Captain’s Message

CLUB CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE

JONATHAN HALL CLUB CAPTAIN, JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

As we enter the 2023 season, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new members to the club and to wish you all a happy and prosperous year ahead. I would especially like to thank the inaugural Club Captains, Steve Drake and Sheila McIlroy for their leadership, commitment, support and efforts over the last fifteen months.

They have been fantastic ambassadors for the club and true friends to both members and colleagues. I would also like to congratulate Noel O’Leary on his appointment as Vice Captain for 2023 and of course Captain for 2024.

I believe we are extremely fortunate to be members of a club that has two of the best courses in the UAE and over the last few years has continually improved its clubhouse offering via the introduction of the Crafty Fox, Kasturi, Bussola, Bota and the Lounge Spa.

I was also delighted to see the launch of the Tommy Fleetwood Academy at the end of 2022 which will only add to our abilities to improve our golf under the influence of one of the very best.

I would like to say a special thank you to Stuart Horwood, our Golf Course Superintendent, and his entire agronomy team for their tireless efforts over the last eighteen months, what they have achieved is exceptional. At the start of 2022, we had a major infestation of tropical signal grass, water table issues and trees and native areas that had grown uncontrollably across both courses.

At the end of 2022, the Earth course received more praise from the DP World Tour professionals than I can remember in my twelve years here and the Fire course is currently in great condition and continues to improve. We will undoubtedly all reap the rewards of their work through the presentation of these courses in 2023 however Stuart needs our support to achieve this. One of Steve Drake’s focus areas was improving player etiquette and although we have seen significant improvements, we must all as members continue to champion this when out on the courses, particularly raking bunkers, repairing pitch marks, filling divots and keeping carts off sensitive areas such as fire grass.

Every time we arrive at the club, we are greeted by the hardest working golf operations, F&B and support function colleagues who ensure we all feel a true sense of belonging. I would like to thank all of them for looking after us so well and I look forward to supporting you through 2023. I would also like to belatedly congratulate Stephen Wilson on his role of Golf Operations Manager, we are in very safe hands with him.

To those who I have not yet met, myself and my wife Michelle (the much better half) have been members at Jumeirah Golf Estates since 2010 and it is a great honour and privilege to serve as Captain. I was born in Northern Ireland and after school, studied at the University of Dundee. Petrified at the thought of working in an office, following graduation I swiftly joined the British Army and had a fantastic seven years travelling various parts of the world. I moved to Dubai in 2008 and it is a city that I now very much call home.

My focus this year will be to build on the great collaboration that already exists between the members and the Jumeriah Golf Estates team and support the club to maintain and improve the golfing experience for members and guests, both on and off the courses. I would like to encourage as many members as possible to take part in the competitions and match play tournaments, which help create a thriving club environment and we will also be adding some unique social competitions to the calendar this year.

I want to wish my good friend Evelyn Downham a fantastic year as Lady Captain, she will no doubt continue to grow the engagement and enjoyment of the lady golfers at the club as she takes over from the tremendous efforts of Sile McIlroy. I also want to wish her husband Carl Downham all the best as the Scratch Team Captain and congratulate them on their opening match of the season against Dubai Hills, winning 3½ to ½. I would like to encourage our members to come out and support the men’s scratch team and lady’s ICC team in their respective matches this year where possible, particularly in home matches.

I look forward to meeting and playing with as many members as possible this year and I look forward to supporting Stephen Hubner, our Club Manager, and his fantastic team, continue to make Jumeirah Golf Estates the best golf club in the UAE.