am Majlis course

Monday 23rd

1pm Majlis course

Monday 30th

1pm Majlis course

To register your place please contact Andrew Matthews, Membership Services Manager on amatthews@dubaigolf.com. www.dubaigolf.com

TOP PICKS FROM THE TOURS Henrik Stenson

Jarod Lyle

ast month Henrik Stenson became the first player to win the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour in the same year after winning the World Tour Championship by six shots in Dubai. His final round of 64 included six birdies, finishing with an eagle for a bogey-free 64 and a 25-under-par total, a new tournament record. It really was a stunning display of golf shots which was awesome to watch!

Jarrod Lyle, a 32-year-old professional golfer from Australia, tearfully teed it up in the first round of the Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne last month which marked his return to competitive golf after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia - the second time he has beaten that form of cancer in his lifetime. Lyle had set himself the goal of surviving the Royal Melbourne course long enough to make the weekend in his first professional tournament since overcoming leukaemia for a second time.

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“It has been an incredible summer for me, the [autumn] in America was great and now this,” said Stenson, who was second in the Open and third in the US PGA Championship before his FedEx Cup triumph.

Stenson also had the added satisfaction of winning $100 from Ian Poulter who finished behind him on the money list, with Poulter also having to act as his waiter for the evening.

‘’I’ve done it,’’ he said after his second round, with a mixture of relief and excitement. ‘’To me, it feels like I’ve won the tournament. I felt like I had a two-shot lead on that last hole and all I wanted to do was just dribble it in so I didn’t screw it up and miss the cut. I couldn’t be happier right now.’’

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Season’s Greetings With the festive season fast approaching, Emir ates Golf Club are proud to announce an exciting range of pack ages and events that are sure to brighten up this special time of year for you, your family and your friends.

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Whether you wish to enjo y an intimate Christma s gathering, welcome in the New Year in style or if you just need helping hand in the kitch a en, we guarantee an unfo rgettable festive experience at Emir ates Golf Club.

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For further information or to make a reservati on, please contact +971 4 417 9999 or email emiratesdining@d ubaigolf.com

Seasonal Dining at Emirates Golf Club

Lighting, Christmas Tree Choir Club Night and

1st – 30th December Le Classique Indulge in a delicious festive dinner at Le Classique Four course set menu AED 295 food only AED 395 with half a bott le of premium bubbly M’s restaurant Savour a three course set lunch or dinner at M’s restaurant from our seasonal menu Lunch 12 noon to 3pm Dinner 7pm to 10.30pm Spike Bar Enjoy Spike Bar’s wee kly festive specials Starter AED 55 Main Course AED 75 Dessert AED 28 Two courses AED 99 Three courses AED 115

Spike Bar er 9th Decemb

n will entertai Sound Choir the e Dubai City to 10pm on th m er, 7p mb m ce fro 9th De year, this ourites On Monday of festive fav bigger and bigger every a selection gets b! at th Clu lf guests with ing Go en tes rrace. An ev on at Emira Spike Bar Te festive seas ffet. l start of the s seasonal bu is the officia our deliciou d an sic mu festive joy en to s n us d beverage Come and joi With selecte Food only AED 275 5 13 ice Pr AED AED 285 Member AED 145 AED 295 est Member’s Gu AED 155 able is also avail Guest carte menu mended, a la om rec ns Reservatio Smart casual Dress code:

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If you don’t fancy doin g the cooking over the festive season, we would be delighted to assist you with your Christmas lunch or dinner at home. Con tact our food and beverage team to plac e your order and we will do all the hard work for you!

Takeaway service inclu des - Butterball Turkey - Forcemeat and chestnut stuffing - Chipolatas and baco n rolls (contains pork) - Brussels sprouts and parsley carrots - Roast parsnips and fond ant potatoes - Gravy and cranberry sauce AED 95 per person - Foie Gras de Canard en Terrine (traditional duck liver terrine mari nated with Sauterne wine) with fig chutney AED 160 per 200g

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for an 8pm to 2am cember from r, including nday 16th De tertainment in Spike Ba rdson en Join us on Mo ha e Ric tiv il ing of fes iz master Ph exciting even ecial quiz ffet. Our qu test with a sp Christmas bu e s th iou to lic ge de m. a led ent until 2a festive know ng entertainm will put your ll be providi wi DJ e liv r s and ou d beverage With selecte Food only 5 27 D AE Price AED 135 AED 285 Member AED 145 est AED 295 5 Member’s Gu AED 15 Guest able is also avail la carte menu required, a Reservations Smart casual Dress code:

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t fun on M’s restauran r d of festive st Decembe ng a weeken us 20th and 21 urant is hosti m. Along with a delicio sta re s M’ , e corner ding face until 3p enjoy, inclu st around th m 12 noon ju to fro r as ily to be m tm m fa ris e ce With Ch t everyone in 21st De for all th anteed to ge tertainment and Saturday of festive en ternoon guar Friday 20th af st ho An . a er y jo rn t, en ion co brunch buffe and PlayStat uncy castle painting, a bo t! iri sp the festive AED 140 Food only AED 155 Member t es verages AED 175 Member’s Gu e of soft be D 75 inclusiv Guest s old) AE ar ye 12 – Children (4 r free der 4 dine fo Children un rages irits) lected beve ines and sp Food and se AED 260 (w kling) ar (sp 0 36 r AED Membe irits) ines and sp AED 275 (w ng) kli t ar es (sp Gu 5 AED 37 Member’s irits) ines and sp AED 295 (w ng) kli ar (sp 5 AED 39 Guest

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Visit Le Clas sique on Satu rday 21st De filled with gr cember betw eat food and een 12 noon drinks with fri and 3pm for ends and fam a fine aftern ily.

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Christmas Eve Club Night Spike Bar 24th December It is the night before Christmas … what better way to spend 24th December than with our special Christmas Eve Club Night at Spike Bar. Enjoy a delicious Christmas buffet and more festive fun with our quiz master.

Price

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AED 135 Member Member’s Guest AED 145 AED 155 Guest

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Le Classique 24th December

Gourmet dinner with selected beverages AED 375 Member AED 395 Member’s Guest AED 420 Guest Make it special and enjoy unlimited bubbly for an additional AED 140 per person Reservations required Dress code: Smart elegant

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Boxing Day Lunch Spike Bar 26th December

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Spike Bar 25th December

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M’s restau re e ti rant will ho st a family host of m uch-loved Christmas seasonal D noon until ay Br unch on W delicacies 3p ednesday will be on Santa Clau m. For our younge 25th D offer r guests w s corner w e have a ho at our extensive bu ecember, where a ith gifts, fa ffet, served st of child ce paintin re g, fr n’s entert a bouncy Food only ainment in om 12 castle and cludes PlayStatio Member n corner.

AED 165 Member’s Guest AED 185 Guest AED 205 Children (4 – 12 year s old) AED Children un 75 inclusiv der 4 dine e of soft be for free verages Food and selected be ve ra ge Member s AED 260 (wines an d AE D 36 0 (sparklin spirits) Member’s g) Guest AED 275 (wines an d spirits) AED 375 Guest (sparkling) AED 295 (wines an d spirits) AED 395 (sparkling) Reservatio ns require d Dress code : Smart ca sual

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Christmas Eve Gourmet Dinner

Get into the festive spirit than with a gourme celebration in the impressive surrounds of Le Classique, on Tuesday 24th December from 7pm to 11pm. Choose from our superb selection of starters and desserts from the buffet along with unlimited, tasting main courses from the a la carte menu

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For further informatio n or to mak please co ntac e a reserv ation, email emira t +971 4 417 9999 or tesdining@ dubaigolf.c om dubaigolf.c om

Snippets

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Andy Matthews with ex-England football team Manager, Fabio Capello Tom and Jacqui Barry with Brandan Grace at the DP World Championship

Andy Matthews with Manchester United footballer, Robin Van Persie

Congratulations to the team of Stathis Stathis, Haris Michaelides and Nick Evangelopoulos who finished second in the Rolex Pro-Am at the DP World Championship last month

Andy Matthews with golf legend, Peter Allis

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Ganesh with f Cham

Henrik Stenson’s supporters’ group

Season’s Greetings Photo courtesy of Gerry O’Leary

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Hole-In-One Club

Golf Experience Manager, Mohammed Al Shaibani with the Red Arrows

Dubai Duty Free World Cup Golf Tournament on The Faldo: L-R: Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman Dubai Duty Free, Professional, Des Smyth, Sinead El Sibai, Vice President Marketing, Dubai Duty Free

During the month of November, Dubai Golf were presented with the ward for the Golf Tourism upplier of the Year at the prestigious International Association of Golf Tour Operator (IAGTO) Awards held in Spain.

Congratulations to Pansy onsalvez and the Central eservations Team on this fantastic achievement!

h (In-House Publishing) former UAE National mpion Ismail Sharif on National Day

Glynis Hendry Abu Dhabi National

Hole-in-One Selma Kehoe Par 3 13th November 2013

Tiger Woods achieved another first in his career while in the Turkish city of Istanbul recently by becoming the first golfer to hit balls from east to west off the Bosphorus Bridge.

In front of international and local media, Woods struck several shots from the iconic structure that connects Asia and Europe.

The 1,510-metre, gravity-anchored suspension bridge is located between the Asian shore of Beylerbeyi and European neighbourhood of Ortakรถy

Inter-Club Match

Emirates Golf Club Ladies played an Inter-Club match at Al Ain recently.

Results: Al Ain-243 points, Abu Dhabi-233 points, EGC-229 points, Arabian Ranches-223 points

Ashok Ahuja 15th November 2013 Hole No. 11: Majlis

is for Turkey To Go

If you don’t fancy doing the cooking over the festive season, we would be delighted to assist you with your Christmas lunch or dinner at home. Contact our food and beverage team to place your order and we will do all the hard work for you!

Takeaway service includes - Butterball Turkey - Forcemeat and chestnut stuffing - Chipolatas and bacon rolls (contains pork) - Brussels sprouts and parsley carrots - Roast parsnips and fondant potatoes - Gravy and cranberry sauce AED 95 per person - Foie Gras de Canard en Terrine (traditional duck liver terrine marinated with Sauterne wine) with fig chutney AED 160 per 200g

For more information or to make a booking, please contact +971 4 417 9999 or email emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com dubaigolf.com