Editor: Jacqui Barry barrydxb@eim.ae
015 SUMMER 2
ISSUE 51
Editorial
2
Emirates Golf Club Senior Management
I
t seems like we are well and truly into the height of summer with temperatures heading towards the 50s accompanied by high humidity. Well done to all of you who are still managing to play 18hole rounds when conditions are not easy. Don’t forget there is always the option of night golf on the Faldo course!
I’m sure most of you will escape the heat at some stage so, as in previous years, please send me photos of you and your family on your travels, wherever you might be, so that I can run the post-summer feature “Where in the World were our Members this Summer” My email address is barrydxb@eim.ae so please send them any time. Thanks to those who have already sent me photos without even any prompting from me!!
Christopher May
Andrew Whitelaw
Chief Executive Officer cmay@dubaigolf.com
General Manager awhitelaw@dubaigolf.com
Craig Haldane
Chef Nicholas Cuomo
Director - Golf Course Maintenance chaldane@dubaigolf.com
Executive Chef ncuomo@dubaigolf.com
This is the last Club Life magazine until October 1st so I wish you all an enjoyable summer and see you all next season. Eid Mubarak to all
Jacqui Barry
Barney Coleman
Director of Golf bcoleman@dubaigolf.com
Ganesh Mangathil
In House Publishing Manager gmangathil@dubaigolf.com
Martin Drugan
Adele Cowgill
Head of Sales and Marketing acowgill@dubaigolf.com
Saeed Ahamed
Food and Beverage Manager mdrugan@dubaigolf.com
Financial Controller mahamed@dubaigolf.com
Stephen Deane
Haridas Palliyalil
Head Academy Professional sdeane@dubaigolf.com
Follow Emirates Golf Club on Facebook for the latest news, views and special offers. We already have over 22,500 likes. Follow us on Twitter @emiratesgc and Instagram @emiratesgc
Andy Meech
Head of Sport and Leisure ameech@dubaigolf.com
Resident Engineer hpalliyalil@dubaigolf.com
EGC Key Telephone Numbers Main Switchboard Members Golf Reservations Membership Recreation Accounts SensAsia Urban Spa
04 04 04 04 04 04
417 417 417 417 417 417
9999 9800 9801 9850 9875 9820
hope you have all enjoyed the last month of the season - it has been a busy few weeks with some fantastic golf events and, despite the soaring temperatures, it is great to see so many of you still using the Club and the courses.
This summer enhance your game with The Academy at Emirates Golf Club. In addition to individual lessons, we also have a range of Summer Packages available until 14th September. Stephen Deane and our experienced team of Golf Professionals are on hand to ensure that a holistic approach to learning is taken. As well as instruction on your swing, you can expect guidance in key areas including custom fitting, diet and nutrition, physical conditioning and injury prevention and treatment. Summer packages start at AED 205 per member for a 30 minute individual lesson, up to AED 2,800 per member for the Gold Package, which includes 8 x 30 minute lessons and unlimited driving range and Par 3 access.
I
Firstly, I would like to offer my thanks to our outgoing Captains Kamal Kosta and Mitsuko Emmerson for a very successful 2014-15 season. Best of luck to Walid Al Attar and Helen Srivastava, our incoming Captain and Lady Captain for the season ahead, along with Vipen Sethi and Maura Duggan, the new Vice and Lady ViceCaptain. Golf Course Update As Craig mentioned in his recent Member Zone and Club Life reports, summer is time for transition and annual maintenance on the courses. The main summer renovations will take place from mid-July and require some necessary course closures while the team hollow core and de-thatch all the surfaces. This year, the course closures will not occur over the weekends, ensuring you can enjoy your usual weekend play. Please be aware of the following scheduled course closures:Majlis Course 12th - 16th July Course maintenance 19th - 21st July Course maintenance 23rd - 27th August Course maintenance Faldo Course 26th - 29th July Course closed until 3.00pm 2nd - 5th August Course closed until 3.00pm 30th August - 1st September Course maintenance
3 age
The Academy
GM’s Mess
Dear Member,
Fit Lab There is plenty going on at Fit Lab to keep you fit and healthy during the summer. Elite Tennis Academy has a team of highly qualified coaches on hand to help you take your tennis game to the next level. For the little ones, Aquatix will be running a summer swimming programme throughout July and August, this is an ideal opportunity to develop your youngster’s confidence and technique in the water. Retail The Pro Shops are hosting several Try and Buy events over the summer months. Come along to our upcoming demo events featuring products from PING and Titleist and enjoy special deals on our stock, along with a 25% discount for club members on equipment purchased during the event (excluding the new launch products). The upcoming demo nights are on Tuesday 14th July and Tuesday 11th August between 6.00pm and 7.30pm on the Faldo Driving Range.
Food & Beverage Now that summer is here, our outdoor dining promotions have stopped until September. However, there is still plenty to keep you entertained indoors! The Monday Quiz Night will continue to run each week from 8.00pm with our resident quiz master Phil Richardson. Spike Bar’s breakfast buffet is served every Friday and Saturday from 7.00am to 10.30am - or opt for the ‘to go’ breakfast sandwich, ideal ahead of your morning round. Throughout the summer months, Le Classique’s popular business lunch will continue to run on Sunday, Tuesday to Thursday and also Saturday between 12 noon and 2.30pm. New for the summer is the Summer French Friday Brunch, served weekly at Le Classique between 12.30pm and 4.00pm. All the family are welcome for this relaxed afternoon of rustic French fare. I wish you all an enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you at the Club! Warm regards, Andrew Whitelaw General Manager Emirates Golf Club
in’s Club Capta Message
4
H
ello my friends, I am stepping down as a EGC Captain in the knowledge that our new incoming Captain, Mr. Walid Al Attar my right hand man and friend for many years, will take over from me. It has been a pleasure to work with him even for a very short time and it was great to round off my Captaincy with him. I must thank our Emirates Golf Club members for
your encouragement, support and friendship and it only remains for me to wish you all good health and good golfing and to say love and love…I will not forget the wonderful two years I worked with Lady Captain Mrs Mitsuko; it was a pleasure to have her as a great and warm friend. Big thanks to our Club managers for all the help they gave me and likewise to our Chef for producing such delicious
food all year round. Thank you to all the staff at the Club also. Finally thank you to Jacqui Barry for all her hard work producing Club Life magazine each month which really brings all our old and new members together. I wish Walid and Lady Captain Helen a good year ahead. Love to you all Kamal Kosta Club Captain 2014-2015
COMPETITION RESULTS MASHREQ MEDAL in association with BMW & Ruth’s Chris Steak House Friday, 26th June 2015
Hesson Takes the Honours In June Medal
C
ongratulations to all prizewinners in the June Mashreq Medal in association with BMW and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Dubai which saw over sixty members turning out to compete over the Majlis course resulting in three players tied on net 68 which was excellent scoring in very hot and humid weather. In A division Manoj Kapur produced a better back nine score to claim first place with Vikram Tah as runner-up, both players posting net 68. In third place, a further shot adrift, was Pankaj Verma with a net 69.
In B Division Ed Hesson was the clear winner with a three stroke victory over Kuttan Malattari who scored a net 71. A further three strokes back in third place with a net 74 was Gaurav Verma. The lowest gross score of the day was won by Rayhan Thomas who scored a level par 72 which included birdies at the 3rd, 6th, 14th and 17th holes. BMW kindly sponsored a prize for nearest the pin on the 15th hole. The winner was Bipin Bhatia who will now enjoy a weekend test drive of the new 6 series Grand Coupe.
INTERCLUB
Interclub Match Fixture One held at EGC Friday, 3rd July 2015
Emirates Golf Club (EGC), Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE) and The Els Club (TEC) will each host an event with 12 members in each team (the Els Club could not field a team for this first fixture) Emirates Golf Club won the match 4-2 (captained by Stephen Deane) Individual stableford winners were: 1st David Waite 42 pts 2nd Patrick Mulligan 38 pts 3rd Ishu Rupani 37 pts Each fixture will take the best nine stableford scores from each team and aggregate them at the end of fixture three to determine the winners. After the first fixture EGC have 301 points and JGE 275 points. The next fixture will be on August 7th at JGE
A DIVISION (HCP. 0-15) Winner: Manoj Kapur Runner Up: Vikram Tah Third: Pankaj Varma B DIVISION (HCP. 16-28) Winner: Ed Hesson Runner Up: Kuttan Malattiri Third: Gaurav Verma Best Gross: Rayhan Thomas NEAREST THE PIN HOLE # 15: Bipin Bhatia
Net. 68 Net. 68 Net. 69
Net. 68 Net. 71 Net. 74 Gross.72
DUBAI GOLF MEDAL
Saturday, 27th June 2015
Friday, 3rd July 2015
he first round of the 2015 Dubai Golf Summer Series was played at the end of June at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. The series consists of four fixtures which are played between two of the local clubs in the Dubai Golf portfolio, Dubai Creek and Emirates Golf Club. The stableford format always produces some fun competition and, despite the ever increasing summer conditions, this opening event was a huge success boasting a full field of over 80 players. As well as prizes for the day’s event, thanks to the event sponsors ProSports, players were eager to put in a good performance and stack up some all important order of merit points ahead of the second fixture which will be on Saturday 11th July on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. Getting of to a flying start with a superb performance was EGF member Ghazi Aurangzeb who carded a staggering 44 points to claim top honours in this opening event. Finishing closely behind Ghazi in second place with an equally impressive 42 points was Emirates Golf Club lady member Sandra Chia. Picking up the best gross prize was Dubai Creek member Max Burrow, who made a solid gross score of 31 points. John Fellingham and Glory Xavier were the day’s nearest the pin winners for their tee shots on the par 3 5th and 8th holes and young Eshna Bhargava took the longest drive prize for her tee shot on the par 4 12th hole.
A DIVISION (HCP. 0-15) Winner Vipen Sethi Runner Up Rajinder Razdan Third Lionel Smith Best Gross Edward Fearn B DIVISION (HCP. 16-34) Winner Manu Mehrotra Runner Up Christian Klynge Third Bernard Sheeran LADIES DIVISION Winner Tania Sangani Runner Up Katherine Duffy
T
Net. 67 Net. 68 Net. 69 Gross. 74 Net. 71 Net. 71 Net. 73 Net. 69 Net. 72
Competition Results
DUBAI GOLF summer series
5
6
SUMMER PRO-AM
T
Competition Results
his was a successful start to fixture one of the Emirates Golf Club Summer Pro-Am series. Head Professional Stephen Deane and his amateur partners Karl-Johan Sandesjo, Kavita Sehmi and Jason Brown took the spoils with a magnificent 13 under par. Well done to all competitors and thanks to all the professionals who supported the event. Fixture two is scheduled for Friday 17th July.
EMIRATES SUMMER OPEN
1st
Stephen Deane, Jason Brown, Kavita Sehmi, Karl-Johan Sandesjo 131 -13
2nd
Jonathan Craddock, Baljit Vohra, Rajinder Razdan, Qamar Rasheed 134 -10
Supported by
Friday 10th July 2015 CHAMPION
Suvansh Arora(EGC)
GROSS 76
RUNNER UP
Tejan Fadlu-Deen (DCGYC)
GROSS 77
THIRD
Christopher Alderman(JGE)
GROSS 77
A DIVISION (HCP.0-13) WINNER
Gaurav Verma (EGC)
NET. 68
RUNNER UP
Aditya Judge (DCGYC)
NET. 68
B DIVISION (HCP.14-28) WINNER
Rohail D’Souza (EGF)
NET. 64
RUNNER UP
Anand Lakhiani (EGC)
NET. 67
Eat, Drink and Play After Dark
Tee off after 8pm for 9 holes of golf on the floodlit Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club for just AED 275 and enjoy a burger and refreshing hops beverage before or after your round in the Spike Bar. Offer is available seven days a week for tee times after 8pm, subject to availability until 30th September 2015. Green fees are inclusive of cart and range balls before play. Proof of UAE residency may be required. For more information and bookings, please call + 971 4 417 9800 or email ereservations@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com
INTERNATIONAL GOLF
A SCORE OF 57… INCLUDING THREE HOLES-IN-ONE Woodbridge golfer Patrick Wills shot a 57, with three holes-in-one during a remarkable round (Courtesy SB Nation) A Northern Virginia golfer has shot what many are calling the greatest round of golf ever. Fifty-nine-year-old Patrick Wills, of Woodbridge, Virginia, carded a 14-under-par 57, including three holesin-one in an amateur tournament round at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia. The former Marine’s incredible round came on June 22, during the Summer Solstice tournament at the course, which measured 6,021 yards. Two of Wills’ aces came on par fours. Wills, who is a plus-4 handicap, was golfing with his sons Charlie and
Christopher, and Air Force Major Matt Ghormley.
Director Gene Orrico, who verified the score card.
After his son told him his tee shot on the 289-yard par-four seventh dropped in the hole, “My heart jumped in a little bit of disbelief,” said Wills.
“Patrick has been around a long time; he is an honourable man and wellrespected,” Orrico told the BBC.
When he aced the 334-yard par-four 10th hole, Wills “was shocked, numb, in disbelief.” When his five iron on the par-three, 187yard 14th plunked-in, “It is one of those surreal experiences — everything was moving in slow motion and I was trying to take it all in.” “I was shocked,” said Laurel Hill PGA
In 47 years of golfing, Wills had 22 holes-in-one to his credit before his three-ace round. He said that he understands the skepticism. “People are allowed to believe what they want to believe — I fought for that freedom,” Wills said. “But I know what I shot, my playing partners know what I shot and the people at the tournament do as well.”
Academy
8
ACADEMY UPDATE WITH PGA Golf Professional STEPHEN DEANE
TEXAS!! I had an eye opening experience visiting the Texas Woman’s University earlier this month based in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. The Universities Bio mechanics expert and golf specialist Dr. Kwon spent a full day with me whilst analysing my entire body function during the golf swing. The experience was second to none and the data produced was eye opening and the future of coaching.
Dear Golfers,
A
s The Academy makes its way towards the summer months it’s an ideal opportunity to ask, what your summer golf plan is? This could mean playing more abroad due to the hot and humid conditions or for many of you putting the clubs away until the cooler weather returns. Here at The Academy we believe summer provides the ideal opportunity to hone your games for the start of the Middle East season. Early morning and late evening 30-minute range tuition combined with on course playing sessions are the ideal way to give you that head start and sharpen your game before the cooler weather arrives. It’s also a good opportunity to consider other elements of your game rather than just technical tuition: Goal Setting Aim Point Green Reading On course management Mental approach Statistics Individual Equipment specifications Golf Fitness / Biomechanics Practice routines and drills Skills testing The strong team of Academy Professionals are more than happy to sit with you and consolidate a summer plan of individual improved golf. You will work as a team to reach your desired goals. For more information on how to put this in place please contact The Academy via email to Eacademy@dubaigolf.com. The Professional Team look forward to hearing from you soon. Stephen Deane Head Academy Professional For more information, please contact The Academy at Emirates Golf Club on +971 4 417 9845 or email emiratesacademy@dubaigolf.com
Make the most of your practice time this summer with The Dubai Golf Academy at Emirates Golf Club. In addition to individual lessons, we have a range of Summer Packages available until 14th September 2015. To register, please contact The Academy at Emirates Golf Club on +971 4 417 9845 or email emiratesacademy@dubaigolf.com
One of Dr. Kwon’s students is Chris Como who currently teaches Tiger Woods. He explained that Chris isn’t happy with Tiger’s functional movement and he will visit the lab after the conclusion of the US Open. We all know from looking at Tiger’s recent performances that he seriously needs some good guidance. I’m sure Dr.Kwon can help! Dr. Kwon would like me to study under him and complete a Masters degree in this area of bio mechanics. It will be a two-year study which will consist 70% online and three weeks on site which I can conduct during the quieter summer months. I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and for the development of my knowledge and future student performance. 3D analysis!
Whilst in town I took the opportunity to play Colonial Country Club which recently hosted the Crown Plaza Invitational which Chris Kirk successfully won. What a fantastic course and in great condition after the recent PGA Tour Event. PHOTO (Pic 3 Playing with Colonial member Ken Simpson). Playing with Colonial I was also fortunate enough to be member Ken Simpson allowed access to Mr. Ben Hogan’s home course, Shady Oaks. This was magical for me as Mr. Hogan is one of my golfing idols and someone I base much of my teaching philosophy around. The Shady Oaks experience was one I’ll never forget. The Head Professional Mike Wright gave me a guided tour of Mr. Hogan’s locker as well as all of his equipment still at the Club. He then chauffeured me to Mr. Hogan’s practice area and allowed me to hit shots with one of his four irons. He told me stories about Mr. Hogan and how he used to spend his time at the Club later in life. Following this visit I would love to run an EGC Members’ trip around late May next year. It would consist of games at Colonial Country Club, Oakmount, Shady Oaks including the Hogan experience Mr Hogan’s and a Bio Where Mr Hogan practised four iron Mechanics session with Dr.Kwon at The Texas Woman’s University campus. For those of you interested please drop me an email to sdeane@dubaigolf.com and I will put it in place. Stephen Deane Head Academy Professional
Pro’s Tip of the Month Trackman - it’s a game of numbers
T
he Academy at Emirates Golf Club has the luxury of offering trackman lessons. Many players think this is very advanced, too technical and only for the better players. Trackman is a great asset and tool; if you understand the numbers then it’s easy, and that’s what we do at the Academy. The numbers deal in fact, no guess work and give you a starting point with proof of changes. Trackman can benefit all levels of ability.
A key area of Trackman is the feature of angle of attack which relates to the angle the club enters the ball on a vertical axis. Through my experiences when coaching using Trackman, many players struggle with consistent contact with wedges and irons and distance with the driver, all relating back to angle of attack. Let’s start with the wedges and mid-high irons; due to the high loft of these clubs we are able to create a downward impact angle of around -4 degrees, which is what helps good players strike the ball first, cleanly, connecting with more groves for spin and getting good compression on the ball. Many players I teach have a very neutral angle of attack leading to added dynamic loft (high ball flight), hitting low on the clubface (thin) and then running the risk of hitting the ground before the ball. Below is a great drill to work on to increase your negative angle of attack; practice this and watch your ball striking improve. Try to feel the club working down and left at the same time, I like to see players start this drill with a wedge and work towards a 7 iron. Place two balls about 12 inches behind your ball to enhance the downward feeling.
The driver…golfers are always seeking those extra yards off the tee. Many players that have Trackman lessons are very surprised to hear that their swing speed is fast, their ball striking is good but again something amateur players don’t look into is the importance of angle of attack.. If you strike down with the driver you will reduce your launch and increase your spin, equaling shorter distance off the tee. With the driver we are trying to sweep the ball off the tee and we are looking for a positive angle of attack, almost the feeling that we are hitting up on the ball. This will give us high launch and low spin; the flight will resemble what’s known as “the rainbow effect” - the ball will carry longer and also run much further on landing. A great way to practice this shot is to stand with the body slightly closed (right) and really feel that you are swinging the club right of target and trying to hit up on the ball so that the body feels like it is sitting behind the ball at impact; it’s important we do this while we keep the natural loft on the face and square to the target, don’t let the hands fall behind and scoop the ball. I have placed the two balls about six inches in front of my ball this time to help promote the up feeling.
The truth is we have different impact conditions for all our clubs. If you learn your numbers and improve your angle of attack statistics then you will see more solid iron play and longer drives.
Pro’s Tip
WITH PGA Golf Professional Mark Bruce
9
2015 TOURNAM
’ GOLFER S E I D LA YEAR E H T F O Elias Veronica
’ SINGLES S E I D LA PLAY H C T A M Turlik Rosemary
’ CLUB LADIES N IO CHAMP Gupta Jayshree
’S SINGLES N E M PLAY H C T A M pta Rohit Gu
’ LUB MEN S C N IO CHAMP homas Rayhan T
’ AIR MEN S P LA P MATCH
ur alani & S Nitin Krip
MENT WINNERS
B
RS AY
rjit Namli
’ CLUB GIRLS ION CHAMP uirhead Alison M
’ PAIRS LADIES LAY P MATCH son Dickin & Lynne y rr e B a Fion
’ LUB BOYS C N IO CHAMP homas Rayhan T
HPlAY C T A M MIXED Byrne n & Paul a g g u D Maura
12
Dear Members, Firstly let me introduce you to our new team member David Poole.
Fit Lab
David has an impressive profile and I am sure you will all join me in welcoming him to the Club.
After a successful professional football career, where David played for a list of clubs including Manchester United, Yeovil Town, Stockport County and Darlington, he went on to study personal training and gained his Level 3 personal trainer qualification.
Why Sports Massage is Important
David also has a diploma in functional performance which gives him the ability to assess a client’s movement to see where his/her weaknesses lie so he can build a programme around the needs of the client. With David’s professional sports background and a proven ability to help sports professionals and beginners achieve their goals, whether it be injury prevention, improving strength, speed or dexterity, David’s passion and desire to succeed makes him a valued member of the team. Now we are in the peak of summer Fit Lab has plenty on offer to keep you occupied throughout for adults and children. Aquatix will be continuing swimming lessons throughout the summer so please feel free to join in.
David Poole
To complement the swimming summer camp we are bringing back the Swim the Creek Challenge. The goal is to complete 25km as quickly as possible. The challenge will be running from July 1st - August 31st
Classes will be continuing throughout the summer so please see our timetable for further information.. To book please contact the Fit Lab team to avoid disappointment.
Exercise Tip of the month
Squat
One of the best exercises is also one of the most natural (just watch a baby sit). This movement works all of the muscles in the lower body including the quads, glutes and hamstrings. It also provides an extra kick for the core as you need your deep abdominal muscles and back to perform this exercise correctly
Healthy Regards Andy Meech Head of Sport & Leisure
Elite athletes understand the importance of regular sports massage as they see the difference it can make during their traininG buut what about the weekend athlete? Is it still important for them? Reiss Adams from Bespoke wellness explains… The answer is yes, of course! Sports massage has a variety of benefits, but most importantly it improves your tissue quality through increased blood circulation and removal of metabolic waste. This means when you train or play sport, it takes longer for your muscles to fatigue, allowing you to go harder for longer. Recovery time is also reduced as healthy tissues repair faster. Sports massage is also one of the most effective treatments for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS. This condition is best described as the tight, achy feeling experienced one to two days after activity. People not conditioned to strenuous exercise can suffer from DOMS for up to seven days keeping them from training again. Not just for the treating soft tissue dysfunction, sports massage is a useful tool to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. This applies for people not only into strenuous sports, but also sports such as golf and even people who are not very active at all. Increased pliability in the fibres means the tissue can handle a greater load before the point of tearing. Myofascial release also creates length which allows the muscle groups to stretch and move more freely to cope with all physical stresses in life. Trigger point therapy addresses how effectively muscles fire, which is vital for proper biomechanical function and pain reduction. Relief is felt almost immediately as the muscle relaxes and normal tissue length is restored. On the topic of pain, it’s no secret that sports massage therapists are known for their deep tissue work. However, treatments are always kept within the patient’s pain threshold by using a one to ten scale. Treatments do not need to be painful! To book for a sport massage with Reiss, please call +971 55 372 4670 or email info@bespoke-wellness.com
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: THE SENSASIA URBAN SPA SUMMER MASSAGE CELEBRATION EMIRATES GOLF CLUB +971 4 417 9820 Feeling more than a little stressed by summer..? SensAsia Urban Spa is about to soothe you back to sanity as it announces two whole months of unbelievable savings on a whole host of must-try, most-booked massages.
THAI YOGA STRETCH MASSAGE (60 mins) – Dynamic, stretching and stress-busting WAS: AED 399 SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 239
The largest independent spa chain in the UAE is bringing back the hugely successful Summer Massage Celebration for a third year, as demanded by its loyal and long-standing clients. Running from July 1st to August 31st, this is the chance for women and men alike to escape the frustratingly toasty temperatures outside, and make switching off within the blissful, modern Oriental surroundings of SensAsia, a far more frequent part of their routine.
YUMMY MUMMY-TO-BE MASSAGE (60 mins) – Completely bespoke and bump-friendly WAS: AED 399 SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 239
The Summer Massage Celebration prices apply to select signature massage treatments (as listed below) which can be booked and taken between 10am and 4pm on weekdays.
BALINESE MASSAGE (60 mins) – De-stress and unwind with this classic massage WAS: AED 399 SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 279
Swim The Creek Challenge 1st July to 31st August 2015
This summer at Emirates Golf Club, hit the pool and put your swimming skills to the test with our Swim The Creek Challenge! Swim the equivalent of Dubai Creek (25kms) in 1,000 lengths of the club pool and register your best time with our Fit Lab team. Swimming is a great form of exercise, ideal for all ages and the perfect way of beating the heat during the summer months! Undertake this challenge in your own time and simply register your best time at the Fit Lab reception. Swim The Creek is open to both club members and visitors. The challenge is broken down into the following age groups and the distance for the younger swimmers will be based on a handicap basis. 7 years and under 12 years and under 16 years and under Adult Adult
Boys and Girls Boys and Girls Boys and Girls Female Male
100 lengths 125 lengths 200 lengths 1,000 lengths 1,000 lengths
Happy Swimming! For more information, please contact Fit Lab at Emirates Golf Club on +971 4 417 9850 or email egcfitlab@dubaigolf.com
KNEAD IT MASSAGE (60 or 90 mins)– Intensive massage that is just as it sounds... much needed! WAS: AED 440 (60) / AED 540 (90) SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 299 (60) / AED 351 (90) BALI CHIC MASSAGE (90 mins) – That little bit more... and pure urban bliss WAS: AED 499 SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 324 SENSASIA HOT STONE MASSAGE (60 mins) – Relaxing, detoxifying and seriously stress-relieving WAS: AED 560 SUMMER CELEBRATION PRICE: AED 398
EPER’S GREENKE CUTTINGS
14
Greenkeeper’s Cuttings Dear Members,
Y
ou will have noticed that transition was over very quickly this year with great recovery in the roughs. Our attention has since been geared towards our aerification programs on all surfaces. This work commenced during our scheduled closure periods and included in particular the greens, fairways and approaches. The main reason for doing this is the removal of unwanted organic matter that will have built up over the past eight months in particular, allowing us the opportunity to introduce some fresh silica sand into our greens and improve the overall health of the plant. The process is very disruptive to surfaces hence the fact we close during this time. Recovery takes two weeks and the benefits lead to our ability to maintain great putting surfaces for the season ahead. The fairways this year on the Majlis will get scarrified heavily, taking the plant back to ground zero. This will be followed by our hollow coring and will really improve overall surface quality, water infiltration and better nutrient uptake of the plant. We have a few small projects underway which includes the enhancement of mowing lines, reshaping of bunker edges, improved teeing areas, thinning out of overgrown landscaped areas and the introduction of a new strategic fairway bunker on the 1st Majlis, for the benefit of the Desert Classic next year. As always, if you have any queries do not hesitate to stop by and ask, or simply drop us a line to explain. To those of you away for the summer, have a great holiday and we look forward to welcoming you back for the season ahead. Please keep your eyes open for video updates from the GCM team throughout the summer renovations this year! Good golfing, Craig Haldane Director - Golf Course Maintenance
UPDATE FROM THE GOLF OFFICE
RULES BY RHYS
Dear Member
W
ith the season drawing to a close I would like to offer my appreciation to Kamal Kosta and Mitsuko Emmerson who will end their term as Captains at the end of August; thank you for all your efforts throughout the season!
On that note we look forward to welcoming Walid Al Attar and Helen Srivastava as incoming Captains from 1st September. The new Vice- Captains Vipen Sethi and Maura Duggan will also commence their invaluable supporting role from 1st September. The highlights of the summer calendar are the Summer Series events plus the Dubai Golf Monthly Medals where our members have the opportunity to play Dubai Creek on Saturday 1st August and we welcome the Dubai Creek members on Friday 3rd July. Following the summer break we expect to have in place a new cart control system to prevent members and guests alike from driving the golf carts into forbidden areas including adjacent to the putting greens and in the desert areas. All golfers will be encouraged to drive on the fairways and if a cart is taken in to a ‘danger area’ it will shut down. The driver will then have to reverse the cart in to an acceptable area before moving forward once more. Please keep golf carts out of the restricted areas over the summer in readiness for the launch of this new procedure. The Mixed Season Opener will take place after the Eid break on Friday 2nd October, so please make a note in your diary for this annual curtain-raising event for the new season. Please note all competitors wishing to participate in next year’s Omega Matchplay Championships (entry is open on-line now) must have recorded at least twenty games on their Golfers Card account between 1stOctober 2014 - 30th September 2015. New members will be allowed to participate if they have an official handicap certificate from their previous club. Further feedback from the members’ questionnaire reported the difficulty in obtaining tee times on the weekend for the Majlis course. We appreciate, due to the demand for Majlis tee times from our membership, that it isn’t easy to secure your preferred weekend slots and there is still a perception that many visitors are playing. I can assure you that this isn’t the case and the below statistics direct from the reservation system support this. We will of course look at further ways to improve this process moving forward.
I
Breaking Clubs
’m sure that we are all aware of the general rules that cover the subject of our golf clubs, these rules being: a) A player must not start a round with more than 14 clubs. If starting with fewer clubs, then you are allowed to add any number provided the total number does not exceed 14 and providing this does not delay play, and not by borrowing a club that is being used by another player on the golf course. b) Your clubs must conform with the specifications and rules set out by the R&A. These could include length, lie angle and grip shape to name a few. c) If a club gets damaged during the course of a round, it may be repaired or replaced depending on the nature in which it was broken - this will be explained throughout this article. In Normal Course of Play When on the golf course, we are occasionally challenged with shots that may cause damage to our clubs. For example, a shot from behind a tree that requires a shortened follow through. If this results in a broken shaft like it did for Ernie Els then this would be considered as damaged through “normal course of play” and the player would be entitled to replace the club or have it repaired providing they do not delay play. Another example of damage through “normal course of play” is if a shaft breaks when a player is leaning on it to push a tee in to the ground; this act would be considered as normal on course behaviour.
Majlis Occupancy from 1st October 2014 to 31st May 2015:
Under the rules of golf, a club is considered unfit for play if it is
Weekends • Members - 83% • Member Guests - 10% • Visitors - 7% (a large bulk of this are non-members playing in nine Open Championship days during the season)
RHYS JAMES
Weekdays • Members - 60% • Member Guests - 8% • Visitors - 32% Total • Members - 71 % • Member Guests - 9 % • Visitors - 20% Wishing you all a fantastic summer and looking forward to next season Kind regards, Barney Coleman Director of Golf
substantially damaged, e.g. the shaft is dented or bent, the clubhead or grip becomes loose. Surprisingly, the rules of golf do not state that the club must be replaced with the same type of club. e.g. a broken 6 iron could be replaced with a lob wedge, providing it is a conforming club. If a club is damaged during normal course of play, but still considered fit for play, you have the option of using that club for the remainder of the round irrespective of whether the club is still conforming. Other Than Normal Course of Play As we all know, golf is known for being a competitive yet a relaxing way to pass time for the majority of golfers. However, I’m sure we have all seen the calmest of human beings being pushed to their limits resulting in blood boiling acts of frustration. When clubs are damaged in this way, such as club throwing, slamming in to the bag or intentionally hitting against tee markers they can become non conforming; if so the player is not allowed to use that club or have it replaced during the round. However, if the player started with fewer than 14 clubs, then they would be entitled to add another club in accordance with a) above. If you have any rules 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.
Golf Services Manager
Following a nine month internship period at the Club Rhys will be returning in September to join the Emirates team as Golf Services Manager. The role will include assisting in golf operations to deliver members’ and corporate events. To enhance the member experience when visiting the Club. Rhys will be readily available to assist with any queries that you may have, bridging the link between golf and your club membership. Rhys will return home towards the end of July to spend the summer in his home country of Wales, where he will enjoy spending time with family and friends and playing a lot of golf at his home club of Aberdare. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few months here in Dubai and at Emirates Golf Club. I would like to thank all of my new colleagues, members and friends for the support and the welcome they have shown to me since arriving last November. I am certainly excited to travel home for the summer but I am equally as excited to begin my new role here at Emirates Golf Club.” said Rhys on his time here at the Club.
f Club
London Gol
s Golf Mission Hill dong ng ua G b, Clu hina C , ce in Prov
lub,
fC Banyan Gol Thailand
el Club, Hem Centurion , UK ad te ps em H
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 Banyan Golf Club, Thailand Blue Canyon Country Club, Thailand Centurion Club, Hemel Hempstead, UK Close House Hotel & Golf, England, UK DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, India The Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong 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 Saujana Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Heritage Golf Club, Mauritius
Dear Member, We are pleased to announce that Dubai Golf now offer live scoring technology at both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club through the world’s leading live scoring provider - Golf GameBook. GameBook has been used to deliver live-scoring at hundreds of high profile events around the world and aside from live-scoring, GameBook provides you the opportunity to stay connected to other golfers around the world, record each round of golf you participate in and also keep track of your statistics. We will also be using Golf GameBook during club events and tournaments in the future. In order to register for your free account visit www.golfgamebook. com, create an account and email your username to the golf office at golfoffice@dubaigolf.com. For all iPhone and Android users, please visit your App store and download the free App.
Tee time reservations need to be made in advance through the Membership Services. The current membership card must be produced at the reciprocal club when playing golf upon check in.
We hope that you are able to make use of this great new addition to our Clubs!
For further information on the Reciprocal Clubs please contact our Membership Services team or email egc@dubaigolf.com
Barney Coleman Director of Golf Operations
Best Regards,
BIRDS OF THE EMIRATES By Akhil Menon IT Manager, Golf Citizen
Black Headed Seagull Scientific Name: Chroicocephalus ridibundus Shot: Dubai Emirates Golf Club (Emirates Golf Course) Date shot: March 2015 Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Black-headed_gull
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY GOLF AUGUST
Sat 1st Dubai Golf Mashreq Medal Championship
in Association with BMW and Ruth’s Chris
(Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek members,
male and female)
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, 2pm
Sat 15th Dubai Golf Summer Series Fixture Three
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, 2pm
Sat 29th Dubai Golf Summer Series Faldo Fixture Four
Emirates Golf Club, Faldo , 2pm
Hot Summer Rates on the Faldo Photo Courtesy: Akhil Menon, golf in Dubai
Description: A small gull that breeds in Europe and Asia, the black headed sea gull is easily identifiable with either the small black spot on the head in juveniles (as seen in the picture) or a fully black head in adults. They are usually winter visitors in the UAE and sometimes stays back longer. The black-headed gull is a very bold and opportunistic feeder. They normally will eat insects, fish, seeds, worms, scraps and carrion in towns, or take invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal relish. They are a noisy species, especially in colonies, with a familiar “kree-ar” call. Its scientific name means “laughing gull”. At 33 years, these birds have very long recorded lifespan for birds. At Emirates Golf Club, these birds can be sighted in the air circling around the water bodies over the winter months, extending up to March or April. Colonies of these birds have been sighted resting on the course greens as well.
Tee off on the championship Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club from Sunday to Thursday between 10am and 4pm and enjoy a burger and refreshing selected beverage before or after your round in the Spike Bar. AED 260 per player includes 9 holes with burger and beverage AED 350 per player includes 18 holes with burger and beverage Offer is subject to availability for rounds played from Sunday to Thursday between 10am and 4pm until 31st July 2015, excluding weekends and public holidays. Green fees are inclusive of cart and range balls before play. Proof of UAE residency may be required. For more information and bookings, please call +971 4 417 9800 or email ereservations@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com
e l o H h t 9 1SNIPPETS
Club Night Accumulator winners Terry and Vera Woolnough
Farewell
Congratulations to the Dubai Golf colleagues who were nominated for the quarterly Make A Difference Award. They enjoyed a trip to the Burj Khalifa!
Some of our ex and current EGC ladies met up in Kuala Lumpur last month to play golf with friends at Tropicana Golf Club, arranged by Nancy to remember her late husband Gordon, a game he loved. Nancy also arranged a mini raffle draw and raised money for the Malaysian Heart Foundation. Bindu Mitter travelled from Bangalore, Rekha Bandopadhyay from Dubai and Martha Wong from Singapore.
Hole-in-One 20th May 2015. Najla Bartette Hole No 7 Majlis
Lorraine Logan
Rosemary Turlik
Congratulations to Elite Junior Bradley Nyambane for a fantastic hole in one whilst playing the par3 4th on the Majlis course this morning. He then followed this up in the afternoon with a nearest to the pin prize on hole 11 Majlis course whilst participating in the Summer Pro am! Well done!
Congratulations to team Humpty Dumpty who won the Spike Bar Quiz Night on 29th June along with runner up teams Party Fears 4 and Quizimodo! Congrats to Ms. Kay and Ms. Sandi who were the night’s Bingo winners!
QUIZ NIGHT Congratulations to Team Party Fears 4 who won the Quiz Night in the Spike Bar on 6th July! Well done to runnersup Tea Leaves and Quizimodo!
Got the big boss here this morning checking up on my work. Hope I passed the test! Craig Haldane’s son checking out Dad’s work!
Ibrahim, Vinod and Ajith of IHP team who made the difference at Dubai Creek ICON Cup with EGC GM Andrew Whitelaw Thanks to 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Champion Rory McIlroy for adding his Nike Driver to the Emirates Golf Club Champions’ Club Wall of Fame! Andrew Whitelaw, General Manager and Chris May, Dubai Golf CEO, with Rory’s Driver!
Congratulations to Emirates Golf Club Honorary Member and 2004 Dubai Desert Classic Champion, Mark O’Meara, on being inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in a ceremony at St. Andrews!
Petr Dedek, EGC member, is in Europe for the summer competing in tournaments. Here’s a note from him…
Mr. Leonardo Mochi Sismondi 26th June 2015 Hole No. 2 Faldo
Hi there everyone on Dubai. It’s been a while since I left EGC for summer tournaments. I recently played in the Lyoness Open in Austria as my fourth European Tour start still as an amateur. It has been a great learning experience to compete and play with the great ones. I am especially proud of my EGC logo on the bag and shirts as I am proud to be a member of EGC. Are you proud members too? Thanks to everyone for your support.
News from Lisl Esterl & Neil Webb I recently caught up with former EGC Pro Neil Webb and Pro, Lisl Esterl both of whom have had a long association with Emirates Golf Club.
Anand Kapoor and Akash Kumar, winners of the India Inter-State Golf Championship held on the Faldo on 27th June 2015
Lisl has more or less stopped playing but she is really into her coaching and she is making quite a name for herself. She and Neil both coach during the winter months and offer great trips to Quinta do Lago Portugal (QDL) in winter where they do intensive weeks working much more on the performance side of the game and not so much with technique. I’m sure many of you remember that Lisl launched her own golf clothing line which has become very popular and, as a result, she and Neil have opened their own shop called E2 a in Bad Griesbach which is Germany’s largest golf resort. In addition they are about to start their “Tour Trailer” shop business and they are looking to expand into many other products. Lisl and Neil send their best wishes to all at Emirates Golf Club.
Summer French Friday Brunch at Le Classique This summer, escape the heat and join us on Fridays between 12.30pm and 4pm for an afternoon of traditional French fare in the stunning surrounds of Emirates Golf Club. Our gastronomique brunch offers sharing style starters, an array of delicious á la carte main courses, delightful desserts and a formidable fromage counter for the whole family to enjoy. • Food and soft beverages AED 150 per member, AED 165 per member’s guest, AED 180 per guest • Food and selected grape beverages AED 280 per member, AED 295 per member’s guest, AED 310 per guest* • Food and selected grape and house beverages AED 330 per member, AED 350 per member’s guest, AED 365 per guest* • AED 55 for children between 6 and 12 years • Children below 5 dine for free *During the holy month of Ramadan, alcohol packages will not be served For reservations please contact Le Classique at Emirates Golf Club on +971 4 417 9999, email emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com or visit www.dubaigolf.com