Club Life September

Editor: Jacqui Barry jaxdubai@gmail.com

R 2017

SEPTEMBE

ISSUE 70

LADY VICE-CAPTAIN

LADY CAPTAIN

CLUB CAPTAIN

VICE-CAPTAIN

SULAFA HAMDAN

NAJLA BARTETTE

IVAN FORNAZARIC

PAUL BYRNE

INC OMING CAPTAINS AND VIC E-CAPTAINS

Editorial

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Welcome back to Dubai to all those who travelled throughout the summer and, if you stayed here, well done on managing what I believe was a very difficult, long, hot and humid period. Fortunately I spent most of the summer in Portugal which was also hot with temperatures reaching the mid-30s but more manageable than the temperatures of almost 50 degrees in Dubai. However, it is cooling down, the new season is upon us and we have so much to look forward to in the coming months.

March 2018 marks the 30th Anniversary of Emirates Golf Club so it will be an exciting time. Believe it or not, there are some of us around who are still full members and have been throughout the 30 years, who joined during the very first week of Emirates Golf Club offering membership. It is hard to believe that 30 years have passed so quickly and how much the Golf Club has progressed and indeed, Dubai in general. It is hardly recognisable when one looks back to those times. With that in mind, I will be featuring some insights into life at the Club over the years, along with some photos of years gone by of the original buildings and the courses and some comparisons with what we have today. Please put 8th March in your diaries which will be the 30th Anniversary Annual Members’ Party at the Club… and it is on a Thursday evening.

This was the date the Club officially opened in 1988 when the then President of Pakistan, General Zia-Ul-Haq, teed off with a golden driver, delivered by a parachutist onto the first tee of the Majlis!

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Christopher May

Chief Executive Officer cmay@dubaigolf.com

Barney Coleman

Club Manager bcoleman@dubaigolf.com

Andy Meech

Craig Haldane

Director - Golf Course Maintenance chaldane@dubaigolf.com

Head of Sport and Leisure ameech@dubaigolf.com

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq served as the 6th President of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in 1988.

Not only do we have the 30th Anniversary celebrations to look forward to, but we also have new outlets at the Club. ‘Jones the Grocer’ will take over the Spike Bar although we will have all our own familiar colleagues taking care of us. M’s will be the location for the Spike Bar with a dining area as well as a bar and a members’ only bar - a long awaited fixture. I, for one, am so excited at these new outlets; thank you to wasl and Emirates Golf Club management for acting on members’ input. I think this will result in a buzzing Club in every outlet. Le Classique is going to be relaunched but the name of the new restaurant is still under wraps watch this space!!

September 1st marked the start of the new season and our new Captains, Ivan Fornazaric and Najla Bartette and I’m sure it is going to be a lively and fun-filled season ahead. The new Captains will be supported by their Vice-Captains, Paul Byrne and Sulafa Hamdan and I’m sure all four them will have a great time themselves, as well as making it a fun year for all members.

Thank you, on behalf of the membership, to outgoing Captains, Vipen Sethi and Maura Duggan. What a great year it was and, most importantly, both of you always looked like you were having fun and enjoying your year which is very important. It IS a lot of work but I honestly believe that you get out of it what you put into it and you both did that. Thank you!

As we enter our 2017-2018 season, please try to support events at the Club, not only the golf events but also social events. For sure the Club is going to be busier, given the new outlets, so there will be a need to book early for dinners/functions. As well as that, it would be wonderful to see many more players at the presentation of prizes after competitions, especially in the men’s section. During the past few years, numbers at prize presentations have dwindled, to the point that often, even prize-winners have not been present. We have a fantastic Club so let’s all pull together and keep it as such!

This is your Club and your magazine. Please feel free to contribute anything newsworthy. My email address is jaxdubai@gmail.com and I look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy your golf!

Jacqui

Ganesh Mangathil

Adele Cowgill

Saeed Ahamed

Dubai Golf Publishing Manager gmangathil@dubaigolf.com

Head of Marketing & Communications acowgill@dubaigolf.com

Financial Controller mahamed@dubaigolf.com

Steen Simon

Pansy Gonsalvez

Haridas Palliyalil

Food & Beverage Manager ssimon@dubaigolf.com

Chef Nicholas Cuomo Executive Chef ncuomo@dubaigolf.com

Head of Golf Central pgonsalvez@dubaigolf.com

Stephen Deane

Head Academy Professional sdeane@dubaigolf.com

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

04 04 04 04 04 04

Resident Engineer hpalliyalil@dubaigolf.com

Rhys James

Golf Services Manager rjames@dubaigolf.com

417 417 417 417 417 417

9999 9800 9801 9850 9875 9820

Follow Emirates Golf Club on Facebook for the latest news, views and special offers. We already have over 38,591 likes.

Follow us on Twitter @emiratesgc and Instagram @emiratesgc

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hope you have had some time away from Dubai in the hot summer months and caught up with family and friends across the globe as we prepare to tee off for the 2017-2018 season.

As you may be aware, it is an extremely significant year in the life of Emirates Golf Club as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of our great Club on 8th March 2018. Throughout the season, there will be a number of activities and promotions marking this milestone.

On 1st September, we welcomed into office our new Club Captains so please give your support to Ivan Fornazaric and Najla Bartette as they take over from Vipen and Maura. Everyone at the Club wishes them well and they will be supported admirably by Vice-Captains Paul Byrne and Sulafa Hamdan.

Please put 8th March 2018 in your diary, as this will be the Annual Members’ Party preceded by an Anniversary Golf Tournament.

We look forward to opening our new food and beverage outlets; further to my July letter, please be reminded that all three of our existing dining venues will be extensively refurbished and we will enter our 30th Anniversary year with an enhanced dining experience for our members and guests.

Spike Bar will move to the current M’s location, introducing a brand new layout with large screens, which will show live sporting action from around the globe. Following members’ feedback, I am happy to confirm that the new look Spike Bar will feature a dedicated members’ lounge and terrace.

The very popular ‘Jones the Grocer’ will open in the current Spike Bar location on the ground floor of the Clubhouse.

The restaurant will include a choice of indoor and terrace seating and will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The seasonal menu will feature some of ‘Jones the Grocer’s’ best loved dishes, along with some additional dishes created specially for Emirates Golf Club.

Following the opening of the new Spike Bar, enhancement work will begin in Le Classique. We will be introducing a brand new signature dining concept to the existing location which is due to be open from January 2018, in time for the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Further details of our new signature restaurant, along with the name, will be announced shortly.

Just a reminder that, ‘QDs 2.0 On the Lawn’, is now open from midday on weekends and from 5.00pm on weekdays. Please join us for the weekend family brunches or follow the latest live sporting action including the Premier League Football and European Tour Golf coverage. From 4th to 14th October, the venue will host Oktoberfest; entry will be free for all Dubai Golf members. Join us for traditional Bavarian brews, daily live entertainment, fun and games.

In line with your current membership benefits, the existing member’s discount applies at all of the new dining venues, in addition to QD’S2.0.

The renovation of the swimming pool bar is well under way and we look forward to unveiling an improved outlet and enhanced experience from mid-September.

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ger’s Club Mana Letter

Dear Members,

Driving Range Balls From 15th September, we will be increasing the quality of the driving range balls on the Majlis driving range. The brand of ball will be Titleist Nxt; we hope this will improve your practice experience.

However, we will need your support to maintain this higher standard of practice ball. Unfortunately, we find a large number of range balls on the courses with the obvious conclusion that members or guests are using them. This is poor practice and will be monitored by the marshal team, as the colour of the new practice ball will be clearly identifiable.

In the past, when we have offered superior range balls, the stocks have reduced quickly so if you see any members or guests taking them from the range we appreciate your support by informing them it is incorrect practice or by advising a member of staff.

Hole 13: Faldo The decision has been made to play hole 13 as a par 4 for the start of the new season. Despite efforts to overcome the safety aspects of the longer hole, golf balls continue to enter the villa grounds.

We will pursue the par 5 concept in the future.

However, for the time being and for the safety of our villa residents, the 13th hole will play as a par 4.

We thank you for your co-operation and feedback during the trial period.

Hole 1 and 9: Faldo Thank you for your patience during this maintenance work; the aging fresh water pipe into the property needed to be replaced resulting in the disruption to the 1st and 9th holes.

For further information regarding summer maintenance projects, including Faldo grass works, please refer to Craig’s article in Club Life.

New Team Member Please welcome on board Mohammad Ahmad, our Member and Guest Relations Officer who will be working closely with Athina and Valance from Membership Services and with Janice at Reception to enhance your membership journey.

Tournament Calendar The Golfing calendar is now live on the Members’ Zone and the pocket version will be available for collection shortly, as well as a new feature on the Dubai Golf Members App (from 6th October).

I look forward to seeing you at the Club soon!

Barney Coleman Club Manager

Captain’s Message

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I

t’s September and a new season at Emirates Golf Club! I hope it will be a good one and I will try to do my best, as Captain of the Club, to contribute and have a great 2017-2018 season. I can tell you we have a busy season ahead of us.

It was a little more than a year ago, that I was asked if I would like to be Vice-Captain and I was truly honoured. Now, a year later, I am starting my Captaincy and I sincerely hope to meet everyone’s expectations which are always high in Dubai and also at Emirates Golf Club, it being the best in the Middle East and further afield. The Club is not only about the building and the course, but also the people…the members. I am looking for and also hoping for your support.

I want to say a big thank you to the 2016-2017 Captains, Vipen Sethi and Maura Duggan, for their excellent work. You both set such high standards and it will a bit difficult to match it or make it better but, Najla and I thank you.

September already has a busy schedule of tournaments, with the Mike Gerbich Cup on 22nd and the Tracey Trophy on 30th September. Both are featuring for only the second time and both are getting very popular so I am confident that each of them will be fully subscribed. Following on from that will be the Mixed Season Opener on Friday 6th October.

I welcome the new Vice-Captains, Paul Byrne and Sulafa Hamdan; Najla and I are looking forward to working with you in the coming year.

I wish all members a very enjoyable season. I am looking forward to playing with you. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Wishing you lots of good rounds.

Ivan Fornazaric Club Captain 2017-2018

In association with

MEN’S COMPETITION RESULTS OMA JUNE MEDAL Congratulations to Anil Shivanna and Aaron Banks, winners of the June OMA Medal Championship A & B divisions with net scores of 67. All prize winners enjoyed a fine dining experience at Jean-Georges Dubai!

DG SUMMER SERIES

Kyle Taggart Wins Dubai Golf Summer Series Fixture 2

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ixture two of the popular Dubai Golf Summer Series was played on the Majlis course with over 80 players battling against the summer heat to take the total number of players to 130 for the series at this point.

Congratulations to Kyle Taggart who scored a fantastic 41 points to win the second fixture winning a Titleist 917F Fairway wood supplied by Pro Sports International and a voucher for AED 5000, courtesy of Natuzzi. One point further

adrift was runner-up Soren Dam who scored an excellent 40 points. Six players were tied in third place with an even par 36 points. However, it was Emirates Golf Club member Rajinder Razdan who claimed the prize with a better back nine stableford score.

Max Burrow made it back to back ‘best gross’ victories as he scored a one over par 73, just holding on for victory, thanks to birdies on holes 17 and 18 to win on a better back nine count-back. On-course prizes

were won by Charmaine Bruwer and Scott Henry for nearest the pins on hole numbers 4 and 15.

At this point of the series, Hannah Alan and Ishwar Jodha shared the lead at the top of the series order of merit with 72 points each. The player with the best three scores combined is the winner of the overall series.

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SUMMER OPEN

H

endrik Van Rensburg scored a three over par 75 over the Majlis course to win the Emirates Summer Open. He battled the scorching Dubai heat to beat Hoshi Yadav on a count-back. In third place was home member Imran Qayyum who scored a gross 77.

a level par net 72. In B Division, Hawas El Gaddafe was the winner following the only sub seventy score with a net 69. The runner-up was Thomas Wood who scored a net 71.

In the net categories, Luiz Bertruol won A Division with a net score of 70; his nearest challenger was Robert Bain who scored

Emirates Golf Club would like to thank our prize sponsor Pro Sports International for their continued support of our events.

Competition Results

Hendrik Wins Emirates Summer Open In the Ladies’ Division, Glory Xavier took the top prize with a net score of 76.

OMA JULY MEDAL

In association with

Razdan Wins the DG OMA Emirates July Medal

D

uring the summer months of July and August, Dubai Golf combine their OMA Medal entries for members of both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

Rajinder Razdan of Emirates Golf Club scored a superb six-under par net 66 to win the OMA Emirates July Medal, played on the Majlis course. His score saw him top A Division from runner-up Christian Klynge, who scored a level par net 72. Third place finisher, just one shot further adrift with a net 73, was Dalip Tripathi.

Leading B Division on the day was Pradeep Havaldar from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, with an excellent score of 71 net, winning on the better back nine countback. In second place was Zoff Khan, again with a net 71 who claimed the runner-up spot from playing partner Patrick Mulligan, who scored a net 74 to finish third.

With a round of 79 gross, Ishwar Jodha of Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club won the best gross prize on the day. The winner in the Men’s Stableford competition, run in conjunction with the Medal tournament,

was Flemming Dalgaard with a score of 35 points. The ladies’ winner was young Hannah Cheryl Alan with a net score of 72.

The OMA Men’s Medal series winners will experience the fantastic Jean-Georges Dubai restaurant based at The Four Seasons Hotel at Jumeirah Beach, Jumeirah 2. They will now be treated to a fine-dining experience courtesy of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, an acclaimed chef who has earned three Michelin stars!

RESULTS Winner: Adam Prior Runner-up : Robert Darrsh Third: Rajinder Razdan Best Gross: Michael Herb Order of Merit Winner Michael Herb Runner-up: Rajinder Razdan Third: Ishwar Jodha

Rajinder Razdan July Winner

39 points 38 points 36 points 74 113 points 105 points 104 points

Competition Results

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Adam Prior Wins Dubai Golf Summer Series Fixture 4 Friday 1st September 2017

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a golf bag as his prize. On-course prizes were won by Samar Hayat and Glory Xavier for nearest the pin on holes 2 and 12, both collecting Pro V balls as prizes.

2017, made possible by all the competitors who braved the heat to compete!

Congratulations to Michael Herb, the overall series winner.

Congratulations to Adam Prior, who scored a fantastic 39 points to claim victory in this fourth fixture, winning a Titleist 917F Fairway Wood supplied by Pro Sports International and a voucher for AED 5,000, courtesy of Natuzzi. One point further adrift was runner-up Robert Darrsh who scored an excellent 38 points. In third place was Rajinder Razdan with an even par 36 points, receiving a golf bag as his prize.

After the final fixture of the series, Michael Herb emerged as the winner of the Order of Merit. Taking the best three scores of each competitor, Michael’s overall points total of 113 saw him top the leaderboard with an 8 point advantage. In second place was Emirates Golf Club member Rajinder Razdan, surpassing the 100 point total for an overall tally of 105 points. In third place was Ishwar Jodha, one point adrift on 104 points.

“Our thanks go to all competitors for supporting the Dubai Golf Summer Series, a fantastic series made possible only by your participation. We would also like to thank Pro Sports International for their continued support of our events and to welcome on board a new sponsor, Natuzzi.

Thank you all once again, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Emirates Golf Club very soon” said Rhys James, Golf Services Manager.

Michael Herb won the best gross prize as he scored a two over par 74 and collected

We have experienced a very successful Dubai Golf Summer Series for the year

ixture four of the popular Dubai Golf Summer Series was played on the Faldo course, in a very well contested final round!

Colleague Summer Golf Tournament

NATUZZI.COM

Memebrs ProfileS

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So who is Ivan Fornazaric?

I

was born in Slovenia in 1956 so I am 61 years old and a Slovenian National. Having passion and some background in Mechanical Engineering, I finished the Faculty of Commerce later on.

I started my career in a socialist kind of enterprise involved in the manufacturing of trailers and I have followed through in the trailer manufacturing field my whole life to date.

I was offered a job opportunity in Kuwait in 1987 where I stayed until the occupation in 1990, at which time I moved to Dubai with my family. Soon after arriving here, I started my own business.

I am the founder and owner of GORICA Group which manufactures trailers and commercial vehicles. Our company slogan today is ‘Passionate about Trailers’. I started in an office with only my wife Steva helping with secretarial work. We are now around 1000 employees, having four companies in different areas of the Gulf, with some additional branches and with our headquarters in Dubai. We are

recognised now as the biggest Middle East Trailer manufacturer. Dubai was and still is a good place for business - Dubai has grown and so has our company.

GOLF My father was a farmer, growing peaches and grapes. There was no golf around, not even nearby.

I do remember passing Emirates Golf Club in 1988 while we were celebrating Christmas holidays with friends in Abu Dhabi that year. We were amazed to see a big area of grass planted in the desert.

Dubai already had a vision. On moving to Dubai, our children went to the American School of Dubai, where I met Mike Gerbich, Butch Kamps and Bo Crowley who were talking golf and golf only.

playing golf and got hooked on it. Now I am playing off a handicap of 11, my lowest having been around an eight handicap as per the old handicapping system (Congu). I play mainly at weekends as I feel ‘guilty’ if I take off for golf during working hours. I am still very busy with my company and work but I hope to get more time for the game in the future.

I am ‘Passionate about Trailers’ but also ‘Passionate about Golf’. I always hoped to get to a single digit handicap and I was there for a while, some time ago but not anymore, but still hoping. I have won a few Monthly Medals at the Club, a few other trophies, but ‘no majors’…yet! Nevertheless, I love golf and I enjoy going out for a game.

My first office was in Ras al-Khor.

Going to the office, I was passing Nad Al Sheba almost every day and this is where I took my first lessons in golf and where I had my first round of nine holes with my friend Jan Hooftman with whom, in 1997, I joined Emirates Golf Club and this year I am celebrating my 20 years of membership; this is the first Golf Club that my wife and I have ever been members of.

The first Professional with whom I had an individual lesson, was Andrew Whitelaw who later became Club Manager of Emirates Golf Club, and is now General Manager of Trump International in Dubai.

I believe the first round I ever had at Emirates Golf Club was with John and Josee Sasser. I was nervous, it was summer, and it was hot; I could not believe that people would play golf in 45 degrees…and for four hours in that sort of heat!!

As I mentioned, Dubai is where I heard about golf, started

There are not many Slovenians in Dubai.

Slovenia has a total of only two million people and there are many cities around the world that are bigger than our whole nation. My wife Steva and I are the only Slovenians at Emirates Golf Club and I am honoured to be Captain of this great Club for the coming year 2017-2018.

Golf is a great game to play with friends, but it can also a good opportunity to meet business partners. In four hours you can learn a lot about the person you are playing with. The most important thing is, not how good the person is at the game, but how honest he is with counting, bunker raking, pitch mark repairing, speed and other aspects of the game. You can get a good idea and insight about the person and learn a lot about them…to do business or to be careful.

Dubai is also a great place to meet different people; there are so many different

MY FAMILY

We have two grown-up children, both of whom are married. Our son Luka, lives in Slovenia, has two daughters, Ela and Karolina. Luka does not play golf but loves extreme sports more.

Our daughter Andreja, has come back to Dubai after studying in USA and London. She is married to Jaka who is also Slovenian and they have a son, Leon. We are soon to become grandparents for the fourth time. Both Andreja and Jaka work in our company.

I hope to have more luck playing golf with my grandchildren and I will definitely be working on this.

For the future, I would like to play more golf, spend more time back home in Slovenia, and travel but I am quite certain we will also remain Dubai citizens and hopefully also Emirates Golf Club members for years to come.

Ivan Fornazaric

nationalities coming from all over the world and from different walks of life, as well as different business backgrounds and lifestyles. Emirates Golf Club is no exception in this regard.

I have been to some wonderful golfing destinations with friends, like Ireland, Hawaii, South Africa, Thailand and, just recently, Scotland, the home of golf. Golf in Central Europe and Slovenia is a new sport, and I hope it will grow further. I have some good golfing friends in Slovenia, and maybe that’s why I am supporting PGA Slovenia, being their honorary member. I would really like to see golf in Slovenia develop further, and hope to hear about a good Slovenian Professional player soon.

Memebrs ProfileS

I am married to Steva and next year we will be celebrating 40 years of marriage so there are a lot of round numbers coming out lately. Steva also start playing golf in Dubai - perhaps she didn’t want to stay home alone and become a ‘golf widow’!. Actually it is great when couples both play golf, otherwise if only one plays; there must be some feeling of guilt I think Steva is one of the fastest golf players I know; she doesn’t believe much in warm-ups and definitely no practice swing but it is great fun playing with her all the same.

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6 Competition Results

SUMMER TRI-SERIES

Patrick Lord

40

Roman Hawczak

33

Sanjay Dhandsa

37

Liam Kelly

34

Chris Park

29

Mike Mezei

36

Stephen Fleming

34

Andy Shaw

29

Aaron Banks

34

Match # 1

Michael Redmond

31

Rhys Carter

28

Stephen Deane

30

Emirates Golf Club

Robbie McArthur

30

Ahmed Naim

27

Priyam Godiwala

30

Karen Lister

28

Davy Quinn

25

Connor Forbes

30

22nd July 2017

Karl Whitehead

27

Nicola Taylor

24

Tom Luig

29

Alan Perkins

26

James Dugmore

24

Byrom Kraemer

29

Debbie Gibbs

25

Russ Saunders

23

Majdi Abed

28

Grahame Gibbs

24

Antonio Varela

23

Dean Bell

27

Martin Sweeney

21

Julian Small

23

Pehr Wallenius

25

16

Ralph Plesky

23

Abdulla Al Karam

Terence Marques

275

242

22 283

Stephen Fleming

37

Ornella Parigi

35

Russell Yeomans

36

Karl Whitehead

34

Chris Park

33

Kenny Babcock

35

Liam Thornton

31

Rhys Carter

32

Sanjay Dhansa

31

Match # 2

David Sawyer

31

Anand Rajagopal

32

Cody Isles

31

Jumeirah Golf Estates

Kevin Riley

30

Davy Quinn

32

Shane Wilson

28

Karen Lister

29

Andrew Moffatt

29

Russell Curtis

28

Alan Perkins

27

Jamie Green

24

Rohail De Souza

27

12th August 2017

Michael Redmond

26

Graeme Eglintine

23

Tom Luig

26

Joseph Pomer

25

Julian Small

21

Aaron Banks

25

Martin Sweeney

19

Patrick Stevens

21

Markus Caldwell

24

Liam Kelly

17

Giorgio Parigi

21

Abdulla Al Karam

22

Rhys James

21

Andrea Faldella

DNF 270

Match # 3 The Els Club 8th September 2017

261 Nicholas Bruylants

36

267

Robbie McArthur

33

Priyam Godiwala

30

Kevin Riley

33

Ornella Parigi

34

Stephen Deane

29

Liam Thornton

32

Graeme McCann

30

Markus Caldwell

29

Karen Lister

31

Barry McGettigan

29

Mickey Chopra

29

Marty Gromotka

28

Manu Moskal

28

Pehr Wallenius

29

Debbie Gibbs

27

Davy Quinn

27

Russell Yeomans

25

Kory Thompson

25

David Tangney

26

Cody Isles

24

Kevin Black

25

Rhys Carter

26

Russell Curtis

23

Alan Perkins

25

Rob Duce

24

Byron Kraemer

19

Joe Pomer

25

Patrick Stevens

23

Rohail De Souza

16

Grahame Gibbs

21

Giorgio Parigi

23

Shane Wilson

16

19

Mark Thompson

Graeme Eglintine

Total Points

14

259

260

237

804

763

787

It is always hard to come back after a long summer break to the hot and humid weather, but being a member at Emirates Golf Club, it comes easier as there’s so much to look forward to; it is the start of another very busy and exciting golfing season. In addition to that, this year sees some fantastic changes; the new members’ lounge and dining area, the new venue, ‘Jones the Grocer’ and the rebranded/ refurbished Le Classique. 2018 is also a very special year for our Club, as we will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary in March.

I am looking forward to working with Lady Vice-Captain Sulafa. I wish her, Captain Ivan and ViceCaptain Paul, a very enjoyable and successful year.

A huge thank you goes to outgoing Lady Captain Maura Duggan who did a fantastic job and who, with her knowledge and patience, taught me a lot! She always had a listening ear and with the progressing season we became close friends and associates. I will miss our Thursday mornings immensely!

Many thanks also to outgoing Captain Vipen who was very dedicated throughout! We had some good times and laughs throughout the year!

Our upcoming season will be busy and started on Monday 11th September with a fun competition. It very quickly moves on to the Golden Ball Challenge on September 18th; September 24th sees our first Monthly Medal and ‘Luckiest Ball on Earth’ with a chance to start accumulating points for our Curtisy Cup! Our Inter-Club competition begins on October 18th at Abu Dhabi City; we have been drawn in the same pool with Yas Golf Club, Abu Dhabi City and Jumeirah Golf Estates. I would like to say a big thank you to

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our Club Management who have always been supportive of the Ladies Inter-Club challenges and, hopefully, we can bring back the trophy this year! Moreover, we are immensely grateful to them as they confirmed that they would be providing the golf, lunch and prizes at absolutely no cost to the competitors.

Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club have started this initiative hoping to create a snowball effect, which other clubs would follow in order to encourage ladies’ golf in the region. Already, since we announced this initiative to clubs in our pool, Yas Links Golf Club has confirmed that they will be following suit.

in’s Lady Capta Message

I

am very honoured and excited to take over as Lady Captain of this amazing Club that is host to the biggest ladies’ section in the Gulf region and probably in the Middle East. I will do my utmost to continue in our outgoing Lady Captain Maura’s footsteps.

Finally, may I wish you all a healthy, prosperous and fun golfing season with lots of pars, birdies and eagles! I look forward to seeing you over the coming months.

Najla Bartette Lady Captain 2017-2018

LADIES’ COMPETITION RESULTS LADIES BLIND 9 HOLES STABLEFORD Monday, 11th September 2017 OVERALL WINNER Sandra Chia

22pts

SILVER DIVISION (HCP. 0 –15) WINNER Amarjeet Radia

21pts

BRONZE DIVISION (HCP. 16 –36) WINNER Caroline Granger 20pts

L-R: Amarjeet Radia, Lady Captain Najla Bartette, Caroline Granger and Golf Services Manager Rhys James

Memebrs ProfileS

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Who is Najla Bartette?

I

am of Lebanese origin and married to Pascal who is from the South of France and we have two children together, Jay 18 and Amaya 15 years old. I also have two older children from a previous marriage Jad 29 and Raya 27 years old!

None of them plays golf although we have tried to initiate them and instil in them the love of the game but to no avail! (but still working on it!)

As some of you know, golf in Lebanon was not very popular while I was growing up there, although the Beirut Golf Club was the first one to be built in the Middle East! I grew up during the civil war and the only sport that I was able to pursue was running from the bombs to hide in the shelters!

After finishing a Bachelors Degree in Communication Arts in Beirut, I left Lebanon to live and work in Abu Dhabi where my father was living at the time and where I met Pascal. I moved with Pascal, because of his work, from Dubai to Venezuela to Houston and, last but not least, to Aberdeen in Scotland for four years where I had my last daughter Amaya and then we came back to Dubai again! We were introduced to the game of golf by a couple who were our very close friends.

My first experience is still engraved in my memory as we took off with the kids and the pushchairs on the golf course. We played nine holes where we shared our friends’ clubs while our kids were running around and playing in the

sand pits around the course, oblivious to the fact that these were bunkers and were part of the course and that they were not there for kids to play in or walk on and certainly not walk away without raking them! We were of course told off by one of the lady members of the club who we believed was really “mean and didn’t like kids”!

After that first game, despite our rough introduction to our first rule of golf, we became hooked and bought our first sets of clubs. While in Aberdeen, we tried to play a different course every week, weather and baby-sitting permitting!

We also took up a membership at a local social club where they had a compact nine hole course and a nice nursery where we could leave the kids for a couple of hours.

When we moved to Dubai in 2003 we took up our first golf membership at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club that ironically closed for 18 months right after we joined!

The cool thing was that we were allowed to play for free at Emirates Golf Club, the Montgomerie and Arabian Ranches.

One day I was lucky enough to play with an amazing lady, Christina Yang, who took me under her wings and signed my five cards to officially get my handicap of 36!

While playing at Emirates I was impressed by how big and active the ladies’ section was and how, as a beginner, you are looked after by the Lady Vice-Captain who organises small weekly competitions

13 Memebrs ProfileS

with other beginners to introduce you to the rules of golf, golf etiquette and the different formats. I therefore immediately started to look into taking up a membership at this amazing Club!

After putting our name on a long waiting list for a couple of years, we became dual members of both the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club! I was so pleased because I was finally able to participate in the Monday competitions and the fun mixed ones over the weekends!

Ever since then I have become very active in the ladies’ section where I was immediately included and welcomed by all past Lady Captains and members!

Therefore, when I was asked to become Lady Captain, I was of course, very honoured and humbled. Moreover, I was very glad to work under Maura’s guidance whom I respected and liked a lot but also I felt that it was time for me to give back to the ladies’ section and to the Club where I spend most of my time, where I enjoy playing golf and where I have made great friends over the past nine years.

My one hope though is to be able to follow in the path that was created by the past Lady Captains and to continue to grow our ladies’ section and to work in collaboration with Captain Ivan to keep the Club enjoyable for all.

Reciprocal Clubs

14

SPOTLIGHT ON ALBATROSS GOLF RESORT CZECH REPUBLIC • Official member of European Tour Destination • Official European Tour Venue 2014, 2015 and 2016 • Official European Tour Venue of D+D Real Czech Masters: August 31- September 3, 2017 • Voted Top five best prepared course on European Tour 2014 and 2015 • Golf Resort of the Year in 2011 and 2012 and No. 1 golf course in the Czech Republic in the Golf Digest USA official golf course rankings • A contemporary clubhouse with a complete range of facilities including conference rooms, a pro shop and a restaurant • State of the art practice facilities including a custom fit centre to cater for the needs of the most demanding clientele • A top class team of professional golf instructors to assist golfers.

RECIPROCAL CLUBS Full golf members at Emirates Golf Club have the privilege of the member’s guest green fee rate when playing the below reciprocal golf courses.

- - - - - - - - - -

Albatross Golf Resort, Czech Republic Archerfield Golf Club, Scotland Banyan Golf Club, Thailand Blue Canyon Country Club, Thailand Centurion Club, Hemel Hempstead, UK Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, Hong Kong, China Close House Hotel & Golf, England, UK DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, India Foxhills Club & Resort, Surrey, UK Huntingdale Golf Club, Victoria, Australia

- Hubbelrath Golf Club, Dusseldorf, Germany - Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE - K Club of Straffan, Kildare, Ireland - The Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong, China - Laguna National Golf & Country Club, Singapore - London Golf Club, UK - Mission Hills, China - Münchener Golf Club, Germany

- Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club, Victoria, Australia - Real Club de Golf el Prat, Barcelona, Spain - Royal Golf Club, Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic - Saujana Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Taiheiyo Club, Japan - The Duke’s, St Andrews, Scotland - The Heritage Golf Club, Mauritius - Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Tee time reservations need to be made in advance through Membership Services.

The current membership card must be produced at the reciprocal club when playing golf upon check in.

For further information on the reciprocal clubs please contact our Membership Services team or email egc@dubaigolf.com

A number of golf training sessions were arranged by our Professionals during the summer months for colleagues from different departments at the Club. It looks like it was enjoyed by all.

Colleague golf training with Senior Professional Alastair Brown

Golf Training session for Security, Housekeeping and Golf Operations colleagues with Professional Dong Lee and Marc Iwao

ES COLLEAGU GOLF TRAINING

COLLEAGUES’ GOLF TRAINING

15

Golf Training session for Golf Operations colleagues with Professional Marc Iwao

Early morning golf training session for Emirates Housekeeping colleagues

by Professional Richard Dunsby

On -course management for Golf Operations colleagues with Professional Jonathan Craddock

Golf training session for F&B colleagues with Head Professional Stephen Deane and Mark Bruce

EGC

memorie

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16

30 Years of Emirates Golf Club

MEMORIES Pre-opening and opening day of the Club

O

n Tuesday, March 8, 1988, in front of a gallery that included all seven of the UAE’s Crown Princes, the president of Pakistan, four of the planet’s top golfers and media spanning the globe, the world champion parachute team descended upon Emirates Golf Club to deliver a special gift.

Emirates Golf Club was officially opened on Tuesday 8th March1988. Even in those days, Dubai knew how to put on a spectacular ‘show’.

The then president of Pakistan, General Zia Ul-Haq was presented with a gold driver on the first tee which had just been delivered by the UAE’s champion parachute team.

A large gallery was in attendance, including all seven of the UAE’s Crown Princes, as well as four of the world’s top golfers who played an East versus West Challenge for the inauguration of the Club, Graham Marsh and Rodger Davis, the Australian professional pair, comprised the East side, taking on Britain’s Sam Torrance and Howard Clark in a four-day exhibition.

For the 2001 Desert Classic, I had the privilege of being the ‘mobile scorer’ for Tiger Woods and Thomas Bjorn in the final round. It was Tiger Woods’ first appearance in Dubai so there was a lot of excitement and expectation. I followed them around the Majlis Course, at a discrete distance, in a golf cart fitted with a scoreboard. After each hole, I changed my scoreboard using a stack of plastic numbers. In between, I had a ringside seat to watch these two great golfers.

Woods and Bjorn had played together in the previous rounds and were neck and neck – Woods simply could not get away from Bjorn. On the 16th, Woods was one stroke up on Bjorn but on the 17th Bjorn drew level – they were both on minus 22.

Then I discovered there were not enough plastic 2s to put up the score. I stopped by the 17th Green so see if I could locate

Ceremonial golf Club and golf tee made from gold is delivered by lead parachutist

some more 2s. Consequently, I missed Woods’ drive on the 18th that finished up in the trees on the right of the fairway. I arrived on the 18th fairway just in time to see Woods emerge from the trees, then go back and hit his ball out across the fairway and into the rough. Woods was still behind Bjorn so had to play again.

Woods caught the long grass and skied his ball into the lake in front of the 18th Green. Bjorn calmly played a 5 wood onto the 18th Green. Two putts later Thomas Bjorn had won the 2001 Desert Classic. Woods was disconsolate, left the course in a hurry and didn’t reappear for the planned putting competition with Sheikh Mohammed.

Photos courtesy of past members Len and Jackie Chapman Check out Len’s website: www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com

Len Chapman

Late President successfully tees off from the first tee box to officially open Emirates Golf Club

Winners of the East-West Tournament: L to R Howard Clark, Sheikh Butti (Emirates Golf Club’s Chairman), Sam Torrance

I really cannot recall how I came to be on the top of a camera tower during the 1997 Desert Classic.

I’d probably been organising the Dubai College students for their scoring duties etc. I remember it was a quiet time and, somehow, I came to talk to a cameraman. He was operating the camera at the top of the tower. It was the first year this high level crane had been used at the Desert Classic. He asked if I would like to go up in the crane with him. I had my camera so, of course, I went!

The view was amazing. I took a series of photos from my unique vantage point. Back then I could see the start of the “new” Dubai in the distance but otherwise Emirates Golf Club was surrounded by desert. That view will be very different today!

Jackie Chapman rt Classic

Early years of the Dubai Dese

r

towe Photo of the Majlis from the TV

Junior Link

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18

Dubai Golf Little Champions and Junior Programme

The Dubai Golf Little Champions and Junior Programmes are designed specifically for children aged between four and 17 years old. The entry level to the programme ensures sound fundamentals are instilled from the beginning. The various stages of development allow the child to have a greater focus on the physical, etiquette, rules and on course performance areas of the game.

Each student will receive a Junior Passbook, containing physical and technical challenges for each level, as well as exercises, rules, challenges and online tuition.

Package cost Member AED 1,750 Guest AED 1,950 Packages include • Sixteen x 50 minute weekly group lessons • Unlimited use of Academy practice facilities and Championship Academy course weekdays for the duration of the programme • Dubai Golf Junior Passbook • Equipment provided if required Professional Jonathan Craddock representing the Tee It Up Programme presenting the first Tee It Up kit bag to the Swiss International Scientific School.

For more information or to book your child a space, please call +971 4 417 9845 or email emiratesacademy@dubaigolf.com

Pro’s Tip of the Month

‘AXE DRILL’ –

Pro’s Tip

by Head Professional Stephen Deane

19

A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SWING

L

et’s discuss the simple signature ‘Axe Drill’ used by Master Professional Peter Cowen. This drill has been around for a few years and you’ve possibly seen it before; nevertheless, it’s great to refresh upon such an effective set of movements to get you on track for the season ahead.

Part 1: Start with the toe down and the club positioned on top of a bucket.

From this position you want to mimic a chopping action similar to chopping a log with an axe! This easy up and down motion is extremely consistent and easy to achieve without any effort. It’s natural and powerful – just how we would like to swing a golf club, right?

When you break the movement down, the wrists cock, the elbows fold and the shoulders load as you work the club up which is exactly what we want in our swing. The only issue is we’re striking the top of the bucket rather than the side! If we can somehow create this movement but on a different plane, then we can certainly develop that consistency and power we all desire.

Move the bucket so its bottom is now on the side rather than the top. From here we will adjust the plane of motion by setting the wrists and forearms into a golf swing specific position. You can now see how the toe of the club is still positioned like the axe pointing at the bottom of the bucket.

NOW WE MAKE THE SAME NATURAL MOTION AS BEFORE: 1 Set the wrists and forearms into a golf swing specific position.

2 We cock the wrists.

3 We fold the right elbow.

4 We coil the body/load the shoulders into position 5 We pull the arms down in front of the chest with the toe staying behind the hands.

6 We release the forearms and wrists DOWN creating pressure on the ball and club face control. We don’t let them rotate over or under but down.

This excellent drill will have you working the club on a better path and angle of approach in no time. You’ll feel the pressure on the ball, improved consistency and resulting ball flight control.

SPORT2BUSIN

ESS

2vv0

S2B SOCIETY AUGUST 2017 HIGHLIGHTS S2B Society August 2017 Highlights

Sport2Business members have been able to play through the Dubai heat and humidity that the summer months bring! Even in the 40 degree plus heat, attendance has hardly dropped and each week we are getting a competitive crowd of between 30 and 40 players, with still room to grow!

AUGUST MONDAY NIGHT WINNERS August 7th – Leonardo Mochi Sismondi, 22 points August 14th – Peter Turner, 21 points August 21st – John Berry, 22 points August 28th – Neal White, 22 points

August Player of the Month:

Dean Hall

Dean has been very consistent this August; even not winning, his run included two 2nd place finishes out of the four Monday nights last month. Dean is currently fourth in the Eclectic still with a couple games in hand. Can he claim his first Eclectic title which concludes at the start of October?

Dean works at Abu Dhabi Ports as Project Manager developing CAPEX Projects for both the Khalifa Port Operational Expansion and the further development of KIZAD Industrila Zone, a key part of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 Programme. He is also working on the development and expansion of operations in Fujairah Port as well as other GCC Regions.

Abu Dhabi Weekend Away During July we had a weekend away in Abu Dhabi playing Abu Dhabi National and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, staying at the wonderful Fairmont Hotel. Over the two days we had 20 S2B players take part in the event. Russell Yeomans came out on top shooting 35 and 28 points showing the conditions were tough to say the least! Richard Aybar was one shot back in 2nd, and in 3rd place was Nigel Cann.

SPORT2BUSIN

21

On 11th of August we had another fantastic co-sanctioned event with the Mazimba Golfers. We had 31 players competing on the magnificent Majiis course at Emirates Golf Club!

ESS

S2B Vs Mazimba Golfers

In the individual category, only two players managed to shoot under par on the challenging Majlis course! Well played Gary Louge who shot 39 points! Nick Lowes was a couple of shots back with 37 points.

Well played Mazimbas for the 5-3 win over S2B in the betterball matchplay competition!

We meet again at Jumeriah Golf Estates playing the Earth Course on 22nd September.

Thanks to our sponsors Insight into our sponsor tmh.

S2B member Richard Hease is the Chairman at tmh. During his time playing and networking on a Monday, Richard found the lovely Victoria Johnson who has now been employed to head up a new sister company of tmh, ONE PR. Never stop networking!

TMH is an award-winning independent brand management and communications agency, with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE. They are a multicultural family that delivers inspired strategic and creative branding, advertising and marketing solutions to a variety of global and local brands.

PRIME LEGACY

Pro Am Cup QD’s the new S2B Hangout Now that M’s is being refurbished, QD’s has become our new aprés-golf and presentation venue on a Monday with darts, leaderboard screens, a golf simulator with nearest the pin and longest drive competitions! So come along and enjoy the festivities!

Call to Action for Emirates Golf Club Members Should you be an existing or new member at Emirates Golf Club and you fancy joining us on a Monday night for some competitive roll-up golf and socialising in M’s afterwards, please contact James for more information!

Email: jyeomans@yeomansexecutive.com Phone No.: 0504816277 We look forward to welcoming more Emirates Golf Club members to our society.

Dear Member, We look forward to the continuation of the Prime Legacy Pro Am Cup which will be hosted on our Majlis course this season and will be supported by our two title sponsors Prime Tankers and Legacy. We are delighted our Members Captain Jugwinder Brar of Prime Tankers and Achal Ghai of Legacy are continuing with their fantastic support as they look forward to making this competitive series a highlight within the tournament calendar.

This season each Pro Am will consist of a minimum of 18 Professionals chosen from Dubai Golf, The UAE PGA Order of Merit and touring Professionals from the European, Challenge and MENA tours. The top four teams from each of the first four events will automatically qualify for the Grand Final scheduled in April.

The Grand Final is not to be missed, with superb Amateur prizes, a generous Professional prize fund and the Prime Legacy Pro Am Cup will be awarded to the series Champions!

The series Champions will also receive an incredible playing invitation to the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters Pro Am, generously donated by our past Captain Walid Al Attar of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).

Prime Legacy Pro Am Schedule: Event 1: September Saturday 16th 14.00 Majlis course Event 2: November Saturday 25th 13.00 Majlis course Event 3: January Saturday 13th 13.00 Majlis course Event 4: February Saturday 10th 13.00 Majlis course Event 5: April Saturday 14th 13.00 Grand Final Majlis course

Tournament Entry AED 90 per event.

Online registration for event one of this fantastic series is now open and we look forward to your support as always.

Due to the popularity of the series the aim is to make sure members wishing to play will compete in at least one of the four qualifiers.

*Please check the member zone regularly to see when each tournament registration opens

For more information and bookings please contact the Golf Office T +971 4 417 9999, F +971 4 380 1752 or email golfoffice@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

hys

22 Rules By R

BY RHYS

Ready.Steady.Golf!

T

he R&A have recently announced supporting “Ready Golf” at their Amateur golf tournaments. This is to be seen as a huge stride towards improving the general speed of play for both 9 and 18 hole rounds of golf.

The article below is from the R&A themselves and I would encourage each member to read it. If the R&A are prepared to take the lead on this, it is the duty of each affiliated club and their members to follow suit.

The two key points to take from the article are: • Ready Golf is no excuse for ignoring safety. The safety of other golfers on the course is still priority.

• Ready Golf does not apply during official matchplay championships, due to the strategy involved.

• In stroke play formats it is only the act of agreeing to play out of turn to give one of the players an advantage that is prohibited.

“Ready golf” is a commonly used term which indicates that players should play when they are ready to do so, rather than adhering strictly to the “farthest from the hole plays first” stipulation in the Rules of Golf.

“Ready golf” is not appropriate in match play due to the strategy involved between opponents and the need to have a set method for determining which player plays first.

However, in stroke play formats it is only the act of agreeing to play out of turn to give one of the players an advantage that is prohibited. On this basis, it is permissible for administrators to encourage “ready golf” in stroke play, and there is strong evidence to suggest that playing “ready golf” does improve the pace of play. For example, in a survey of Australian golf clubs conducted by Golf Australia, 94% of clubs that had promoted “ready golf” to their members enjoyed some degree of success in improving pace of play, with 25% stating that they had achieved ‘satisfying success’.

When “ready golf” is being encouraged, players have to act sensibly to ensure that playing out of turn does not endanger other players.

The term “ready golf” has been adopted by many as a catch-all phrase for a number of actions that separately and collectively can improve pace of play. There is no official definition of the term, but examples of “ready golf” in action are: • Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options • Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters have to wait • Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play • Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball • Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line • Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a greenside bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker • When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot • Marking scores upon immediate arrival at the next tee, except that the first player to tee off marks their card immediately after teeing off.

We hope that by introducing this at Emirates Golf Club, we will see an overall improvement in the average speed of play for both general play and tournament games.

We thank you for your co-operation.

Golf course etiquette has been a hot topic in golf over recent years; unfortunately this has also been the case at Emirates Golf Club.

Member feedback suggests that several of our golfers are failing to rake bunkers, re-fill divots and repair pitch marks. Naturally, we all direct blame to our visiting golfers who pay the green fees but have no affiliation with our Club. However, the member feedback is that the poor etiquette is also noticeable during member and member/ guest only shotguns at weekends, especially on the Majlis course.

The ‘Adopt a Green’ initiative is one that has been suggested by members through the Members’ Consultative Committee (MCC) and is being backed by our Club Management in an attempt to not only keep our courses in the best possible condition for all to enjoy, but also to raise awareness of the historic importance of good golf course etiquette. As golfers, it is our responsibility to help leave the course in the condition that we would wish to find it.

How the Initiative Will Work Members who wish to take part will be asked to allocate themselves a hole from 1-18 on either the Faldo or the Majlis course; we are confident that the sign-up will be significant enough that we will have multiple members adopting the same hole, thus increasing the success rate. Whilst playing that course we ask that the member take an extra minute or two to repair a few additional pitchmarks, fill an old divot with sand, or rake any footprints in a bunker.

Naturally, the more members who sign up the more impact this initiative will have.

How to Sign Up

If you have any queries that you would like to discuss over the coming weeks then please do not hesitate to ask on your next visit to the club or simply Email your query to rjames@dubaigolf.com

Both the men’s and ladies’ locker room have the sign-up sheets so that you can allocate your chosen hole.

Adopt a Green Initiative

Emirates Golf Club would like to thank, in advance, all members who sign up and support this initiative.

For this coming season members are being asked to take part in an ‘Adopt a Green’ initiative.

Thank you

r’s Greenkeepe Cuttings

GREENKEEPER’S CUTTINGS

23

Busy Summer at EGC!

W

elcome back from your summer vacation! We hope you had a great break and that you are reenergised to take on the golf courses for the season ahead.

As is typical during July and August, we take the opportunity to get the vast majority of our renovation works completed and this season was no different. Both courses have undergone some extensive works to ensure the surfaces are able to perform as best as possible during the busy season ahead.

Organic Matter (OM) builds up throughout all surfaces during a season. You need a certain percentage to maintain healthy turf but if this number gets too high, issues will be faced. The build-up of OM is constant as we are working with a living plant. Plants naturally produce OM and with the addition of products, grass clippings and dust in the atmosphere, this quickly builds up, meaning that air porosity is affected which, in turn, prohibits the plant from effectively utilising the food sources we give and taking up the nutrition. Lack of air space further minimises the flow of water through the profile meaning the top few inches are potentially kept too moist which is not a good combination in the hot and humid summer months as this will effectively ‘cook’ the plant.

By aerating the soil through practices such as hollow coring, we are able to relieve compaction, remove excess OM and introduce oxygen into the profile, correcting all of the potential issues explained above.

By creating these pore spaces and removing the material, it creates space for us to brush in new fresh silica sand with good porosity and improves the infiltration of water and uptake of nutrition, promoting a healthier and happier plant. Yes, it is disruptive to the surface initially, but recovery is quick, all

things considered, and we are able to keep the profile healthy which allows us to produce better surfaces for the season.

You will also be aware of us adding small amounts of sand throughout the season ahead. This is known as ‘dusting’ and what this does is to help us maintain the healthy OM percentages we have attained by continuously diluting the surface with sand. The turf essentially keeps pushing through this light film of sand on a weekly basis and the surfaces become smoother and firmer as the season progresses. Firmer greens result in less ball marks and a better ball roll. Don’t be fooled by sand on the greens and thinking that the greens will be slow and bumpy that day. In fact, the day we dust and the days after, greens are smoother and faster…that’s a fact.

You will notice a change to the driveway as you return to the Club in that we have stripped the turf from the left of the road and planted Penecetum all down the side. Once mature, it will create a softer landscape on arrival, blocking the large lawn area to some degree.

On the Faldo, we have worked and we continue to work on the back nine teeing grounds. We have had an issue with the infestation of crabgrass (the broadleaf grasses noticed on tees in particular).

Crabgrass is a weed that is very difficult to manage within Paspalum grass (the variety we have on the Faldo) as we are unable to spray a chemical to kill the crabgrass, without also killing the Paspalum. For this reason, we have taken the decision to remove the entire tee complexes and to re-grass them to Bermuda, which is able to handle the chemicals required to keep crabgrass under control. To date we have completed the 10th, 11th and 12th tees and

we are currently working on the 14th and 16th tees with the 15th to follow. We will continue to work on the tees until we are complete, with our aim to finish off the back nine prior to overseeding in November this year. Next year, we will take on the front nine and convert all those tees, followed by the Par 3 course. As we spray out the tees, we are taking the opportunity to also remove as much as possible from the rough areas, whilst managing the fairways in isolation and as required. The ultimate goal is to convert all short mown areas to Bermuda and to keep the greens pure Paspalum. I anticipate this entire process to take the next three years to complete, but we have made a very good start.

Mario Sumunge I am very proud to announce that Mario Sumunge has been promoted to Assistant Golf Course Superintendent. Mario has worked with Dubai Golf since 1993 and has grown significantly within our organisation.

He has been the course foreman on the Majlis for the past four years after transferring over to us from Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and he has done an outstanding job. This promotion is a reflection of what hard work and dedication can bring to someone who is willing to learn and who is able to adapt to various challenges and situations. Congratulations Mario!!

Craig Haldane Director - Golf Course Maintenance

Miles’ Mome

nts

24

F&B UPDATE

MILES ENTWHISTLE What’s happening in the F & B Department?

D

uring the summer we launched QD’s 2.0, a brand new tent located on the lawn. QD’s 2.0 is a temporary sports bar which will be open until mid-October, coinciding with the Clubhouse restaurant renovations. The tent is fully air-conditioned and fitted with plenty of TVs showing live sporting action!

In addition, we have live acoustic acts on Tuesdays and Fridays; ladies’ night on Wednesdays with four complimentary drinks; family brunches on Fridays and Saturdays featuring a dedicated kids area and, saving the best until last, a buy one get one free drinks voucher for anyone who has a tee time after 2.00pm during the week and all day on the weekend. Be sure to collect these from the starter’s hut on whichever course you tee off and we look forward to welcoming you to the tent.

As it is still a little hot, if you would like a buggy to drive you from the Clubhouse, please ask at Reception and we would be happy to arrange this for you.

Finally, this year QD’s 2.0 will host Oktoberfest from the 4th–14th October, supported by MMI. More information will follow over the next few weeks; however, I’m sure you will be happy to know that all members will receive free entry for each day. Oktoberfest will be in QD’s 2.0 and the lawn outside.

25 Calendar

’

WHAT S ON? Golf CalendaR

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Vanna & Simon Adams V

anna and I moved to Thailand in January 2012 when I retired. We have lived here, in Bangsaray, a fishing village about 20kms south of Pattaya, ever since.

Although surrounded by golf courses, we have hardly played as we are too busy doing other things!

We have a large house with plenty of room for visitors and are always happy to see old friends from Dubai. We pass through Dubai frequently but, alas, only to transit through the airport but one day!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Dear Members, Please be advised that the following events are open for registration online on the Dubai Golf Members’ Zone.

Saturday 16th September Prime Legacy Members Pro-Am: Four Man Team Strokeplay): Full golfing members Monday 18th September Ladies Competition: Golden Ball qualifying round Thursday 21st September Pro-Am Road to Mongomo UAE Qualifier presented by DSA: Pairs Betterball Medal Pro-Am: ¾ course handicap allowance Friday 22nd September Mike Gerbich Cup Golden Ball qualifying round: Stableford; Full golfing members Monday 25th September Ladies Monthly Medal Qualifier for Luckiest Ball on Earth: Strokeplay Friday 29th September OMA Emirates Medal in association with Jean-Georges Dubai: Qualifier for Luckiest Ball on Earth: Men’s strokeplay: Full golfing members Thursday 5th October BMW Open:18 holes Stableford: Open to all male & Female golfers) The following Matchplay signup sheets are available online and please note the entry closing dates:• Ladies Fourball Matchplay 2017-2018 (For Full Golfing Members Only) Entry closing date: 25th September 2017 • Ladies Singles Matchplay 2017-2018 (For Full Golfing Members Only) Entry closing date: 25th September 2017 • Men’s Doubles Matchplay 2017-2018 (For Full Golfing Members Only) Entry closing date: 15th October 2017 • Mixed Foursomes Matchplay 2017-2018 (For Full Golfing Members Only) Entry closing date: 15th October 2017 • Men’s Singles Matchplay 2017-2018 (Need to Qualify from October. Medal and OOM Qualifying Events) To register for an event, please visit the Members’ Zone. Should you want to modify or cancel a booking, please contact Golf Reservations

Fit Lab

26

Dear Members,

W

elcome back from your summer vacation!

We at Fit Lab hope you had a wonderful time and that you are raring to go and to get back into the gym again.

During the summer we made a few changes to the gym and have moved one or two things around.

Our biggest challenge is creating more space and making it a more functional gym so you can get the best out of it. After liaising with my expert team of Personal Trainers and the Up and Running Physiotherapists we decided to take the Lower Torso Rotation and Abdominal Machine out as these can actually enhance lower back pain. For further exercises please ask one of our trainers for help.

ADULT AND CHILD CLASSES A fantastic introduction to water for young swimmers from three months old and above.

Through popular nursery rhymes and songs, the classes provide a great bonding experience between adult and child, helping aid many senses and skills that are key to early child development.

Come and join us at the pool!

We offer a variety of fun filled family friendly lessons.

For more information on lessons running at Emirates Hills Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club please contact: egc@hamiltonaquatics.ae – Emirates Hills Golf Club cgc@hamiltonaquatics.ae - Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club Tel: 0559429958

UPANDRUNNING, INTEGRATED SPORTS MEDICAL CENTER at Fit Lab at Emirates Golf Club! For more information. To book an appointment call 04 518 5400

As you will be aware, during 2017 we made many changes and improvements by partnering up with the best companies in their expertise within the UAE. The next academy I am pleased to be partnering us with is Hamilton Aquatics. Hamilton is the largest and most successful Swimming Academy in the UAE and they will be offering lessons from September 3rd .

AQUANATAL CLASSES

PADEL TENNIS is going strong and there are many

different tournaments, leagues etc., as you will see in the calendar above. Padel is great fun if you want to play socially or seriously. It is also a great sport for families.

Our Aquanatal classes are specially designed for pre-natal and post-natal mums, and all exercises are tailored to suit the needs of each individual.

For further details please contact our Padel Tennis expert Ally Belbes on ally.belbes@realracquetacademy.com

The classes focus on: Building strength and well-being, stamina and core stability and breathing and relaxation techniques combined with gentle stretching to help the body prepare for birth and recovery.

Andy Meech Head of Sports & Leisure

ABDOMINALS AND OBLIQUES EXERCISE

by Personal Trainer, Vincent Maynard The glute-ham-developer sit-up is a great movement for developing core, back and hip-flexor strength. Here’s how to perform it properly and safely.

Exercise Set-Up Climb into the (Glute Ham Developer (GHD), grabbing onto the footholds and sitting your butt down on the pad.

Anchor your feet between the holds while holding on.

Tip: The GHD apparatus should be positioned so that you are sitting toward the back end of the pad with your legs straight. You want your hips to be able to move free of the pad.

Dubai Golf is proud to partner with Hamilton Aquatics to offer an award winning swimming programme at both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club from September 2017.

Hamilton Aquatics is the leading swimming academy in the Middle East, offering an extensive range of swimming programmes for all abilities from the age of six months to adults. The swimming programmes put every swimmer at the centre of their own learning and skills are tailored to meet the needs of each individual.

Hamilton Aquatics offers a number of services at both Clubs to get your swimming journey on the way, including: • Hammy’s Little Swimmers • Lessons for six months to 36 months in a group setting with parent in the water • Hammy’s Learn to Swim Programme • Three years and above in a group setting • Premium Lessons • Children and adult lessons on a one-to-one basis • Aqua Natal • Group class for expectant mothers, lead by a qualified birthlight instructor (one of the only providers in Dubai to offer this service) By starting your swimming journey with Hamilton Aquatics you have the potential to progress into the competitive programmes, where over 25 swimmers represented their country at both junior and senior international competitions including the Olympic Games, World and European Championships.

If you would like to take advantage of this great opportunity or require further information about any of our programmes please email egc@ hamiltonaquatics.ae or cgc@hamiltonaquatics.ae with your name and contact number.

The Action

Slightly unlock your legs and start to lower your torso back toward the ground while maintaining tension and brace on your belly.

Tip: Maintain tension in your belly by simultaneously contracting and pushing out the abs.

As soon as you reach the middle, initiate with your quads and drive your knees straight while flexing at the hip to start moving back up. Sit all the way back up so that your hands touch your feet.

To work on the obliques, this variation can be used at the middle point of the exercise:

We look forward to seeing you at the swimming pool.

Contact us on: T +971 55 942 9988 E egc@hamiltonaquatics.ae We aim to create a fun and positive teaching environment promoting health and wellbeing for expectant mums and life-long water enjoyment for our younger swimmers.

SENSASIA SPA

PHEW, THEY’RE BACK TO SCHOOL! CELEBRATE WITH SENSASIA URBAN SPA’S STRESS-FREE STEAL FOR SUPER MUMS AND DADS with that missing glow. The treatment concludes with a blissful head and scalp massage and, most importantly, a transformed parent, all set for a brand new term.

Dubai Mums (and Dads!) will dart straight from school drop-off to SensAsia Urban Spa this term, as Emirates Golf Club’s pamper haven launches the perfect antidote to an exhausting summer spent entertaining active kids.

Designed by founder of the 13-year-old much-loved brand Salina Handa (who is Mum to eight year old twin girls), the School Run is a 60-minute combination package to relieve tension, revive skin and re-boot tired minds.

For a ‘back-to-school’ special price of just AED 250, The School Run begins

with an invigorating back, neck and shoulder massage, to break down builtup tension in even the toughest spots.

Then, it’s on to an express facial, using bespoke Elemis products tailored to skin type, leaving it renewed, refreshed, and

The School Run is priced at AED 250 per 60-minute treatment, and is available at SensAsia Urban Spas from now until October 31st. It can be booked on weekdays between 10.00am and 3.00pm.

For more information and bookings at SensAsia Urban Spa, Emirates Golf Club, log on to www.sensasiaspas.com or call 04 417 9820.

ProShop

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TEE & SANDWEDGES FROM THE PROSHOP

The ideal gift.

‘And the putter Went’….

W

hether as a coffee table mainstay or as a gift to a fellow golf lover, ‘And The Putter Went’ a PING book, written

by Jeffrey B. Ellis (author of The Clubmaker’s Art: Antique Golf Clubs and their History), provides a glossy history of the transformative family-owned company that began in Karsten Solheim’s garage in 1959.

The 530-page tome is packed with nearly 1,000 photographs, details the conception and execution of the iconic Anser putter and Eye2 irons, and covers the ‘square groove” debate from the late 1980s.

‘And The Putter Went’…PING Book, represents a four and a half-year effort with contributions by several current and former Ping employees, friends of the company, golf professionals and industry leaders who shared their memories and insights into what has made Ping such a special company with millions of loyal customers all over the world,” said John A. Solheim, Ping’s Chairman and CEO. “The book is a reflection of our never-ending commitment to making golf more enjoyable, and a tribute to all the golfers who have relied on Ping products to play their best.”

We have both copies for sale, the hardcover copy for AED 400 and also the limited edition, leather bound version with gilded edges for AED 1220, is also on offer. .....................................................................................

What’s NEW

ODYSSEY O WORKS RED RANGE

A new way to roll with the Odyssey O works red range!

Odyssey’s revolutionary Microhinge Insert Technology have created a new way to roll, and they will change how golfers look at putting forever. The Microhinge Insert Technology provides incredible gains in topspin and roll at impact regardless of your stroke. The stainless steel Microhinge plate is co-molded into our Thermoplastic Elastomer Feel Layer, providing great feel and the new geometry of the hinges and urethane together help to get the ball into a better roll at impact.

Juan Kramer Retail Manager Prosports International Mob: +97150 6685157 email: juan@prosports.ae www.prosports.ae

Ping G400

The PING G400 range has been engineered to enjoy! Designed with a higher-density back weight - which helps with forgiveness, it allows you to customise your swing weight. You can also finetune your launch conditions by adjusting loft up to +-1º. To see what’s best for you visit us today or book a custom fit with our senior custom fitting technician Frank Murray.

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Custom Fitting with Frank:

Custom fitting was once the reserve for the game’s elite, with access available to only tour pros and top amateurs. Nowadays, with advances in technology making launch monitors such as Trackman or GC2 available to the masses, being custom fitted for clubs is essential for golfers of all levels. Whether you seek more distance, more accuracy, or a combination of the two, properly fitted clubs can help you achieve this.

The objective of custom fitting is to pair the golfer with a club that works with their swing tendencies to improve the resulting shots. Every swing is different so there is no one size fits all when it comes to new clubs. Custom fitting focuses on what you really need from a club, be it a stiffer shaft to lower your spin rate, or changing the loft of the club head to change the ball trajectory.

By having clubs that fit your swing it allows you to optimise ball flight which will not only lead to distance gains, but also improved accuracy, all with less effort.

Golf clubs are continuously being designed to allow for more and more customisation, highlighting the importance that a set of clubs straight off the shelf may not be the best option if you want to reach your potential as a golfer.

Fittings are available for your full bag, from drivers to putters. It may not be common knowledge that putter fittings exist but it is so important that you can trust it will be help you hole that all important shot for birdie! Do you always miss just right of the hole? If so the design of a face balanced putter may not be best for you - this is something that a putter fitting can confirm.

For anyone who doesn’t know Frank yet, he joined us here in Dubai earlier this year, but with 13 years of experience, he understands the needs of golfers and the difference the right club can make. During training, PGA Pros are taught, not only the fitting process and its benefits, but also about club building, giving them a vast understanding of the different components that make the finished products, and how each one of these can affect a golfer’s swing and ball flight.

Warm Regards, Juan

FAREWELL MOHAN BABU

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Club News

D

uring the summer, we said farewell to Mohan Babu who had worked at Emirates Golf Club for 22 years as car park superintendent. Mohan served in the Indian army for 20 years and was involved in the “Operation Cactus-Lilly” in the year 1971, the India-Pakistan war.

He joined Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 1996 until 1999 and from then until 2017 he worked at Emirates Golf Club. He has always been the most softly spoken, amicable and helpful person you could wish for and a very familiar face to all members, always trying to accommodate them. He has now retired to India to be with his family, his wife Chandri, his son Niju, daughter-in-law Mini and his grandchildren Thanmai & Anayi.

“Dubai Golf is my second home and I have enjoyed working here every minute. I know most of the members and their favourite parking space. I will miss each and every one of you”, said Mohan.

A farewell presentation was made to him and, on behalf of all members, we wish him a happy retirement!

Welcome back to Professional Bryan Smyth who is back at Emirates Golf Club.

Below are photos of him teaching putting skills... the most important part of the game and the easiest way to lower your score.

s t e p p i n S e l 19th Ho Moshe Kohli, past Captain of Emirates Golf Club is receiving accolades galore for his new Indian restaurant in Munich. Congratulations Moshe!

An article appeared in a German newspaper recently and, in short, says the following…

Munich’s new Gourmet Restaurant:

The Indian AFFAiR

Indian cuisine is one of the best cuisines in the world think of the time of the Maharajas and their great value on fine dishes with exceptional preparation methods. Indian Moshe Kohli, living in Dubai and Munich, held the soft opening of his restaurant in March 2017 and flew in one of the most famous chefs from New Delhi from whom The Indian AFFAiiRR’ kitchen crew would learn; the restaurant is already in the book ‘1,000 Places to See Before you Die’.

The meals are prepared as they once were in the Indian royal houses. Meat is marinated with typical Indian spices before it is placed in the stone oven for the finishing touches. The chefs always accompanied the Maharajas on their trips, whether for hunting, fishing or overseas and they would develop a fine kitchen based on cuisine of high quality. “We bring the Indian cuisine in its best form to Munich. Fresh products of the highest quality, exotic herbs for the over 100 year perfected recipes”, explains Moshe Kohli Tripadvisor reviews are plentiful….”something special”, “no stereotypical Indian food” ,to “fortunately, no 500 courses on the menu”. People are pleasantly surprised at this Indian food.

The gastronomical journey to India can be enjoyed with the best drinks of the world, be it a champagne, a beer, a fine wine or a whisky! There is a Whisky Bar in the restaurant, which Moshe intends to expand, although he already has many whiskies from different countries, including limited editions from countries such as Japan, Ireland and the USA, and German whiskies are also represented there.

A great turnout in June for our Japanese Members J-Cup event with Golf Professional Marc Iwao and Happy Birthday to Keiuke Mori and Onodera Yoke who celebrated at the event!

One of our former members (and still a life member) of Emirates Golf Club, Margriet Hartels, recently achieved the rare feat of having two holes-in-one during the same round in a ladies’ competition at her home course in Belgium, the Royal Limburg Golf Club.

First was hole 3 (108m ) and then hole 15 (136 m)! There was a big write up in the newspaper - in Dutch unfortunately for us, but what an amazing thing to do!!

Congratulations Margriet!

Maura and Frank Duggan met with Cian Hurley in Ireland during the summer and played Druids Glen which is a stunning course.

Joan & Rai Legnar with Lis Esterl and Neil Webb at the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany in June Bob and Angela Connor were visited recently at Machynys Golf Club in Wales by Andrew, Glynis and Daniel Hendry. Daniel was playing in the PGA EuroPro tournament which was being held there.

(Bob was the starter and Angela was helping out with live scoring.)

Emirates Golf Club 30th Anniversary Logo design prize awarded to Jaswinder.

Congratulations

Paul Byrne looking very happy with his new car parking space for the next two years.

August 7th Quiz Night Congratulations to team Yorkshire Puds who took top place, followed by teams Tequila Mockingbirds and Quizimodo!

August 14th Quiz night Congratulations to Spike Bar Quiz Night winners Quizimodo who took the top honours, with Party Fears in second and Yorkshire Puds in third.

August 21st Quiz Night Congratulations to Party Fears who took first place in the Quiz Night, followed by Yorkshire Puds and Tequila Mockingbirds in third place

Tom, Jacqui & Ross Barry with Shona McRae at the Old Course in June during a Scottish summer’s day!!

Vice-Captain, Paul Byrne, met up with Professional Bryan Smyth last month at Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland

August 28th Quiz Congratulations to Party Fears on winning the Spike Bar Quiz Night with Quizimodo coming in second followed by Yorkshire Puds.

Congratulations to Mr. Boyd Edmondson on winning the 2nd Accumulator!

Fiona Berry in Mauritius….the gallery were not at all interested!

Wedding photo of Naima Maya’s son Hamdan on his marriage to Rama Al Khafaji in Sintra, Portugal

Congratulations to Emirates Golf Club honorary member Henrik Stenson who won the Wyndham Championship on August 20th closing with a 6-under 64 for a one-stroke victory in the final event of the PGA Tour regular season.

Congratulations to honorary member and past Omega Dubai Desert Champion Rafa Cabrera Bello on winning the AAM Scottish Open!

Surender Kandhari golfing in Kuala Lumpur this summer Swing by the new Roseleaf Cafe, now open next to Fit Lab at Emirates Golf Club, and choose from handcrafted coffee, delectable sweets and home-cooked savoury dishes!

Open daily from 7.00am to 4.00pm.

WEEKEND FAMILY BRUNCHES W

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A Y E S D U T

JAZZ & JACK

Ope Unti Lat,

LIV E SPO RT For more information and bookings, contact +971 4 417 9999, emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com or visit www.dubaigolf.com