Captain’s Message

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB CAPTAIN

Dear Members,

Friendship – one of the core values of life, and a key aspect of the past two months since assuming the Captaincy of Emirates Golf Club. Not only has it been an honour to start the 2022-2023 Season as Captain of the Club, it has been a pleasure to meet new friends – both new and existing Club members – and to see how friendship creates a strong club culture within Emirates Golf Club.

Despite a personally disappointing drive (which at least cleared estimates of “Gin & Tonic” and “78 yards”) to start the Season Opener, the event was a memorable occasion and marked the start of not only our new season, but also a very special year ahead personally. With the Majlis having been in good condition throughout the summer, it was in exceptionally fine condition for the Season Opener, and had it not been for the Scramble format of the event (congratulations to Andrew Robinson, Wendy Robinson, Ken Newell and Senga Newall on winning the event), I would very much have enjoyed testing the bunkers, rough, sand and water hazards. Instead, it was a pleasure to play with Marivi, Fiona and Frank as we all engaged in what will be an exciting and privileged season for all of us.

With the introduction of a traditional Scottish Quaich as the Season Opener trophy providing the basis for an entertaining post-golf evening, and with the launch of the Club’s new Pavilion, the theme of friendship continued into the night, with some memorable entertainment in the Members’ Lounge setting a possible theme for the season ahead!! In summary, a great day, for which thank you all for your hard work in arranging, and delivering, the same. Two days after the Season Opener came one of the most entertaining and humbling events which I have had the privilege to attend for many years – the Emirates Golf Club Colleagues’ Party. Having been unable to host such an event since pre-Covid in 2019, and having had to reschedule from May, the Colleagues’ Party was a very special event, hosted by the Club for almost 700 Emirates Golf Club and Topgolf staff. The spirit of collegiality, engagement and friendship amongst the entire group highlighted what a privilege it is to be a member of Emirates Golf Club, and the party was reflective of how all our Club colleagues deliver such exceptional service and support to all our members. In addition, the entertainment provided by all through their talent competition was both highly competitive and of the highest standard. I am just glad that the MCC judging panel was not assessed by the competition participants for our own musical efforts! Overall, a tremendous event, with perhaps the most important takeaway as Club Captain being that the culture, friendship and commitment of all our Club colleagues simply reconfirmed why a critical aspect of our membership must always be to respect and engage with such colleagues – they deliver a unique experience to all of us, and deserve our support at all times (in relation to which, thank you to all members who kindly contributed gifts to the evening’s prize giving). Thank you to all our colleagues, at every level of Emirates Golf Club, for all you do, and for inviting me, and the MCC members, to join such a special event.

In addition to these two events, the start of the Captaincy has also brought a number of golf events, including the Tri-Nations, the OMA Emirates Corporate Invitational, the Seniors’ Championship and our various medal rounds – all of which have been enjoyable, with the

opportunity often to play with members with whom I have not played previously (usually because they are reigning champions). However perhaps one of the most unexpected events was playing in the Cazoo French Open Pro-Am with our Vice-Captain, Frank Duggan, as guests of DP World. As with Club tournaments, we had the opportunity to play with the reigning champion (Nicolas Colsaerts) and Irish Open champion (Adrian Meronk), and also, as with Club tournaments, neither of the players playing with me won the competition! It was, however, a great event on a very challenging course, and a pleasure to be joined by Frank (and Maura). Finally, in relation to the first two months of the Captaincy, a few thoughts about the Club off the course and away from events.

We have had our first meetings as the MCC for the current season, and there is a strong commitment across the Committee and the Club to continue to focus on the etiquette of golf. This needs us all to continue to focus on on-course matters such as repairing divots, raking bunkers, fixing pitch marks and maintaining pace of play, and clubhouse matters such as dress code and respect for staff – all of which reflect on the culture of the Club. In addition, there is commitment to support the growth of the Junior section of the Club, and I expect that we will see increased engagement in how we encourage greater family and junior participation in the Club – not just on the course, but also in using the pool, F&B, spa, padel tennis, Topgolf, tennis, the gym and squash facilities.

Marivi and I have also been looking into how we can support certain charitable work in the UAE, and we will share further thoughts on this as we move forward during the season.

My final thought about the Captaincy to date is to thank Marivi, Frank and Fiona for all their friendship and support as Lady Captain, Vice-Captain and Lady Vice-Captain respectively, together with that of our tremendous Management team (Chris, Barney, Cian, Joe and Conor), Reservations, Course Management and F&B teams. You have all made the first two months of Captaincy a very special experience, and I look forward to continuing to work together throughout the rest of the season.

As the Captain’s prize giving speeches have occasionally mentioned aspects of my background in Scotland, I will just close with a Scottish expression to all of you as friends.

Yours aye,

Campbell