DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB - CLUB MANAGER’S MESSAGE

JULIAN DANBY

DUBAI CREEK RESORT CLUB MANAGER

As with the beginning of every year, there is always a lot to communicate about club life – so yes, you guessed it - it’s another long one!! Please do put your feet up, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the read!

I’d firstly like to wish you a very Happy New Year and all the very best for a healthy, safe and successful 2022! The New Year has certainly started a little differently given the changes to the official UAE weekend and of course the recent downpours... I have to say though that this has made our Golf Course Superintendent (David Taggart) extremely happy, as the fresh rain water does wonders for the turf health at this time of year.

COVID LATEST

As you are no doubt aware, the recent surge in Covid cases across Dubai has all businesses and individuals concerned. We are no different and in response to this latest wave, we have increased our cleaning and disinfecting schedules across the club. To help further protect our members, guests and colleagues, I’d like to remind you to always wear your mask when you are moving around any indoor areas, and if you do happen to contract the virus and you have been at the club in the days before, then please do reach out by email to our Membership Manager – Ann (ann.daniel@hyatt.com), and let her know. We can also assist in contacting any member or guest that you feel you’ve had close contact with here at the club.

OUTGOING 2021 CAPTAINS

I’d like to say a BIG thank you to our outgoing Captains – Abdullah Al Naboodah and Joy Lirio. They both had a wonderful year in their respective roles as Club Captains and supported the club in so many ways - especially in a fund raising capacity, raising a significant

INCOMING 2022 CAPTAINS

Many congratulations and the best of luck to our 2022 Captains – Max Burrow and Beatrice Galeppini. Max and Beatrice are excited to commence their roles, they are popular and very loyal members with a strong track record in winning tournaments! As with all our previous Captains, they are very approachable and will always be open to discussing any feedback or suggestions you’d like to communicate to the club’s management.

NEW 2022 VICE CAPTAINS

The announcement of the new Vice Captains is always a highly anticipated moment, as the two individuals will then take office as the new Club Captains the following year. For 2022 I’m delighted to announce that your new Vice Captains are…. Gene Cha and Shiba Wahid! Gene is Korean, a hotelier by trade and a Founder member of the club - first joining in 1993! He’s an extremely popular member, especially within the Asian communities and has been an active MCC member in 2021. Shiba is from India, has been a member since 2014. Again, Shiba is an extremely popular and loyal member, as well as an active contributor to the ladies section. On behalf of the club, we wish them both all the very best in their supporting roles as they build up to their 2023 Captaincy.

CAPTAIN’S DRIVE IN

A near date for the diary to officially inaugurate the new Captains, is the Captain’s Drive In, which takes place on Sunday, 16th January alongside the OMA Emirates Monthly Medal. Please don’t forget to sign up for this event, as it’s always a very special occasion as we gather around the 1st tee to watch Max and Beatrice drive off.

NEW TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

Following the recent switch of official weekend days in the UAE, from Friday/Saturday to Saturday/Sunday, we have needed to re-jig the tournament calendar to suit.

Please log in to the member zone at https://www.bydubaigolf.com/ MemberZone/ to see the updated tournament calendar. You can enter tournaments through VIYA, by registering at Golf Reservations or lastly by sending an email to golfoffice@hyatt.com

THE 2022 MEN’S OPEN

The first tournament of the new calendar year is The Men’s Open sponsored by Omega, which is this coming weekend Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th January. Please note the event is fully subscribed with a waitlist based on handicap order. We’ll of course all be hoping for a home member winner this year – perhaps our very own Bayhaan Lakdawala will go one better on his 2021 Runner-Up position and bring the trophy back to home soil…? If you’re keen to see how the tournament unfolds, please feel free to come down to the club on Sunday afternoon and cheer the leaders in from the back of the 18th green. We’ll be setting up a refreshments bar to add to the atmosphere!

2022 MCC (MEMBERS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE)

Each year I have the pleasure in writing to the membership and invite self-nominations for interested members to join the MCC. Last year we had an incredible group of members which was aptly led by our Club Captains (Abdulla & Joy) and Vice Captains (Max & Beatrice), alongside Franz Silhanek, Jehangir Makhdum, Gene Cha, Michael Estafanous and Yujung Seo. I’d like to say a sincere big thank you to all of them for their support, ideas, suggestions and honest feedback throughout the year, which resulted in numerous improvements being made across many areas of the club. As per last year, we are looking to fill 5 places on the MCC, to support the Captains and Vice Captains that automatically form part of the committee.

If you would like to join the MCC for 2022, please do submit your nomination in writing by email to Ann Daniel (ann. daniel@hyatt.com) by midnight on Sunday, 16th January 2022. The MCC will be announced by the end of January with the first meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 8th February.

MEMBERS PARTY

As you may recall, sadly the 2021 Members Party couldn’t go ahead due to strict Covid regulations and the high risk of holding such an event of 400-500 people. This year however, we are planning to host the event on Tuesday, 1st February. This is of course subject to changing regulations amidst this latest wave of Covid cases. We will of course keep a very close eye on cases, as well as regulatory guidance and confirm the event arrangements closer to the date. In the meantime, please do keep this date penciled into your diaries which will surely prove to be a great celebration for the club.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the long weekend and I look forward to seeing many of you at the club over the coming days and weeks.

Warmest regards, Julian