Golf Digest Middle East - October 2022

THE

GROWING THE

OCTOBER 2022

6 Editor’s Letter

Golf goes global with Saudi Arabia and Scotland top of the travel agendas.

by matt smith

The Starter

8 The Best of Both Worlds Atalaya Golf & Country Club blends Andalusian tradition with the latest technology in Spain.

by matt smith

Mind / Body

10 Undercover Caddie

Why looping for LIV Golf is a windfall for us.

with joel beall

12 Journeys

Tom Kim of South Korea

with keely levins

14 Oktoberfest

Get in on the action as Oktoberfest returns to The Els Club, Dubai. with matt smith

16 ‘I Hit the Lottery’

Alex Fourie’s unlikely journey from a Ukraine orphanage to the US Adaptive Open.

by alex myers

54 Short Game Options

How to get the most out of those greenside scrambles if you miss the dancefloor.

by alex riggs

58 Maximise Distance Off The Tee

Get that ball flying further in this day and age of the big-hitters.

by tom ogilvie

60 Discovering Putting

The simplest exercises can help you master the green.

by conor thornton

62 What’s in My Bag Jessica Korda

64 Life at the Top

The best players have a guy for everything.

by dan rapaport

66 Lucky Break

The business of filling golf-club jobs.

by matthew rudy

Features

20 On The Right Track

Say hello to Luxury Carts Group, the company that gets you moving on the course.

by matt smith

22 Welcome To The Club

Viya Golf grow their portfolio with three top Abu Dhabi clubs.

by matt smith

COVER STORY

24 Return of the Jeddah Cameron Smith ready to roll once again in Asia as LIV Golf gets set for Saudi Arabia showdown.

by matt smith

30 Med For Each Other Club Med Magna Marbella gives golfers the perfect base camp to enjoy best on offer in the south of Spain.

by matt smith

36 How to Find a Job in Golf

Eight stories from people living their dream.

by emma francois

46 Down For Anything Fitness fanatic Demi Bagby is hooked on golf.

by keely levins

52 Get Your Groove Back

Discover what is the best fit for you when it comes to your wedges — and when it’s time to replace them.

by matt smith

SWEET AND SAUDI

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club will host the LIV Golf Individual Championship finale

Stars set for Saudi and Scotland showdowns

Some of the top male and female golfers in the world are in for a hectic month ahead as big events hit the United States, Europe and Asia

By Matt Smith

October is sure to be a whirlwind month for some of the biggest names in golf and they will clock up the air miles along the way as huge events loom across the numerous tours.

First up, LIV Golf’s finest are in for a jet-setting few weeks as the inau gural campaign reaches its climax in three different countries from Asia to North America.

Following the curtain-raiser in Lon don and four events in the United States, the series spreads its wings for a double-header in Bangkok and Saudi Arabia to signal the end of the season’s Individual Championship.

Fans at Stonehill Club near Bang kok and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Jeddah, are in for a treat as the superstars of the fledgling series — in

cluding new arrival Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeCham beau come to town to decide who will be crowned the best individual player ahead of the Team Championship at Trump National Doral Miami at the end of the month.

The Ladies European Tour also jets off to Jeddah in November for its Ar amco Team Series finale, but first up is a mouthwatering trip to New York from October 13-15.

The Korda sisters certainly made a big impact on their Spanish debut as Nelly claimed the individual ATS event at Sotogrande, while Jessica took the team prize.

Both will be back in action at Ferry Point, New York, for the penultimate Aramco tournament, and joining them will be two of Dubai’s own.

New Golf Saudi ambassador Chiara Noja will celebrate gaining her full play ing card for the 2023 Ladies European Tour season by teeing it up along with Amelia McKee, another young product of the Dubai golfing scene. The Texanborn New Mexico State University grad uate has plenty to celebrate herself as she preparing to get married, and will use the ATS event as final preparation as she goes for LPGA Q-School success later in the month.

The PGA Tour season has had the shortest of turnarounds following Rory McIlroy’s dramatic triumph at the FedEx Cup Championship a few weeks ago.

Following their lopsided win in the President’s Cup, Team USA will be buoyed ahead of next September’s Ryder Cup showdown with Europe at Marco Simeone Golf & Country Club in Rome, with Max Homa in particular

Dubai’s own Amelia McKee will tee it up at the Aramco Team Series event in New York

editor-in-chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer

managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice

editor Matt Smith art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brookes, Lea Pouillard, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer

Anthony Milne publisher David Burke general manager - production S. Sunil Kumar production manager Binu Purandaran

THE GOLF DIGEST PUBLICATIONS

editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde

director, business development & partnerships Greg Chatzinoff

international editor Ju Kuang Tan

GOLF DIGEST USA editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde general manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News)

chief playing editor Tiger Woods playing editors Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson

looking in fine form for the new campaign.

The outspoken Golf Twitter favourite shone against the International side at Quail Hollow after he won the PGA Touropening Fortinet Championship in Napa, California, courtesy of Danny Willett’s 18thhole three-putt meltdown.

However, the signs also look promising for Luke Donald’s ‘underdogs’ as a raft of key players are finding form, including Scotland’s Robert McIntyre — who triumphed at the 2023 Ryder Cup venue in the Italian Open.

Shane Lowry’s dramatic triumph at the DP World Tour Championship over a thriving McIlroy will also delight Donald, as will the victory for Guido Migliozzi over young Rasmus Højgaard at the Open de France. Both will now certainly be in the picture for a spot against the Americans in September.

Willett himself, getting back to the form that saw him win the Masters in 2016, will be aiming to bounce back from his Fortinet faux pas at the ever-popular Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he is the defending champion. The unique event is played over three of Scotland’s most famous courses — the Old Course at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie — and always draws some of the biggest names in the game.

Rory is confirmed and will be hungry to add the title to his list of achievements, having had to settle for second spot on no fewer than three occasions.

Joining him will be the likes of US Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick, Lowry, Billy Horschel, McIntyre, Irish Open winner Adrian Meronk, and a host of DPWT’s finest including Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters.

Just to add some more spice, some of LIV Golf’s big names are also eligible, and the likes of Talor Gooch and Louis Oosthuizen will be among those looking to spoil/start the party.

With the new season also back in full swing in the UAE, we welcome the return the Golf Digest Middle East Oktoberfest tournament at The Els Club, Dubai.

The individual stableford event has plenty of prizes on offer — including a spot in the Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am — and, if last year was anything to go by, it is a party you don’t want to miss.

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2021 Discovery Golf, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Volume 72, Issue 2. GOLF DIGEST (ISSN 0017-176X) is published eight times a year by Discovery Golf, Inc. Principal office: Golf Digest, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y., 10036. Discovery Golf, Inc.: Alex Kaplan, President & GM; Gunnar Wiedenfels, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.

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crowd favourite The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will see the likes of Shane Lowry tee up at the Old Course in St Andrews

Spain

Atalaya Golf & Country Club

The best of both worlds

Atalaya Golf & Country Club blends Andalusian tradition with the latest technology in Spain

There is a double delight on the southern tip of Spain as Atalaya Golf & Country Club illustrates the tradition and pedigree that made the Costa del Sol mainland Europe’s go-to golfing destination. Set amid the 70-plus courses in the Area, Atalaya has something for everyone, with the traditional Old Course dating back to 1968, while the New Course was added in 1990.

Atalaya’s Old Course is held in the highest regard among local golfers and international professionals, with wide fairways allowing generous views of the surrounding mountains and Mediterranean Sea. While the fairways are kind, the glass-like elevated greens on both 18s are a real challenge, with contours posing more than a few problems for even the most accomplished putters. The courses are also open for walks, where visitors can admire the various flora and fauna — including the year-round flowers and the famous swans. Atalaya also boasts a cutting-edge driving range and a PG Golf Academy to help get those youngsters into the game. –matt smith

Undercover Caddie

Looping for LIV Golf has been the best experience of my career

HO W IS IT WORKING at LIV Golf ? I get asked this every day now, usually by other caddies and typically by text. I respond the same way: It’s great. For the first time in my career, caddies are treated like people. Does that sound melodramatic? Not if you’re a caddie on the PGA Tour.

You might recall that caddies had to sue the PGA Tour a few years back. Officially, it was about not being compensated for serving as walking billboards for tournament sponsors, but really it was about being treated with respect.

That lawsuit, which we lost, did lead to a few improvements, including health care. But tour officials still looked at us as disposable, that we should be lucky a player has taken us along for the ride.

LIV Golf clearly understands that plight and history because everyone I’ve met since we’ve joined has gone out of the way to do the opposite.

LIV Golf arranges and pays for our flights. People are waiting for us at the airport. If we have a non-LIV event after our LIV commitment, they arrange for our transportation there, too. Hotels are paid for. The dining area and caddie locker rooms are better than what is made available to players at some PGA Tour events.

Everywhere I go someone is asking: “How can we help you?” or “What can we do better?”

At Trump Bedminster I had three top LIV officials stop by on Wednesday at the range, asking personal questions about me and getting to know me better. One clearly did some research and was asking about my hometown and where to go to eat on a visit.

CEO Greg Norman has something personal to say to everyone, not just “Hey there,” or “Have a good day, boys.” To be seen means a hell of a lot. You know how many times a PGA Tour executive did that in all my years on tour? Twice, and both times it was

because someone needed a hook-up for football tickets.

Is part of this treatment because LIV has pockets that have no bottom? Of course. How LIV treats players goes a long way toward recruiting more guys, but they don’t need to pamper us. No player is coming to LIV because of what he has heard about caddie treatment, and given the payouts involved, any open bag would have dozens of candidates trying to pick it up. By the way, speaking of business, the PGA Tour somehow found more than $100 million for its Player Impact Programme, bonuses and bigger purses, yet they can’t find $1 million or so in travel per diems to be spread out among caddies? Spare me your “it’s not economical from a business standpoint” cries.

The other questions I get are about the financials and competition. My player and I have an agreement, and it’s not the standard 8 to 10 per cent of winnings in professional golf. I got nothing of his signing bonus to join LIV, either, but I’m still taking home life-changing money and will get a cut of all the team and season-ending bonuses. If things continue to go the way they’ve been going, I’m going to make more in this shortened LIV season than I have in the past three years combined on the PGA Tour.

The competition right now is not great. The atmosphere is dead. Even during final rounds there are crowds, but they don’t know what they’re watching. I’m not trying to justify it, but I will say two things: One, this year is a trial year. I think it will improve in 2023. Better players will be here, and they will have a better understanding of how the team aspect works. Two, unless you’re a top-20 player or a fan favourite, most PGA Tour events aren’t that rowdy, either, at least on Thursday and Fridays. Let’s not act like it’s that much different from what we’ve seen on tour. However, as much as we’ve

enjoyed it, even my player admitted to me during one event, “This is strange, isn’t it?” He’s a guy who doesn’t need an atmosphere to play well (and some guys need an atmosphere to play well, and I think you know who they are), but he does enjoy it. For his sake, I hope that atmosphere comes.

I’m aware of the media storm around LIV Golf. The media asks more questions about that than about the golf. I asked myself the same questions when my player signed up and asked me to join, and I came to this conclusion: I’m a globetrotter. If I didn’t work an event because of what country it was in or what club it was played at or who was sponsoring it, well, I wouldn’t have a schedule.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt a backlash — just not how I expected. My sister let me know she’s disappointed in me for joining LIV. Back home I belong to men’s clubs at two courses, one public and one private. I thought the public guys would be more understanding. Turns out the private guys get it. The more this battle has dragged on, though, the more the public-course guys see me as a sellout. I’ve been taken off a text thread with some of the fellas, and at a cookout two weeks back I felt like I was frozen out of some conversations. My player said there would be sacrifices.

I respect the opinions of those who want to stay away from LIV because of its complicated ties. That said, out of my dozen or so closest caddie friends on tour, half of them are doing everything they can to find a way to LIV. To a lot of us, it’s an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up.

—WITH JOEL BEALL

The perspectives of Undercover Caddie do not reflect the views of the ghostwriter.

‘I Was the Youngest One Out There’

College scouts weren’t coming after me. I thought turning pro at 15 was the best way to develop my game the fastest

By Tom Kim, with Keely Levins

My real name is j oo hyung. As a child, I loved Thomas the Tank Engine so much that I had people call me Thomas. It evolved into Tom. Even my older brother calls me Tom. My family moved to Australia after living in South Korea and briefly in China. My parents wanted us to learn English. (It’s one of three languages I speak now ) I played cricket, basketball, Australian rules foot ball, but nothing clicked until I tried golf at age six. It came naturally to me. Even though my dad was a mini tour pro turned teaching pro, golf was never forced on me. But golf was the one thing I never got sick of.

The cost of living in Australia was rising, so our family chose to move home to Asia. My parents decided that the Philippines was the best place for our family and my golf. I was 13 when we moved there. My parents home-schooled me so that I could play as much golf as possible. In the Philippines, golf isn’t a huge sport. I was lucky as one of the best clubs in the Philippines asked me to play for its team, which gave me full access to the club’s facili ties. I remember being so excited that I had a place I could practise. That’s when I got serious about developing my game and turning professional. I’m one of only two players to make it out of that system on to a world-ranking tour.

I was 15 when I turned pro. I’d won all of the big amateur tournaments in the Philippines. College scouts weren’t coming after me, and my goal was al ways to turn pro, so I decided to do it early. I thought it’d be the best way to develop my game the fastest. We moved to Thailand because I could play there professionally while I waited to turn 16, the minimum age to compete in Asian

Tour Q School. I didn’t make it through Q School but got status by winning three times on the developmental tour.

●

I was the youngest one out there. I was proud of that. I was also one of the smallest guys in every tournament. I was short off the tee. Of ten I was hitting two clubs more into the green than the guys I played with. Figuring out how to beat them helped me improve my ac curacy. I got so good with my long irons that they became more reliable than my short irons. Even now, I’m never shaky with a long iron in my hand.

● ● ●

One of my parents always travelled with me, usually my dad. He caddied for me. We were doing everything we could to save money. I had no financial security. You’re playing for like $50,000 purses. I had to play well just to ensure I could keep playing the next week. I heard guys talk about treating them selves to big dinners after good tourna ments. I never did that. I was worried about breaking even. I don’t have to think about that kind of thing anymore, but you never forget that. Even when

I book travel now, I remind myself I don’t have to book the cheapest flight. I can stay in a hotel that’s closer to the course, even if it’s more expensive.

●

After half a season on the Asian Tour, COVID hit. The Asian Tour didn’t play for almost two years. I went back to Ko rea and competed on the Korean Tour in 2020 and 2021. It was nice to stay in one place. Being comfortable, knowing where home is, where I can practise, eat and sleep, that makes me feel refreshed and mentally clear on the course.

●

While in Korea, I had one goal: pre pare for Korn Ferry Q School. But somehow, when I got there, I didn’t make it through. At the start of the 2022 season, I had status only on the Asian Tour. But in the next eight months, my whole life changed.

●

I got a spot in the Scottish Open and finished third. Then I made the cut at the Open. I accepted special temporary status on the PGA Tour. A few weeks later, I finished seventh in Detroit. The next week I won Wynd ham. After the post-round obligations, I got back to my hotel, lay down in bed and tried to soak in what it feels like to be a winner on the PGA Tour, to realise a lifelong dream. I didn’t close my eyes until 1 in the morning — the adrena line kept me up. I’d earned full PGA Tour status for next year and a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs as well as on the Presidents Cup team.

●

My parents couldn’t believe I won at first. But they keep me grounded. They said: “Enjoy it a little bit but not to the point where you forget about the past.” They know what I’ve done is great, and what I’m going to do next will be even better.

●

Of all the advice my dad has given me, my favourite is: Give it my best now so that when I retire, I won’t feel guilty; I won’t feel like there’s anything else I could have done. My mom stands by that mentality, too. That’s how I’ve been living. If I keep go ing like this, I know I won’t have any re grets. I’ll know I’ll have done everything I possibly could have done.

TOM KIM PGA TOUR, ASIAN TOUR AGE 20 FROM SOUTH KOREA

Celebrate Oktoberfest at The Els Club Dubai

Win a Pro-Am spot in January’s Dubai Desert Classic at Golf Digest Middle East's Oktoberfest Tournament!

HAT IS THE ONE THING better than a round of golf with friends at one of the world’s top golfing destinations? A round of golf with friends in a full-field tournament, with refreshing drinks, competitions and prizes, of course!

As we head into the cooler months, Golf Digest Middle East is on hand with a tournament on one of Dubai’s premier golf courses.

Following the success of last year’s Oktoberfest event at The Els Club Dubai, we are back for Round 2 — bigger and better.

Join us on October 21 for a unique golfing experience as we celebrate Oktoberfest once more, and we will be on hand with a tasty brew or four to help liven the party mood and keep you going.

Bi Brat

Proudly sponsored by African + Eastern, Adidas, Baker’s Kitchen, Birkenstock, MyGolf Dubai, Luxury Supercar Rentals, USEO and The Els Club, this is one golf gathering not to be missed.

For an incredible price of AED 570 + VAT, you will get driving range access from 11am ahead your place in the 18-hole individual stableford event. A pair of German brews plus two refill vouchers will greet each entrant in their golf cart along with an Oktoberfest lunch box.

Once out on course, competitions such as longest drive and nearest the pin will be on offer to make things even more interesting as you compete for the top prize — a spot in the Dubai Desert Classic pro-am for the best gross score.

Following the action, there will be the prize presentation, a MyGolf simulator experience, along with Bavarian shots to keep the party going.

The winners of each division (Div. A 0-14 HCP, Div. B 15-24 HCP and Best Gross) will claim the coveted prizes and accolades, plus additional prizes on offer from our sponsors.

To be eligible for any of the prizes, an official EGF handicap/ recognised handicap is required, and players under 21 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

So, dust off those clubs now the weather has cooled, call up the gang and sign up for Oktoberfest at The Els Club in Dubai. We’ll sort the brews and brats, you take care of the birdies and banter.

Visit golfdigestme.com/oktoberfest to enter

What: Golf Digest Middle East Oktoberfest Tournament

Where: The Els Club, Dubai

When: Friday, October 21, 2022

Price: AED 570 + VAT per person, AED 2,280 + VAT per fourball

Individual stableford tournament, 1pm shotgun start

Categories

▷ Div. A 0-14 Handicaps

▷ Div. B 15-24 max

▷ Best Gross

What’s in store

Check-in from 11am

Driving range access

Green fee and competition entry

2 x bottles of hops in golf cart

2 x refill tokens for dra hops

Traditional Bavarian shots

Traditional Oktoberfest lunch box

MyGolf Dubai simulator experience

On-course prizes

Competition prizes

Desert Classic Pro-Am Spot (bring your A-game!)

‘I Hit the Lottery’

By Alex Myers

Having worked at Golf Digest for more than 13 years, I’ve been fortunate to interview plenty of big names. It’s an incredible perk that never gets old, but none of those chats has left me feeling as in awe as I was after talking to Alex Fourie. Alex isn’t a PGA Tour star or a celebrity golfer, but he’s one heck of a player, and he deserves to be famous for

what he’s doing on and off the course. His infectious attitude, however especially considering all he has been through might be most amazing.

“I hit the lottery,” Fourie says. “That’s what I tell people.”

Most would argue otherwise. Fourie was born near Chernobyl in 1992, just six years after the biggest nuclear disas ter in history. The radiation seeped into

Alex Fourie’s unlikely journey from a Ukraine orphanage to the US Adaptive Open

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the rivers near Fourie’s hometown of Zvenyhorodka in present-day Ukraine. That poison eventually passed down from Fourie’s birth mom, causing him to be born without a right arm — and with a cleft lip and palate that would eventually require 22 surgeries.

Fourie’s biological parents gave up custody of Fourie at the hospital, and he lived in orphanages for nearly seven years. That’s when he finally got some of that good luck he always talks about. A Ukrainian law prohibited kids from being adopted after the age of seven, but Fourie was taken in by a pair of South African missionaries living in the Unit ed States just a month before that piv otal birthday. A few weeks later and who knows where Fourie, 29, would be now.

Fourie says he weighed just 34 pounds when he moved more than 5,000 miles to Bessemer, Alabama, with his new family. He recalls scarfing down three quarter-pounders at Mc Donald’s for his first American meal af ter years of mainly subsisting on soup. Growing up, Fourie played a bunch of sports, excelling at football and as the kicker for Shades Mountain Christian High School’s American football team, but he found early success at golf — his adoptive father, Anton, placed a club in his hand soon after Fourie’s introduc tion to fast food — in a more unofficial way at Hoover Country Club when old er members started including him in money games.

“I wasn’t gambling, but other people were making sure I was on their team, and they were profiting off my abilities,” Fourie says with a laugh. “I got in trou ble because when I started getting new clubs, my dad said, ‘What’s going on?’ He wasn’t happy when he found out.”

Golf remained an important part of his life. He played in the No. 2 spot at Shades Mountain as a senior and even tually became a club pro in the Knox ville, Tennessee area where he lives. Fourie has an impressive 0.6 Handicap Index and began entering tournaments in 2020. His low competitive round is 70 (two-under) during a runner-up fin ish at the 2021 Georgia State Golf As sociation Adaptive Open. His greatest highlight so far, however, was getting to compete in the USGA’s inaugural US Adaptive Open at Pinehurst in July.

Fourie, the country’s top-ranked onearmed golfer, according to the US Adap tive Golf Alliance, didn’t play his best with scores of 95-83-86 in the three-day event — a broken finger and torn liga ments in his left knee that he has since had surgery on hampered him — but he was still beaming about the experience when we spoke a few weeks after.

“It’s our major,” Fourie says proudly, “and I’m thankful the USGA is shining the spotlight on us to show we can re ally play. It was a celebration.”

Fourie finished 51st out of 78 in the

show up to clinics at the tournaments, to have the parents there to help them understand what the kids are going to go through. That’s our mission.”

The beneficiaries of that mission, however, have shifted with the war in Ukraine. To date, Fourie has raised more than $42,000 through Single Hand Golf T-shirt sales that has gone to help move more than 300 fellow orphans from his native country through a partnership with Hope Now Ministries, the same organisation that helped find him a home more than two decades ago. With the ongoing fighting there are new challenges. Fourie says he saw a horrifying video of his home town orphanage destroyed, and some funds might go toward the purchase of a bulletproof vehicle after someone driving a group of kids to safety was shot in the leg.

men’s competition won by Simon Lee, an autistic South Korean who shot three-under in regulation before beat ing Sweden’s Felix Norman, another intellectually impaired player, in a play off. Kim Moore, the women’s golf coach at Western Michigan University, born without a right foot and with a clubbed left foot, won the women’s title. But Fou rie says there was something more im portant happening at Pinehurst No. 6.

“The disabled golf community is a family, and we cheer each other on, so if you’re doing really well, heck yeah, keep going,” says Fourie, who also cred its the US Disabled Golf Association and the North American One-Armed Golfer Association. “We try to grow the game in that way.”

In a year in which “Grow the Game” has become more of a rallying cry of tour pros, it was nice to hear it used properly. Alex is matching his words with action. He has started a charity called Single Hand Golf to help adaptive kids get into the sport. “My whole goal is to grow dis abled golf,” Fourie says. “We get little snippets here and there, and it’s really cool, but I don’t believe you can inspire through a story on Instagram that lasts 24 hours. I believe the best way to in spire is what we’re doing now — to have these tournaments and to have kids

“Seeing what’s going on there really hurts,” says Fourie, who is planning to go to Romania in November to meet some of the youngsters his charity efforts have helped, “especially know ing there are going to be more orphans because of the senseless lives that have been taken.”

Fourie has also worked as a youth pastor and is currently a roof salesman. His passion, however, is helping other disabled kids through golf. He plans to work with more area courses to do clin ics and hopes his foundation will even tually become his full-time job. “I want them to know and believe that anything they put their mind to, they can do it. I want to give them hope, give them a clear picture of what’s in front of them,” says Fourie, who has a one-year-old daughter, Lila. “Don’t use your disabil ity as a disability. Use your disability as an ability to promote and to fight.”

Fourie’s fight is reflected by the “One arm, zero handicap” motto on his web site, but it goes beyond that. Thanks in part to his efforts, there will be others someday saying they, too, hit the lot tery—whether they ever hit a golf ball.

Alex Myers’ new favorite major championship is the US Adaptive Open.

Fourie was born near Chernobyl in 1992, just six years after the biggest nuclear disaster in history.

On the right track

Luxury Carts Group, a part of Green Valley Holdings, gets you on the move around the golf course and beyond

By Matt Smith

Have you ever wondered how your local club manages to acquire, maintain and upgrade those little four-wheeled booths of luxury that are on hand to whisk you around the course, keep you in the shade and act as a virtual caddie? Those buggies that wait loyally by your side as you chop up your favorite 18 holes, offering yardages and cool drinks all while carrying your clubs?

Well, it is not as logistically complicated or as costly for your club as you may think, thanks to Green Valley Holdings’ Luxury Carts Group. Chances are they are involved in getting you on the move during your game in one way or another.

Established in 2008 by owner and president Abubakr Balubaid in Jeddah with the aim to provide a solution for those in need of small-wheel electric vehicles, this company rapidly grew to become a regional leader in end-to-end supply and maintenance of not only golf carts, but turf machinery, commercial and industrial utility vehicles, power sports vehicles, batteries, parts and accessories. From cart delivery to repairs and turf care, LCG are involved behind the scenes in every area of golf course vehicle needs.

“The business started out in Saudi Arabia as a cart company and has progressed into what it is today. The most

drastic changes came in 2020 when we signed up with many premium brands, Club Car and Trojan are two that particularly stand out,” explains Nathan Williamson, Green Valley Holdings CEO.

“The strategic partnerships opened additional revenue streams for us to focus on across the region particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We witnessed immediate success as we could now deliver the world’s most powerful brands which included the smartest and most eco-friendly vehicles, from there our expansion has been a memorable one.

“The demand for business has allowed us to expand on many levels. Increasing the number locations we have and drastically adding to our staff levels by adding an additional 100 staff only to our Luxury Carts business.”

One of the keys to this is aligning with the ‘eco-friendly’ policy that LCG and Green Valley Holdings embrace, and it sure opened the doors while aligning with the Saudi 2030 Vision.

“Luxury Carts has successfully won vast market share in the region,” says Williamson, “and with that success, we have been able to expand into other areas of sustainable supply solutions, notably in our Oasis Battery Solutions where we provide all types of batteries to the marine, telecommunications, mobility and access markets — simply put, diversification in a sustainable way is a big part of our future.

“Our Infinicut lithium battery mowers are world leaders and are used across the world, not only golf courses but also at major venues including Wembley, Anfield, Old Trafford and will be used at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.”

This is also having a knock-on effect on the perception of Saudi Arabia across the globe.

“We are the leading dealership in UAE and Saudi for electric carts,” Williamson continues. “With over 95 per cent of the golf car market electric, this is great for the environment as we move away from gasoline or diesel-hungry vehicles — not only carts but also turf machinery and mowers.

“This makes sense not only in helping the environment but also helping alter false perceptions of Saudi Arabia, where many outsiders think they rely solely on oil. When in fact a substantial

percentage of the Saudi GDP is in the industrial and manufacturing trades, not oil.”

Luxury Carts Group helps in other ways to move people and equipment around the course, especially at some of the biggest golf tournaments in the region.

“We support the European Tour, Aramco Team Series and LIV Golf events by providing transportation for players and support staff for the events,” explains Williamson. “It’s fantastic to see the ladies’ game growing with the support from Golf Saudi and the Aramco Team Series has become a major part of the ladies’ golfing calendar. It’s a privilege to be a part of it.”

Just like their carts, things rarely stay still at LCG, and they have come up with yet another novel concept to help with logistics and sustainability.

“Green Valley has the market share of carts at golf courses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and we have recently tapped into a new, sustainable and economically logical market — cart rental.

“With the population and popular events occurring in Saudi Arabia, we hold the largest rental fleet in the region with over 500 vehicles and can provide rentals for not only events but for the famous ‘seasons’ that have been occurring across Saudi Arabia starting with Riyadh season in a couple of months all the way through to Jeddah season next April/May.

“We are also looking to expand into the powersports market and recently have been awarded distribution rights for Segway Off-road, who manufacture SSV, ATV & UTV for multipurpose uses.”

Green Valley Holdings now has numerous businesses under its umbrella as well as Luxury Carts, including a landscape maintenance business (Oasis Hills) a garden centre chain (The Garden Concept) a chemical, fertiliser and irrigation trading company (Tasco), a transportation solution business in Mecca (Tanaqol), a sports facilitation and tours business (Oasis Sports) and a battery business (Oasis Battery Solutions).

So there’s plenty to ponder next time you get behind the wheel and set off on another 18 holes with your faithful electric companion.

GREEN VALLEY HOLDINGS OPERATIONS

Luxury Carts Group

Design and deliver endto-end mobility solutions, catering to golf, utility, transportation and powersports customers.

Oasis Hills

World-class landscaping and irrigation construction and maintenance.

Oasis Community Sports

Provide school facility management, academies from mass participation to elite level programmes as well as hosting professional sports teams.

Tasco

Provide and supply Saudi Arabia with irrigation solutions as well as eco-friendly chemicals and fertilizers for all landscape solutions including golf courses and sports pitches.

Tanaqol

Mecca-based operation to supply mobility and transport solutions to pilgrims performing Umrah and Hajj.

The Garden Concept

Located in the centre of urban Dubai, this is a lifestyle destination that provides various products and services where we aim to create inspirational spaces amid peace and tranquility.

Oasis Battery Solutions

Oasis Battery Solution is a one-stop solution for all motive/storage battery, component and accessory requirements across the GCC.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

VIYA GOLF’S CHRISTOPHER MAY TALKS ABOUT EXPANDING THEIR PORTFOLIO TO MANAGE THREE OF ABU DHABI’S ELITE CLUBS

BY MATT SMITH

EVER SINCE EMIRATES

GOLF CLUB opened its doors in 1988, the UAE began evolving into a worldleading golf destination, with every year somehow improving on the standards of the last.

In late 2021, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club became the latest addition to that ever-expanding portfolio of courses, once again affirming the country’s place at the pinnacle of the sport.

Now — once again — that drive, vision and passion for perfection has led to the latest development in the UAE’s golfing landscape, but this time it is a little more behind the scenes.

In late August, Viya Golf, part of Wasl Hospitality & Leisure, entered into a

management deal with Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties to manage its golf courses and clubhouses, leisure facilities, and all dining outlets at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club.

The agreement will see Viya Golf look after all aspects of the golf operations; maintaining areas of existing excellence and delivering operational improvements to enhance all golf, leisure and dining experiences for members and visitors. This includes adding Aldar’s clubs to the Viya app, giving its members rewards and access to golf, leisure and dining experiences.

Golf Digest Middle East spoke with Viya Golf Chief Executive Officer, Christopher May, about these recent develop-

ments and the vision for the future. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to be involved with Abu Dhabi and these three fantastic venues,” he said. “Yas Links is so special in the region and has to be on every golfer’s bucket list. Saadiyat is not far behind, and it has such unique features with its wildlife and sustainability. These are two special courses that bring people from all over the region and beyond to Abu Dhabi to play.

NEW HORIZONS

(From top) Yas Links, Saadiyat and Yas Acres have been added to Viya Golf’s ever-expanding management portfolio

“And now there is the new addition. Yas Acres is a fantastic nine-hole course, a real jewel and I would recommend it to anyone. Where else can you get 27 holes in a brilliant setting like that in one day, thanks to the floodlights?

“So, already we have three fantastic additions to our portfolio and we thank Aldaar for this opportunity. We have been in discussions for a number of years and finally we reached a deal.

“The operations teams are already doing a fantastic job at each of the three venues and, as we come in, initially we will look to upgrade some club facilities — similar to what we did when we took over Jumeirah Golf Estates — and these improvements usually take about six months to implement.

“We will review the current operations and bring in whatever improvements we feel are needed, be it in F&B ... whatever we can offer to improve the overall experience of golfers and non-golfers alike.

“The operations are the real superstars here and we want to get more people seeing what they can experience. While golf plays a massive part, there is so much more to help drive tourism in Abu Dhabi.

“It is an exciting time for the UAE capital and Yas Island — we have UFC, NBA, F1 all coming up ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links in January. Then there is the World Cup

in the region. These events all show how big sport is in the region, and the UAE in particular, and with tourism now getting back to normal, these events can show the world what we have to offer — and maybe get some racing or football fans to find some time for a round of golf, too.

“We get 25,000 golfers coming through Dubai too, so possibly now, through Viya we can get them and others to extend their stay and make it a two-city vacation.”

Viya is the region’s fastest-growing golf business, transforming and modernising the game across the Middle East through technology-led innovation. Alongside its sister business, Dubai Golf, Viya forms part of Wasl Hospitality & Leisure’s diverse, fast-growing golf and leisure portfolio. In addition to developing and operating its successful golf booking, lifestyle and membership app.

“Since we launched Viya two years ago as a member booking app, “May explained, “you could say it has evolved into something of a bigger entity with 18,000 active users, who use it for such things in Dubai as golf tee times, lessons, facilities such as the gym or spa, dining and salons across a wide network of golf clubs and Wasl properties.

“Now we can incorporate our Abu Dhabi portfolio to offer our users even more opportunities as we continue to grow.”

Viya also recently launched the new golf holidays booking website, Viya Holidays, to help grow inbound tourism to the UAE.

“We are looking to expand across the region to open up more opportunities and experiences and with the website now up and running it will help us with flights, bookings and growth throughout the region,” May said.

WE WANT TO GET MORE PEOPLE SEEING WHAT THEY CAN EXPERIENCE.

WHILE GOLF PLAYS A MASSIVE PART, THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO HELP DRIVE TOURISM IN ABU DHABI

“While Viya is still in its infancy, we already have 18,000 active users, like I said, and that number is growing all the time.

“Interestingly, the vast majority, 11,000 of those users are non-golf club members, showing the potential to bring in more people to enjoy what our facilities have to offer, and that will only grow with the addition of Abu Dhabi and the growing number of international travellers coming to the UAE, seeing Viya and downloading the app.”

Ever-improving...

We can only imagine what 2023 will bring.

EASTERN PROMISE

CAMERON SMITH LOOKS FORWARD TO RETURN TO ACTION IN ASIA FOR LIV GOLF SEASON FINALE IN BANGKOK AND JEDDAH

BY MATT SMITH

Following Cameron Smith’s sensational triumph at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chica go, you cannot deny that LIV Golf has truly arrived on the global golfing scene. And the 54-hole, no-cut, shotgun extravaganza is about to get a lot more ‘global’ as the world’s top stars head east for the fi nal two main-season events in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

First up to the stop at Stonehill outside Bangkok on October 7-9, before the inaugural series wraps up its individual season at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah from October 14-16.

It doesn’t quite finish there as the Team Champi onship concludes at Trump National Doral Miami at the end of the month, but the priority right now is the race to the top in Jeddah.

Smith’s stunning entrance to the fray has produced a T-4 in Boston and victory in Chicago from his two outings so far, already taking him to third spot in the league table on 56 points.

However he still has plenty of work to do to catch runaway leader and Boston champ Dustin Johnson, who heads Branden Grace by 39 points with a total of 118 after five events.

The team event is also going in DJ’s favour as his 4 Aces (Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Talor Gooch) head the standings on 136 points, from Stinger (Lou is Oosthuizen, Grace, Charl Schwartzel, Hennie du Plessis) on 72.

Thai for the lead

First up is Thailand. Big crowds are expected at Stonehill, set on 340-acres in the Pathum Thani province outside Bangkok, where fans will cheer on local favourites such as Phachara Khongwatmai and Sadom Kaewkanjana, who will be up against some of the biggest names in golf, including the likes of Smith, DJ, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

Then one short trip later, the cream of the golfing talent will line up one more time at Royal Greens in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom has stamped its place on the world golfing map thanks to massive infrastructure chang

es, the $5 million Saudi International tournament on the Asian Tour, the expanded International Series and significant investment in LIV Golf and the Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series — which holds its next event in New York on October 13 before host ing its own finale in Jeddah in November.

Johnson is no stranger to success in Saudi Arabia, having twice won the Saudi International in 2019 and 2021 (he also finished runner-up in 2020), and he will be looking to extend his love affair with the region as he chases glory on two fronts in the LIV Golf indi vidual and team standings.

However, one man who has other plans is newcom er Smith, who made his debut in the series’ fourth event in Boston, and he is relishing the opportunity to get back to playing in Asia once again.

Stonehill Club

Designed by Kyle Phillips, the man behind Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, this new course is set on 340-acres in the Pathum Thani province in Thailand, and is located in the suburbs of Bangkok, 27 miles from the city centre.

SCHEDULE

June 9-11

Centurion Golf Club (London)

Champion: Charl Schwartzel

July 1-3

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club (Portland) Champion: Branden Grace

July 29-31

Trump National Golf Club

Bedminster (New Jersey) Champion: Henrik Stenson

September 2-4

The International (Boston) Champion: Dustin Johnson

September 16-18

Rich Harvest Farms (Chicago) Champion: Cameron Smith

October 7-9

Stonehill (Bangkok)

October 14-16

Royal Greens Golf Club (Jeddah)

October 28-30

Team Championship, Trump National Doral (Miami)

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

The 7,000-yard course offers sweeping views of the Red Sea and is characterised by beautifully manicured fairways and greens, surrounded by a flurry of natural flora and wadis.

My time when I was a young professional over in Asia are some of the best times of my life

Smith is no stranger to Royal Greens himself as he finished T4 at the Saudi International in February, four strokes behind champion and now fellow ‘LIVer’ Harold Varner III.

Now, he is eager to get back in the swing and, hopefully, go even better on his return to the Saudi port city.

The Australian pocketed $4 million for his threestroke victory in Chicago and he is looking to taste more success in Bangkok and Jeddah as he aims to reel in his good friends Grace and Johnson.

“I think LIV Golf is fantastic, said the 29-year-old Smith. “That’s one of the reasons why I came over here is to play golf around the world.

“I think my time when I was a young professional over in Asia are some of the best times of my life. Travelling with good friends and playing really good tournaments was something I will never forget, and I’m really looking forward and really excited for what this series is going to bring to the golf world.”

Smith has been impressed with the new-look feel to the LIV Golf events, which create a party atmosphere on and off the course for players and fans.

“It’s really cool,” Smith added. “It’s something that I’ve gotten used to over the last couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to keep this going. It’s unreal out there. I love the energy. Everyone is really engaged and everyone is really watching what you are doing. It’s awesome.

“I think the music out on the golf course and on the range is something that I really enjoy. I think everyone out there really enjoys it, as well. I feel like the fans are closer to you and they are probably a little bit louder on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but I love it. The atmosphere is perfect.”

With Smith joining fellow champions Charl Schwartzel (London), Grace (Portland), Henrik Stenson (Bedminster) and Johnson (Boston) in the winners’ circle, the party is sure to continue in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

CAMERON SMITH

All-Inclusive

Club Med's resorts offer golfers of all levels a seamless experience to play on the most gorgeous greens around the world. And as an all-inclusive, you can always expect the following included:

World-class golf courses On-site practice facilities

Free lessons PGA professional coaches

TEE OFF AT THESE RESORTS AND MORE WORLDWIDE

ATALAYA, SPAIN

To book call dnata Travel on 04 389 8407, WhatsApp 800 DNATA (36282) or visit us in-store.

Scan the QR & be inspired by the top reasons to book a Club Med holiday

OPIO EN PROVENCE, FRANCE

DA BALAIA, PORTUGAL

PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

amous for its luxury yachts, endless sandy beaches and yearround sunshine, Marbella has plenty to offer the thousands of visi tors who flock to its shores. It is also regarded as the golfing capital of Spain. With around 70 — at the last time of counting — championship courses in the surrounding area of roughly 100 sq km, it pulls in tour ists from home and abroad eager for sunnier climes to enjoy a round or two on the Mediterranean coast.

With such an array of options on of fer, one headache many visitors have faced is choosing which of the many clubs to call home during their stay.

Now there is a solution to that problem as Club Med Magna Marbel la has opened its doors at the foot of the Sierra Blanca mountains — and is the perfect spot for you and your clubs to set up base camp and enjoy everything the area has to offer.

The area is nicknamed the ‘Gar den of Europe’ for good reason, and is the perfect spot to hone your golf ing skills while getting a nice tan at the same time, and now you can do it in the Club Med style — namely stress-free luxury.

The all-inclusive resort chain is famed for its customer care — with gourmet restaurants, entertainment for all ages and plenty of activities to work off those extra calories.

Top of that list at Magna Marbella has to be the golf, and the resort has its own driving range, putting and chipping area, and even mini-golf for the young and young at heart. Dedicated professionals are on hand year-round to offer group classes and one-to-one lessons, and the onsite ‘clubhouse’ and locker room will cater to your every need, including pick-up and drop-off transfers to any of the many golf courses in the area.

While there are simply too many to cover right here, Golf Digest Mid dle East visited the Spanish Costa del Sol to get a taste of the golfing scene in Marbella and sample what Club Med brings to the table.

Here is a quick look at some of the best courses in the area.

Par 72 • 5,551 metres • €95 to €115

One of the original and best courses in Andalusia, Marbella GCC was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr (Augusta, Pebble Beach, Valderrama) in the 1980s and has ce mented its place as a firm favourite for both locals and tourists, gaining a repu tation as a bucket-list course for golfers from around the world.

Carved into the natural surround ings of the Sierra Blanca foothills, wide fairways are lined by olive groves and the odd palm tree, with rolling terrain allowing amazing views of both the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains.

While the fairways can be generous, most holes are guarded by wide bun kers, meaning approach play needs to be accurate, and water comes into play on eight of the holes, including the iconic par-3 third hole, where the lake needs to carried to reach the green.

Speaking of which, the raised and un dulating greens on most holes are also notoriously fast, so even when you reach the dancefloor, the job is far from over.

The front and back nines have very different characters, too. The opening holes play much shorter and slightly narrower before, after the turn, the course really opens up and will suit the bigger hitters.

After a round, golfers can relax and recover at El Olivio restaurant or Bug gy Bar, and enjoy the panoramic views from the expansive terrace. Rates are very competitive, but be sure to check ahead before you go as the club occa sionally closes during quiet periods throughout the year.

MARBELLA GOLF COUNTRY CLUB

LA CALA

Midway between Club Med and Malaga Costa del Sol Airport lies the luxurious La Cala. A trip here is a step into golfing grandeur, with three championship courses in one location.

Situated near the picturesque moun tain town of Mijas, in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas, La Cala is feast of all things golfing in style.

From the moment you step into the

lavish villa-style clubhouse, you know you are in for a treat, regardless of which course you are teeing up on — Campo America, Campo Asia or Campo Europa. Designed by architect Cabell B Robinson (Sotogrande, Aphrodite Hills) and opened in 1996, all 54 holes have been uniquely crafted into the moun tainous surroundings, and each pres ent their own challenges to golfers of all abilities.

Campo America

Par 72 • 6,009 metres • €222 to €390

Formerly the North Course, Campo America boasts spectacular views of the Sierra de Ojén and across the Med iterranean Sea to Morocco in the dis tance. Regarded as the easiest course out of La Cala’s trio, Campo America has wide, forgiving fairways and only a sparing use of bunkers, but your legs will get a workout on the hilly terrain to the raised greens. The signature par-3 16th is a little 105-metre delight, downhill and over the lake to a post age-stamp green.

Buggies are a must, even if just for the trek from the clubhouse to the first tee.

Campo Asia

Par 72 • 5,925 metres • €189 to €339

The old South Course is much more of a challenge and will live long in the memory, with approach shots the key to a happy round. Fairways are narrow and short and need to be respected as the brush will happily hoover up any errant drives.

Stand-out holes include the par-4 5th, where accuracy is a must off the tee, the fiendish par-5 10th, and the grand finale on the 18th — a dogleg par4 that takes no prisoners.

Campo Europa

Par 71 • 6,014 metres • €189 to €339

Campo Europa comes somewhere in the middle of her sister courses in terms of difficulty. Once again, dra matic scenery awaits on these 18 holes, laid out on much flatter terrain and with wide fairways and large greens.

A word of caution for anyone who tries to take on Europa in a nonchalant manner — take extra balls as the River Ojén, which snakes its way through eight of the holes, is verged by thick shrubbery and retrieving any wayward shots will be a challenge.

Standout features of this course have to be the five bridges over the river and two cart tunnels, adding to the experi ence. The 14th is a treat for long iron hitters as it plays at the upmost limit for a par 3 at 233 metres.

El Paraiso Golf Club

Designed by the legendary Gary Player in 1973, El Paraiso is a challenging and enjoyable round for visiting golfers of all levels.

Par 71 • 5,912 metres • €70 to €110

Magna Golf Club

A delightful short nine-hole course situated in the heart of Marbella’s ‘Golf Valley’, with two loops of nine making up a memorable round of mostly par3 holes. Facilities include a full Toptracer driving range.

Par 58 • 2,898 metres • €20 to €25

Santa Clara Golf Marbella Designed by Enrique Canales Busquets, Santa Clara combines technical approach shots with wide fairways on a flat course to suit all abilities.

Par 71 • 5,922 metres • €90 to €105

Villa Padierna Golf Club

The sumptuous Palace Resort boasts three world-class golf courses, the championship Alferini, Flamingos and Tramores, each offering their own unique challenges and stunning views of the Costa del Sol.

Alferini

Par 73 • 6,297 metres • €135 to €175

Flamingos

Par 71 • 5,456 metres • €120 to €160

Tramores

Par 63 • 3,268 metres • €55 to €66

While a perfect spot to map out your golf course wish-list while staying in Andalusia, Club Med Magna Marbella is more than just a pit-stop between rounds.

A whole lot more.

And while you are spoilt for choice with the 70 or so courses dotted around the surrounding Andalusian hills, even the most avid golfer needs a break sometimes.

If you want to relax and give the clubs a rest, Club Med has you covered.

Known worldwide for its high-class standards and all-inclusive experiences, Club Med has around 80 resorts across Europe, Africa, Asia, America and the Ca ribbean and the customer’s needs are the No. 1 priority.

FACTS

Malaga Airport is 45 minutes away

Marbella gets 320 days of sunshine on average per year

Club Med Magna has five separate bathing areas, each with their own unique theme, from exercise to kids activities and silent relaxation.

Club Med Magna Marbella has 485 rooms, from De luxe and Suites to connecting rooms for families

The latest addition in Marbella is no different and the area has something for everyone — from historic towns, golden beaches and famous cuisine only a short trip down the Sierra Blanca hill towards the sea, with Club Med able to arrange excursions daily.

However, for those who prefer to stay close to home, Club Med has more activities and experiences than you could hope to squeeze into your stay.

Me-time

Set over a colossal 14 hectares of lush gardens, Club Med has five swimming areas, countless sporting activity areas — from archery to tennis — and even hiking trips into the mountains each morning. The sustainable greenery cre ates shaded areas to escape the midday heat, while service is always on hand to meet your every need for couples, groups and families alike.

The Andalusian style rooms — all 485 of them — reflect the vibrant colour of the region, with an Arabic touch from across the Med, where you can see the Moroccan coast on a clear day. Spectac ular views overlook the sea, mountains and Marbella town, with superior, de luxe, suites, and interconnected family rooms available.

In safe hands

The Family FunZone is dedicated en tirely to the family experience, with a playground, a water park with slides and games, mini-golf and a zipline. With a varied programme of activities for all ages, children and teens can experience Andalusian music, flamenco and paint ing, as well as a multitude of sports.

A baby corner is also available to take care of all the needs of the youngest of guests.

Dining

A visit to Club Med is not complete with out highlighting the culinary delights: SUEÑOS

With views of the Mediterranean Sea from the terrace, the main restaurant offers international cuisine and local specialties in a buffet style with a twist, as gourmet dishes are prepared to order in front of the guests to prevent waste.

TIERRA GOURMET LOUNGE

The relaxed a-la-carte lounge offers live music, a huge cellar and a local boutique; a perfect spot for a relaxing breakfast, mid-afternoon snack or late supper.

Club Med also hosts weekly garden parties on the huge lawn, where tables are lit by lanterns as barbecue grills, tapas and seafood are on hand to satis fy your culinary needs. Live entertain ment keeps the party atmosphere going long after sunset.

Chill

The Zen Oasis, only open to adults, is somewhere to relax. For those in need of extra pampering, the Club Med Spa by Cinq Mondes is the ideal spot, with a Turkish bath and 14 treatment cabins.

Going green Rainwater is used to irrigate the gardens and the solar panels provide almost all the energy needed to generate hot wa ter. The ‘Bye Bye Plastic’ programme ensures clients will not encounter any single-use plastics during their stay.

Sports Marbella is the cradle of padel tennis in Europe, and group lessons are offered for all levels from age six and up. There are also 12 tennis courts, a beach volley ball court, mini soccer, an archery range, table tennis, basketball and mini-golf to keep you trim away from the golf course. Other exercises include yoga, stretching, Pilates and aerial fitness.

SPEAKING WITH

Aurélien Dumont

“We believe that we have a history at Club Med with golf in that we have around 20 resorts that have a dedi cated golf experience — be it on-site course or, like here, driving range and ‘a la carte’ experiences where we can take guests to sample the best the area has to offer.

“We have a history and a lot of pros come to Club Med to experi ence the luxury while still being able to sample the best courses in the area, even if they are not specifically on our site.

“We will certainly bring more existing golfers to the region, but I am also sure that we will introduce a whole new generation and market of first-time golfers, thanks to our beginners’ and kids’ programmes. When we come to an area like this, where there is already an established golf com munity and golf society, we want to offer an in frastructure on-site that is inclusive to all.

arranging a pick-up to your favoured course. We also have the great of fers for the experienced golfer to go sample the great courses in Mar bella, but the beginner, too, can pick up a club and get a feel for the game without having to leave Club Med or pay for excursions.

“More than a basic golf hotel, we have so much more: From the Well ness Clinic for any niggling pains to the Baby Club, where you can check-in the little one at, say, 8am, before you go enjoy your round, knowing they are in safe hands.

Golf at Club Med Magna Marbella includes:

Driving range within the Resort Group lessons included from age eight years and up Private lessons Golf conciergerie with lockers for equipment

“Other than the best green-fee offers we have to play at the best cours es in the for our clients, we also make sure we have some thing ‘in-house’ so they can pick up a club and get in the swing. That is why we have our range, pro lessons, chipping and putting areas.

“That is the philosophy at Club Med: Peace of mind and stress-free enjoyment. Also, we have the spa to relax af ter a round, practise at any time and other exer cises from tennis, padel all the way to trapeze. So you get all the benefits from a golf hotel, plus all the Club Med benefits at your disposal as and when suits. That is what makes the difference.

Transfers to more than 30 golf courses in the area

“For beginners and intermediates, for practising early in the morning … you are only a few footsteps up the hill to our range and you can swing away, without booking a tee time or

“We can also offer you a vast array of courses, unlike at a specific golf course, where you can be stuck with the same 18 holes throughout your stay. Also, some times not everyone wants to play all the time. We have freedom of choice, and each guest can do whatever they please on any given day without any pressure for tee times or coercing into activities they may not wish to do. It is a core value to allow guests to do whatever they want to do.

Club Med Magna Marbella Sports and Wellness Manager

to a in

EIGHT STORIES FROM PEOPLE WHO FOUND A WAY TO LIVE THEIR DREAM

by EMMA FRANCOIS

illustrations by CHLOE ZOLA

“A shaper is a heavy-equipment operator with a passion for and an understanding of golf and golf-course architecture and its history,” Moser says. “A shaper doesn’t just work off architectural plans but develops ideas and tries to integrate the golf course into nature. It shouldn’t be the other way around. Nature shouldn’t be too adapted for the course. We’re minimalists. We’re trying to not change the world.”

Moser, who lives mostly nomadically, loves her work — starting with an idea and playing with it, trusting her instincts, sculpt ing the dirt and feeling the ground until it’s ready to be enshrouded in greenery.

“It’s a process,” she says. “You work on it and jump out of your machine to look at it. You walk from different directions and check the look and playability from different angles. You really chew on it until you can’t find anything that you don’t like. Besides, you play a bit of dirt golf in the process.”

As a teenager, Moser played in tourna ments and remembers a particularly gnarly par 3 over water. “This kicker slope fed into this really tough pin position,” Moser says. “I thought: This is the coolest thing ever. Everyone else was like: ‘What’s wrong with her? What a weirdo.’ ”

She learned that her passion had a name: golf-course architecture, though it wasn’t a popular field in her native Germany. After getting her degree in landscape architec ture and working at an Austrian design firm, Moser believed that there must be “some thing else out there”. She Googled “best golf courses” and, after some digging, sent an email to Tom Doak asking about internships. He answered, offering her a position with the Renaissance Club’s design in Scotland. “He made sure I understood the internship was on a construction site,” she says. “I was like: ‘I can’t wait.’”

It was her first time using a sand pro, excavator and dozer. “That was my start in the dirt,” Moser says, “getting a taste of what shaping and building a golf course means.”

To those searching for their big break,

Moser’s advice is to find people whose work you admire, whether through Instagram or Twitter, and message them. “Share your thoughts, your interests and explain what you’re looking to do,” she says. “I wrote one email, and it changed my life. You only have to have the courage to make that first step.”

TENDING TO THE GRASS

“The opportunities are abundant in our in dustry right now,” says Brian Green, director of golf-course maintenance at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at North Carolina State Uni versity. “There’s a shortage of maintenance employees all the way from general labour to supervisors.” This staffing issue can be at tributed to pandemic-related labour short ages that have been felt across all industries, as well as a reliance on foreign-born workers who are no longer available for employment because of changing immigration policies.

As a university course, Lonnie Poole relies on students who enjoy being around golf, but they often don’t know how to keep the course running. Like other courses, Lonnie Poole also hires a team of grounds techni cians who do everything from daily course set-up to running equipment. “It’s a great way to start,” Green says. From there you can specialise, often by learning on the job to become an irrigation or equipment techni cian, pesticide applicator or horticulturalist. Though greenkeepers don’t require any spe cific education, experience in sports or land scaping helps. Many grounds technicians who work their way up to become superintendents pursue higher-education degrees and certificates in golf-course management. Green wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school, so the Durham native took classes at a community college before learn ing about NCSU’s turfgrass-management program and finding his calling.

“As is the case with most occupations, there’s a little bit of science and a little bit of art involved,” says Jeffrey Austin, superintendent at the Yale Golf Course in

Life as a shaper has taken Angela Moser all overthe world. It’s an artist’s work: The bulldozer is the brush.

New Haven, Connecticut. “It’s a job that you can’t know everything.” Austin came to greenkeeping in his mid-20s, later than most, he says. Earlier he studied political science and ended up working for a sena tor. After one year he realised he hated being in the office and took a summer job working at a course to make ends meet. He thought: You can’t grow grass for a liv ing! Once he realised he could, he went to school for turfgrass management and has spent 18 years working on various courses, including four as an assistant-in-training superintendent at Augusta National.

Like so many superintendents, Austin agrees that the best part is working with Mother Nature. “You have to trudge through a lot of mud to get to the ultimate goal,” Aus tin says. “But I’m still doing it. I still have my work boots on.” As a bonus, “there’s lots of free golf”, Green says. “We try to look out for other people in the industry.”

MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP

In the pitch black of zero-visibility water hazards, diver Brett Parker follows a grid

LAND THAT I LOVE

The best part of being a super? “You get to work with Mother Nature,” says Yale’s Jeffrey Austin.

pattern, often for up to 12 hours at a time, feel ing for golf balls with his hands and avoiding logs, broken bottles, barbed wire and 60lb snapping turtles. It’s an art, he says, and one that requires experience. Even with out markers or sight, you must always know where you are and where you’ve been, or you’ll miss a ball, which means fewer dollars in your pocket. “When I get into it,” Parker says, “I can stay in all day. My philosophy is, if I don’t get them, someone else will.”

Growing up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Parker had never heard of letting golf balls sink. The second they hit the water, kids would snag them for a penny. It wasn’t until he moved to Florida in 1986 and saw players haphazardly hitting balls into the water one after another that he thought he had an op portunity. Only one complication stood in the way of his lucrative career plan: alligators.

“Coming from Africa, we dive with croco diles. Alligators are generally more docile.” Besides, he says, once he’s in the water: “I find the dark comforting. If I can’t see any

thing, then they can’t see me.”

Parker started diving at 16 while work ing at a cattle ranch in Rhodesia, salvaging valuable items like fallen boat outboard motors. “When you’re young, you’re kind of stupid, not seeing the value of life,” Parker says. “But recovering a $60,000 boat en gine could net you $1,500, the equivalent to five months’ salary in those days.” When he moved to Florida in his 20s, he attended diving school and earned his licence.

Parker, now 62, is one of only a few (five, he reckons) skilled professional golf-ball divers in the US. “There’s no young people coming in,” he says. “We are a dying breed.”

If you stick with the profession and hone your skills, you can find, as Parker does, 1.3 million balls annually, bringing in about $150,000. As far as equipment goes, the tools range from diving gear (licence, regu lator masks, fins, weight belts, suits for dif ferent temperatures, scuba tanks and catch bags for collecting golf balls) to a truck and trailer. Because Parker spends so much time under water immersed in hazards from poi sonous cottonmouth snakes to bacteria to

TREASURE HUNTER

Brett Parker retrieves roughly 1.3 million golf balls from water hazards each year.

herbicides, he always carries a snake-bite kit, Sudafed, Vitamin C, po tassium (for cramping), Pepto Bismol and hy dration drinks. He also makes sure to get fre quent tetanus shots. To dig through muddy waters where the balls are often trapped and hidden, he layers garden gloves over surgi cal ones to keep his hands warm and prevent minor cuts and infections.

His best find? A 130-year-old ball which he did not sell. He has also discovered a Mer cedes, empty safes and guns. (He often has to pause his work to call the police.) As he views it, he’s providing multiple services to the community, making the waters a bit safer (and litter-free) for all those snakes, turtles — and gators.

PLANNING THE JOY

Before starting his golf-tour operating company, Jason Kauflin played all the best courses in Wisconsin. “I was a stay-at-home

dad,” he says. “I was raising kids.” When his buddies asked him to plan a guys’ trip, he was all too eager. “I had all the time in the world to organise this.”

By 2008, his group had grown to 44 play ers. He was still in “small-group mode”, signing each person up for a rewards card with the rental-car dealer, for example. He laughs about those days now. This year, he’ll organise 90 groups through his company, Wisconsin Golf Trips, with $1.8 million in gross sales. He learned how to run his busi ness by taking online courses in subjects such as search-engine optimisation and website design, and, of course, by playing golf, befriending club pros and building re lationships across Wisconsin.

“Never having started a business before, you have to be willing to just say: ‘I don’t know where to go or where to find this,’” he admits. “I treated the business like it was Home Depot and said: ‘I don’t know how to do this.’”

Kauflin knew he would be running his business mostly online, so he focused on nailing the design of his site. For example, his homepage features a photo of himself smiling on the course, leaning against his clubs, illustrating, he says, the kind of per sonalised attention he likes to give his cli ents, which could be a group of high-rollers flying private or a single player with a mod est budget. He spends most of his time writing the pitch itinerary email he sends up-front. He pays close attention to the writing style, filling the emails with links and photos. Though he’s usually in commu nication with only one head planner, this email is the way he must win over the group.

“The golf courses sell themselves,” Kauflin says. “You’re buying me. You’re buying the fact that you’re going to trust me with your money and your time.”

Kauflin is an in-bound operator, which means he brings people to Wisconsin. “I have many friends who are solely out-bound operators, taking you to out-bound destina tions,” Kauflin says. “I don’t feel comfortable booking a group unless I know the area.”

Five years ago, he joined the Interna tional Association of Golf Tour Opera tors and has teamed with colleagues in other parts of the country to expand his business to places he frequents such as Nevada, Minnesota and Michigan. He even has industry contacts with whom he collaborates in Northern Ireland and St Andrews, Scotland, two places he knows well. Kauflin usually books trips a year in ad vance and is orchestrating a trip for, often, a

dozen friends with their own ideas of the per fect golf trip. “I get to know these guys really well,” he says. “I’ve made some great friends doing it that way. I text them all the time.”

ENJOYING THE SCENIC ROUTE

David Edel has always known what he want ed to do: work in golf and give back to the game he loves. Perhaps paradoxically, and by his own calculation, he had every job in the industry — from caddieing to instruction to greenkeeping — before finding his niche designing his eponymous line of custom putters, wedges and irons. “We have to be stewards of the sport,” Edel says. “I look at what I do as helping people enjoy and be ful filled playing golf.”

Edel got his first golf job in high school working as a “bag-room boy”, cleaning up and working around the shop of his com munity’s nine-hole course in Reedsport, Oregon. He doubled as a greenkeeper in the summers, something he later did in college to fund his education. While at the Univer sity of Oregon, he worked at Fiddler’s Green Golf Centre in Eugene, then the world’s larg est golf shop at a whopping 15,000 sq ft.

“I learned retailing, clubfitting and cus tomer service there,” Edel says. “The owners were amazing people. It was a family-run operation. I learned the art of talking to peo ple about golf clubs and learning everything that’s in the golf world.” After college, he worked a variety of teaching and assistantpro jobs across the country. In the 1990s, he spent a few years teaching golf in Central and South America: Colombia, Panama, Honduras and Argentina. He didn’t speak Spanish at first but eventually gained flu ency. “I knew teaching was my calling,” Edel says. “The process of learning how to teach without speaking the language made me a better teacher.”

In 1996, Edel got married and decided to return to find a more settled job in the States. “I was kind of tired,” he says. “I never saw a winter. I never saw a downtime because I was always chasing the sun.” He joined the fam ily hotel business but hated it from day one. He missed golf. He started tinkering around with making his own putters. “I always loved club manufacturing, repairing equipment all through this process.” In all of his jobs, as a teacher or assistant pro, he always jumped at the first opportunity to mend clubs. “I grew up in a family fishing resort,” he says. “You had to repair everything. So I kind of had that aptitude to fix stuff.”

By the end of the year, he founded his company, Edel Golf, now with 450 fitting ac counts worldwide and distribution across 12 countries. “If I knew how long it would take to get where I am, I still would’ve taken that journey. I didn’t think it would be this hard at times. But I’ve loved every minute of it,” Edel says. “I’ve seen the world because of golf.”

LIFE IN MINIATURE

David Backus, then 33 and itching to get out of his role in corporate finance, started plot ting his dream course on vacation in Myrtle Beach, where he and his friends spent much of their time playing miniature golf. He ap proached his accountant sister, Jessica Back us, then 29, with the idea to open a miniature golf course in Austin where he lived. The pair researched extensively, reading everything to be found on the internet about managing a mini-golf course. They took a business plan to their cousin’s husband, who had expertise from starting his business. “He said, ‘The best you’re going to do is 50 per cent of what you think you’re going to do.’” David and Jessica scaled down their expectations for the first year, resulting in a more reasonable business plan. Still, they got declined from all 10 banks they pitched, saying it was too risky and a “niche” investment.

After regrouping, David and Jessica re cruited the financial help of their parents. Together, their assets secured a line of cred it. The course alone was $300,000. Because they opted to buy the land they operate on, with the addition of lighting and leasing, the total investment was $1.4 million.

Plan secured, the brother-sister duo flew to Wildwood, New Jersey, to visit the man ufacturer they had chosen to build their course, a step that could have been saved by flipping through a catalogue, but David and Jessica wanted to try out their products. The day before their meeting, they even “broke into” every mini-golf course in Wildwood to inspect the boulders and waterfalls, which, though inactive, proved especially intrigu ing. “They make them look so lifelike, but they’re actually manufactured,” David says. “We got to see exactly how they worked when they were off. It was a lot of checking over our shoulders, but we were so excited about our project. It was worth the risk.”

Next, David recruited his golf buddies, who work in plumbing, construction and electrics, for help. “They helped me get deals, and I was able to trust them,” he says. “We knew it was expensive to build but inexpen

sive to run. So all of our costs were up-front. We’ve turned a profit ever since we opened.”

Today, five years after opening Duke’s Ad venture Golf, there’s still a lot, particularly regarding maintenance, that comes down to trial and error. David says the best part about the job is meeting the people who come to play. Seeing kids light up at their outdoorthemed course brings him joy.

“Take the risk when you’re young,” David says. “When something goes wrong, there’s always a way to fix it. The way might not be noticeable. It might be very difficult. But at the end of the day, whether it’s through fam ily or networking, there is someone who will think that your dream is a good idea.”

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Tricia Clark had never played golf before, yet she had helped companies raise hundreds of thousands of dollars through charity tournaments in her profession in human resources serving on golf committees, a gig she fell into as a lover of nature. It wasn’t un til she found herself on the 12th hole at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship watching Tiger Woods on his 2018 comeback tour that she decided she must give the game a shot.

“I was the only African-American female in the grandstands,” says Clark, who was working in human resources for Welbilt Inc at the time. “I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. He makes his birdie putt. He literally tips his hat to me. That was it. I was like: I’ve got to learn this game.”

Four years and one hole-in-one later, Clark is a “golf ambassador” with the mission of getting more women and people of colour involved in the game. She does this through her social-media platform — for example, she’s a member of one global golfing Face book group with more than 30,000 members.

“I post a picture with every single person I play golf with,” she says. “It’s a memory, it’s a connection. You always want to make a connection with someone you come into contact with through golf. You never know how that can benefit you in the future.”

Clark’s life has been changed by one such serendipitous golf connection. In 2021, someone she played golf with suggested her to Manny Upshaw, president of the golf league Golf LA. Upshaw was looking to start a golf podcast with Chris Sifford, the great-nephew of Charlie Sifford, the first Black golfer to play on the PGA Tour. The result was “The Golf Locker Room” podcast, about all things in the game’s minority com

munity. The podcast celebrated its one-year anniversary in July. Every Wednesday at 8pm, Clark, Upshaw and Sifford log in from their home studios in Florida, California and North Carolina, respectively, to record live. All it takes is a microphone, camera, lighting, research and “chemistry”. Clark is in charge of leveraging the relation ships she builds on the golf course to find and source guests while providing the female perspective.

This spring, she finally quit her day job working as an executive assistant for Price waterhouseCoopers (where she also served on the golf committee) to focus on her golf career full-time. In addition to the podcast, she also runs her own businesses booking travel and golf trips, and coordinating and fund raising for tournaments and clinics, plus more projects on the horizon. She also founded a non-profit, Queens and Kings on the Greens, to introduce new players to the game and to offset financial barriers for youth golfers as well as high school and col lege students looking to pursue their profes sional careers on the tour.

“I’m an introvert, but golf and the podcast

TALKING A GOOD GAME

Tricia Clark says golf and her podcast have turned her into an extrovert.

have made me an abso lute extrovert,” Clark says. “There’s no fear in speaking. There’s no fear in approaching anybody else. There’s no fear in introducing myself to a stranger, and I love it because it was prob ably always me — but it took this passion to bring it out.”

PUSHING GOLF’S BOUNDARIES

After presenting a sales pitch to 50 people in 2017, fashion designer Michael Huynh went to his office to catch his breath. He ended up suffering a seizure and was taken to hospital. Less than 72 hours later, it happened again. “I lost myself,” he says. “I alienated my health.” His doctors diagnosed him with hy pertension. He understood the truth in what they told him: “If you don’t stop, you’re going to have a stroke and die from this.”

His physical therapist suggested he take up golf, which Huynh credits as saving his health, his love for designing and, yes, his life. “I’ve learned a lot about myself through

the game of golf,” Huynh says. “You learn the pressure you can handle. You learn to cope with frustration. It teaches you how to breathe and how to slow things down.”

Inspired and on the mend, Huynh de cided to blend his passions of fashion and golf for his next entrepreneurial endeavor. He took his sartorial aesthetic — his love for edgy, experimental streetwear that tells a story — to the golf world. He founded Students Golf, a golf lifestyle and apparel brand, in 2021. His designs, which range from sweatshirts emblazoned with witti cisms like ‘Students Dept of Swing Correc tions’ to T-shirts depicting club-wielding skeletons rising in flames, speak to his pre vious fashion life as a contractor for skate and streetwear brands such as Vans, Burton, Superism, Publish and Sk8Shop. Since he got his start in 1998 studying fashion from his mother (who was a production manager for high-end brands such as Nine West and BCBG), he has worked for the likes of The Weeknd and Kanye West. In founding his brand, Huynh did everything, from financ ing to marketing.

Entrepreneurial clothing designers like Michael Huynh have found a receptive audience in golf.

“To obtain the purest form of brand identity, you’ve got to do it your self,” he says, “because down the line of growth, you’ll know how to advise

every aspect of the brand. Then you can start hiring people.”

In the apparel and e-commerce markets today, Huynh says the move is to build a brand you love with a cohesive identity that’s curated through the details, from the prod uct packaging to the website graphics. Then, plan to sell it within 10 years. “When you’re about to sell, you show the feeling that you have not hit the ceiling yet,” he says. “Show that you have so much more to do.”

With Students, that timeline is progressing quickly. He planned on pitching his newbie brand to 10 stores max, but after a few select phone calls, word spread. “Everyone said, ‘Michael’s back. Let’s support him.’” Seem ingly overnight, Students landed 125 ac counts — and growing.

As you’ve just read from these fascinating individuals, there’s no one way to get a job in golf — especially as the industry evolves and adapts to new technologies and pioneers push the sport on environmentalism and accessibil ity. Whether you’re newly graduated or looking to change careers, if you love golf and want to work in the business, these stories offer fram works for how to marry your skills and passion for the game. But like Moser says, blueprints offer only a guide; the fun part is hopping in the bulldozer and playing in the dirt.

A GOOD FIT

DEMI BAGBY HAS CONQUERED PRACTICALLY EVERY FITNESS PURSUIT. NOW SHE’S HOOKED ON GOLF BY KEELY LEVINS PHOTOGRAPHS BY GABE L’HEUREUX

Demi Bagby threw one of the greatest first pitches in history. She ran on to the field in 2021 at a San Diego Padres game, did a backflip, landed in a split and threw the ball from that split position. The video went viral. If you’ve heard of her, it’s probably because of that pitch. Or maybe you’re one of the 2.6-million Instagram followers on her fitness-centric account. The list of Bagby’s athletic endeavours is long: bodybuilding, football, CrossFit, parkour, surfing, skateboarding, cheerleading, boxing, martial arts. Now you can add golf to the list.

Bagby, 21, never thought she would be a golfer. Her propensity for adrenaline-fuelled sports made her think golf wouldn’t fit her lifestyle. But she does know how to slow down. She has had to do it before. When she was 13, a cheerleading trick went wrong. Bagby was thrown into the air and dropped, fracturing her spine. Doctors told Bagby she would not be able to do anything physical; her ability to move would be permanently limited by the injury.

“I was like: ‘We’re going to figure this out,’” she says. “I promised myself I’d never complain about anything again — ever. It made me who I am. People ask why I’m so happy all the time. I decided to move forward and never make an excuse or be a victim again or sit

here and cry and watch myself become the worst version of me.”

After a year of recovery, she was ready to get back into motion. She saw a CrossFit gym and was intrigued. In just over a year, she was ranked No. 23 in the world in her age group. She started documenting her fitness journey.

Demi is the youngest of five kids in a family that lives in San Diego where the weather and terrain are perfect for being outside all day, every day. Her older brother Devon says the family’s athleticism stems from their dad. He’s one of those natural athletes who can find his way in most sports.

“Before influencers were a thing, before people were getting paid on Instagram, she was posting these videos,” Devon says. “She had no followers. We gave her grief, like: ‘Why are you taking videos of yourself all day?’ But she knew what was coming. She took off.”

As her Instagram presence grew,

Demi Bagby realised she needed help navigating partnerships with companies. She hired Jeran Fraser as her manager. Bagby met Fraser when she rented space in an incubator office he owned. Though not a manager by trade, he has helped her with contracts and optimising her business. Now she has a huge Instagram following, she’s an investor in various start-ups and she has a fitness app. Fraser was the one who invited Bagby to play golf for the first time.

“I was always that person who thought: That looks so boring,” Bagby says. “But I had a blast. You can make it as challenging as you want.”

Like many of the new female golfers who picked up the game during the pandemic, Bagby is hooked. “I love the mental aspect. It carries over to other sports, without being as physically taxing,” Bagby says.

That first round she played was a scramble at Monarch Bay Golf Club near San Francisco. Bagby even had a few moments of brilliance. Fraser remembers one hole where she ripped a drive easily over 200 yards and knocked her approach to five feet. “It was one of those things where I was like: ‘How did you just pull that off ?’” Fraser says.

“I’d never touched a club before, but I was down,” Bagby says. She had no gear, so she went to a sportinggoods store before the event. “I went and played the 18-hole scramble with a driver that was for an eight-year-old. It was the closest thing I could find that fit me height-wise at the store. I used it all day.”

Bagby is just under 5ft tall, so using Fraser’s clubs was out of the question. She had to choke down so far that the butt end of the club hit her stomach. Consequently, she hit every shot with her driver. Now that Bagby has got more into the game, she has been fitted for a set of Cobra irons and woods. She also needed some golf clothes. “The golf outfits are fun,” she says. “There’s a lot less out there for the females, but they’re starting to pop off a bit more.

WE NEED A POWERSQUAD OF CHICAS WHO PLAY. EVERY TIME I MEET A NEW GIRL, I’M LIKE, ‘DO YOU GOLF?’

I’m used to more form-fitting clothes, and the golf clothes are looser. I’m used to technical apparel, where even the Tshirts are tight. Golf clothes are more flowy.”

Though Bagby thinks the golf outfits are cute, they have a drawback that she discovered when she started to practise more. “If you’re filming video, you can see your body mechanics a lot better when you’re wearing something tighter,” Bagby says. “That’s why I like going to the range in leggings and a sports bra. I can see what part of my body is moving and what’s engaged. So much of the golf swing is about the hips, and with a skirt flowing around, I can’t see what my hips are doing. I go to the range and whack as many balls as I can and then go back and watch the video to see if I got better. It’s what I do for other sports.”

Her jiujitsu class ends at 8pm, so she goes to a range nearby that stays open

I LOVE THE MENTAL ASPECT. IT CARRIES OVER TO OTHER SPORTS, WITHOUT BEING AS PHYSICALLY TAXING.

until 9.30pm. “As a beginner, I feel like contact is more important than anything,” Bagby says.

To figure out what to work on, she has enlisted the help of instructor Joey Aliano and watches swing videos of tour professionals. She knows watching a swing like Dustin Johnson’s isn’t relevant to her; their bodies are too different.

Bagby admires female long-drive champion Troy Mullins. “She looks so fun. I’ve been watching her stuff because her legs are similar to mine,” Bagby says. “I watch how her legs

move during the swing and try to do the same. She’s taller than me, but we have similar bodies, so it makes sense to watch how she moves when she swings.” Watching Mullins has seemingly helped Bagby: At a recent scramble, Bagby clocked a 250-yard drive.

The key thing she’s working on in her swing right now is using her arms less. Her other sports rely heavily on her upper body, so using more legs and hips is new to her. She’s also learning to not muscle her way through the swing. “In [mixed martial arts], it’s about hitting harder. In golf, I have to slow down a

THE FLIP SIDE Tumbling is a big part of Bagby’s training regimen.

LIVING HER BEST LIFE “You just have to enjoy it,” says Bagby, with her German shepherd, Koda.

little bit,” Bagby says. “I can’t just grab this thing and rip it. It’s more technique, more finesse, a lot more graceful.”

Bagby has continued playing in scrambles, though she’s typically one of just a few women.

“I would love to meet more females in this space,” Bagby says. “I started following some girls who golf on Instagram. We need a powersquad of chicas

who golf. Every time I meet a new girl, I’m like, ‘Do you golf?’ ”

While she works on assembling her “powersquad”, Bagby plays with her manager and her golf-obsessed brother Devon. Bagby’s family is close, touching base with each other daily. Golf has added another layer of connection. Bagby says her style of golf is a relaxed experience. The guys are drinking, Bag-

by has music playing, and she’s dancing around in between shots. “She’s a ball of energy out there,” Devon says. But don’t let the fun fool you. Bagby is serious about golf. She wants to get good enough to graduate from the scramble circuit and play her own ball in a women’s tournament.

Two crucial things happened to get her to this point: Someone invited her, and she decided to not be intimidated. “The best piece of advice I got was: ‘Don’t get intimidated.’ You’re in a new environment, people are clearly in this club where they know exactly what they’re doing, and you’re just showing up like: Uh, I don’t know what’s going on. But you just have to enjoy it,” Bagby says. “If you have fun and are learning, you’ll get addicted to it, too.”

I CAN’T JUST GRAB THIS [CLUB] AND RIP IT. IT’S MORE TECHNIQUE, MORE FINESSE, A LOT MORE GRACEFUL.

GET YOUR GROOVE BACK

Getting the most out of your trusty wedge can make all the di erence to your game

BY MATT SMITH

NOTHING SAYS MORE about a golfer than his wedges. From shining companions, fresh off the peg, to a ‘trustyrusty’ that look like it has been in the family for generations, this is the go-to club whenever you are in bother around the green and the one you lean on more than any other to get you out of trouble.

Whether you are a weekend hacker or a recovery master like Rory McIlroy or Justin Thomas, the wedge is your tried-and-trusted friend to get that ball on the dancefloor.

But discovering which is the right fit for you is no quick fix, and almost every golfer will have a different suggestion when it comes to choosing a lofted club.

Just like any other part of the game, if you are starting out — or deciding the wedge in your bag is not doing the job — visit your local pro or club fitter to try out the full range on offer. You will be surprised just how many, and varied, options are out their, and you can get the right fit tailor-made to suit your needs.

In the groove

While it can be a wrench to part with a club that has seen you through the best and toughest of times, every top pro will tell you a wedge is the club that needs replacing more often than the others.

If you are a weekly golfer, chances are you will see a decline in performance after around two years of regular use (75-100 rounds). This is, as you may expect, down to general wear and tear, with the club face seeing a lot more of the ‘dirty’ side of the game (rough and sand) than, say, a driver or putter.

Even range use takes its toll, as harder range balls can impact the endurance of your wedge significantly.

“The grooves on the face of wedges tend to get

worn out after frequent use and this can result in a drop in performance,” says Dean Cheesley, CEO of eGolf Megastore. “The main areas that get impacted, the launch angle, spin and control, are clear indications that it is time for a replacement.”

If you are seeing a drop-off in performance around the fringes, it might not be you. Double-check the face of your club, especially if it is on the older side. If you are loath to part with your pal, a specialist club-fitter should be able to get it re-grooved. However, as is often the case, sometimes a club is past its best and it is time to go shopping.

What suits?

As mentioned above, every player is different, so the needs of their wedge varies. However, it is generally agreed that a pitching wedge should be a few swingweight points (amount of weight in the bottom two thirds of a golf club compared to the top third) heavier than a player’s 9-iron, with a lob wedge a slightly more again.

Then comes the bounce and grind. Bounce is the angle of the sole measured against the ground. The more bounce, the more the bottom of the club is raised and prevents it from digging into the turf and sand.

The grind on a wedge is the geometry of the sole, which can be manipulated by ‘grinding’ material from the heel, toe, trailing edge and leading edge to perfect how the club interacts with the turf.

Again, this is a process that is almost unique to every golfer to get the most out of your club. Grinding will help create a steeper or shallower swing, depending on each golfer’s needs, and a visit to your local club-fitter is a must to get the perfect result.

As a rule of thumb, steep swingers benefit from wider soles (high bounce) and those with a shallow swing gain more from a narrower sole (low bounce). Each to their own.

How many?

To complicate/simplify matters, depending on your view, some pros recommend golfers carry a mix of high and low-bounce options in their bag for versatility as terrain around the greens is varied and sometimes one option is better than the other, regardless of swing.

Of course, you can get too much of a good thing, and it is recommended that a golfer does not go too heavy on the number of wedges in their bag (remember, for every wedge, you have one less elsewhere). It is suggested that a long wedge (120 yards) to the shortest is used to begin with until a player finds exactly the right fit for them in terms of distance, spin and control. If you have more than four wedges, maybe a visit to the pro is in order.

callaway

cleveland RTX Zipcore/Full Face

mizuno ping

taylormade

titleist

SHORT GAME OPTIONS

Greenside scrambles are all part of the game and executing those shots well can save your round

By Alex Riggs

we’d all love to hit 18 greens per round, but for some of us, that is only a dream. Finding yourself around the green, scrambling for that up and down is part of the game. Depending on the sit uation, we need to choose the shot that gives them the best odds for success.

As a general rule, when considering the safest option around the green, start with the putter and work towards the more lofted clubs. In the end it all comes down to contact, and the putter is the easiest, given there is no need for ground contact. It may not be the most glamorous of shots, but we must prioritise getting the ball on the green surface, ruling out the big misses. The grass you are play ing from and what is between you and the hole will determine what your options are. If you have fairway in front of you and no hazards to fly over, I’ve got a fool-proof bump and run op tion that will revolutionise your short game. If you find yourself in a situation where you have very little green to work with and are forced to fly it, I’ve got the perfect high-launching, soft-landing shot for you.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Tap/click here to watch Alex bring this lesson to life.

hybrid bump-and-run

This style of shot is going to be the simplest from an execution perspective. Place the ball in the middle of your stance or the same as you would if you were putting. Choke down on the club and stand close to the ball. This helps the club sit more vertical, slightly li ing the heel of off ground. Positioning the club this way puts our wrists is a way where they will be less involved in the movement. The swing is going to feel the same as your putting motion, using primarily the the shoulders to move the club. As a thought, think of ‘sweeping’ the ball, rather than ‘hitting’ it. Plan for the ball to release on the green like a putt. This shot can be completed with anything from a 3 wood to a 9 iron depending on your comfort. I’m a big fan of using the hybrid as I find it comes off with a similar speed as the putter, with more lo so its easier to judge the distance.

soft-landing shot

This option is slightly higher risk, so I would advise practising this, but reserving it for situations where you have no other chance to get the ball on the green. You’ll want to use your most lo ed club for this shot. Place the ball forward in your stance, in-line with the big toe of your front foot. This ball position helps us to create a shallow brush, preventing the club getting stuck in the ground, launching the ball high. A higher launch will lead to a so er landing, which is just what we need to stop the ball. So en your hands as much as possible, this will help the club release more freely giving you more lo at impact. The release gives you speed, which increases the spin on the ball, ensuring the ball doesn’t roll out too much. My favorite thought for this shot is to think about finishing the motion with the but end of the grip next to your hip… Grip to Hip! This helps keep the hands so , giving me a full release.

They key to a quality short game is knowing the shots your comfortable with and not forcing the ones you aren’t. Understanding the scenario you are in and playing the shot that

gives you the greatest odds of getting on the green. For the mid- to high-handicap golfer, spend more time getting comfortable with the bump-and-run options like the hybrid or mid-iron low

shot. This shot is technically much easier to master than the soft landing shot. Once you develop competency in the low one, then I would try to add the soft option into your repertoire.

alex riggs is a Canadian-born golf coach who specialises in finding simple and effective strategies to lower scores. For lesson inquiries, contact Alex via riggsgolf@gmail.com or +971 55 497 7913

Hublot Big Bang Unico Golf Orange Carbon

Introducing the Big Bang Unico Golf Orange Carbon, an entirely mechanical golf watch that can keep track of your score over an 18-hole round, allowing golfers to keep tabs on hole, shots, and their cumulative score for a round. The 45mm timepiece made of carbon fiber and orange texalium has a power reserve of 72 hours, comes also on an orange fabric strap, for a weight of less than 100 grams, and is waterresistant to 100 metres.

MAXIMISE DISTANCE OFF THE TEE

A wide stance and high tee will help your balance and get the ball to travel further

By Tom Ogilvie

The average driving dis tance on the PGA tour is now over 300 yards. In the last two or three years, distance has been a big talking point, especially with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau making head lines for his increase in clubhead speed and enormous drives off the tee.

There are a few factors we must get right before we move into the swing, and this is the set up. Having a wide stance to keep your balance while swinging at high speed is very impor tant and, if you want to maximise car ry distance, tee the ball high on your lead foot.

While taking the club into the back swing, we want to feel a big shift in mo mentum away from the ball. Almost instantly as you move the club back, shift your weight into your trail side and start to rotate your body. Swing catalyst highlights around 80-90 per cent pressure should be on your trail foot by this point.

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right hip moving up as you get to the top of your swing.

Into the downswing, it is imperative

result in an increase of 9-12 yards. Prac tise at a high intensity and treat it like a workout. Hit several balls in a short space of time to get your heart rate up. Keep note of your highest recorded swing speed and try to beat this each time you practise. You will notice over time that your cruising swing speed will

Golf Strip -

Golf Strip - Single Page

Once the club moves wide and away from the ball, this is where the body should wind or coil up to the top of the swing. A good sign is when you feel the

10:39:24

Next Level Golf Game

is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter

The Swing Catalyst sensor plates enable our expert coaches and you the ability to see the forces at work in your swing Book your session now!

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The National Course - Abu Dhabi Golf Club

DISCOVERING PUTTING

The simplest exercises can help you master the green

By Conor Thornton

Putting is the simplest of all the shots in golf. Being good with the putter doesn’t require as much physical prowess or technical ability as it does to be as good a ball striker as the best players in the world.

With some understanding of the key elements of start direction and distance control — and a little bit of practice pretty much anybody has a realistic opportunity to achieve a high level of competency, maybe even close to some of the best in the world in this one element of the game.

In my role as PGA Professional at Ri yadh Golf Club, I will help you unpack two easy to set up drills that you can use anywhere — at home, in the office (if the boss isn’t looking) or at your lo cal course — in order to help you get started off the right way or further im prove and enhance your skills on the dance floor.

Try out these simple exercises for yourself and discover the basic putting skills for yourself. To develop even fur ther, visit the PGA Professional at your local golf course.

FINDING YOUR HOLD

The hold you have on the putter grip has a huge bearing on how you control the direction the club face points at impact, this is the biggest factor that will deter mine your ability to send the ball in your chosen direction.

There is no one particular way to hold the grip as there are many proven ways that successful players do it, the key is finding the right one for you.

exercise: gate drill

The ‘gate drill’ is designed to help you discover which grip is best for you and also develop clubface awareness. Experiment with different grips and see which provides better control of the clubface direction at impact and therefore more accurate start direction of the ball. To set the drill up, you will need objects such as tees, balls or bot tles to create a gate that you can send the ball through.

Start by placing the objects a foot or so apart. Take approximately three steps away from the objects to find a starting position.

The task now is to strike the ball and di rect it into the gate, by repeating this you will become more aware of how the hands and wrist movement influences the putter face direction at impact.

As you continue you can level it up by making the gate smaller or further away, you get to be in control!

WATCH THE VIDEO

Tap/click here to watch Conor bring this les son to life.

DEVELOPING DISTANCE CONTROL

The speed the putter head moves at impact is the main factor to govern distance. Two of the ways to adjust speed are: rhythm and length of swing. In an ideal situation, you would discover your consistent rhythm and then control the speed of the putter by cre ating different lengths of swing.

exercise: ladder drill

The ‘ladder drill’ is designed to create an environment for you to become aware of swing sizes and the distance they make the ball travel.

To set the drill up, like the gate drill, use objects as a reference point to create a lad der effect with levelled steps.

Place the objects at a distance apart that you feel comfortable, there is no right

or wrong, you can alter to find something achievable or shrink to make the task more challenging.

Starting one step back, putt the ball and try and get it into the first part of the ladder, from there try to get the next ball into the following part of the ladder and so on. You can experiment with bigger and smaller swings moving the ball into different sec tions of the ladder.

You can create your own scoring system where perhaps you don’t move to the next level of the ladder until a you get a ball into the section you aimed for. Or for an extra challenge restart from the beginning if you miss one.

conor thornton is a member of the PGA Professionals team at Golf Saudi-managed Riyadh Golf Club

AGE 29

LIVES

Jupiter, Florida STORY

Has won six LPGA tournaments, including the 2021 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

SMALLER IS BETTER

I remember hitting a persimmon driver a long time ago, but I haven’t tried one recently. Still, I grew up hitting really small-headed steel or titanium drivers like the Callaway Big Bertha, so I got used to the smaller heads. I still lean that way today because I think they’re more accurate.

WITH E. MICHAEL JOHNSON

WHAT’S IN MY BAG : JESSICA KORDA

DRIVER

SPECS Titleist TSi4, 10°, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 6S shaft.

My driver says 10 degrees, but it’s actually 9.25. This is one of the smallest driver heads Titleist makes [430 cubic centimetres], which makes it pretty easy to hit driver o the deck. The look is key. If I don’t like the look, I have a hard time committing to it.

FAIRWAY WOODS

SPECS Titleist TSi2, 16.5°, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 7S shaft; Titleist TSi2, 21°, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue 75S shaft.

Both fairway woods are high-lofted. I had a lower-lofted 3-wood, but it went too far. As you can see, the 7-wood gets a lot of work. That club was love at first hit.

IRONS

SPECS Titleist T200 (4-iron), Project X HZRDUS RDX shaft, Titleist T100 (5-9), True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 X100 shafts; Golf Pride V55 grips.

I’ve been playing these since they came out. The numbers made me feel like the TrackMan was broken. Launch angle, spin and distance were so close on every shot. That consistency is invaluable.

WEDGES

SPECS Titleist Vokey SM9 (46°, 50°); Titleist Vokey SM8 (54°, 58°); Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 120S shafts.

I used to play a 60-degree but went to a 58-degree this year and found I had more control. I like to get creative with my stampings. It keeps things light. When things are not going well, something like “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart” brings me back to a good place.

PUTTER

SPECS Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 tour prototype; 35 inches, 3.5°, Cameron Pistolini Plus grip.

The blade on this is a little wider than a typical blade putter. I use the same model head but travel with two putters with di erent necks — plumber’s like this one or a flow neck.

ONE FOR ALL

I’ll use one Titleist Pro V1 for all 18 holes at times.

I don’t take a ball out of play if I have a bad hole. It’s not the ball’s fault. I won’t use No. 4s. In a 72hole tournament I go 1s, 2s, 3s and back to 1s again.

TOP DOG

Scotty Cameron’s assistant gave this to me. She thought it would remind me of my dog, Charlie. It’s a unique ball marker, and I absolutely love it. She also gave me a “Have a Nice Day” mark I use once in a while.

PURE LIVING

I carry LivPur in my bag because the amino acids in it help me hydrate during rounds and recover after playing. I love the mango and orange. The peach mango is a huge hit with my caddie and me, too.

Life at the Top

By Dan Rapaport

Collin Morikawa has a foot guy. No, seriously. The 25-yearold two-time major champion employs two trainers to design his fitness regimen one of whom, Rian Chab, focuses on Morikawa’s feet. “If we

relate it to the human gait cycle, the foot should pronate and supinate,” Chab says. “If it gets stuck in any of those positions, it can negatively im pact how the body moves. It’s not to say that the feet are the problem, but

if the feet are neglected, other swing adjustments you make above might not stick as well as they could.”

MIND / RAP REPORT ILLUSTRATION BY ASAF HANUKA M 64 golfdigestme.com october 2022 Welcome to the modern world of elite professional golf, which is more of a team experience than ever. The

Today’s elite players have a specialist for just about everything

pro game has long been synonymous with rugged individualism, and it re mains true that only one person hits the shots. But behind that name on the leaderboard sits a surprising number of collaborators, all working together in pursuit of the slightest edge. Cruise around a PGA Tour practice facility on a Tuesday, and you will see caddies, swing coaches, short-game coaches, putting coaches, mental-game coach es, equipment specialists, trainers, biomechanists, data analysts— and, yes, maybe even a foot guy.

Caddies are, of course, nothing new in professional golf. Nor are swing coaches, who have been fine-tuning the world’s best for decades. But play ers are now seeking guidance from experts across different fields — like Dr Sasho MacKenzie, a professor in the department of human kinetics at St Francis Xavier University in Canada, who has a PhD in sports biomechanics. MacKenzie calls himself a “golf-score optimizer”, and he looks at the game through an analytical lens. Most of MacKenzie’s work involves educating swing coaches on the science behind the golf swing, though he does work with some players directly. One of those is US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick. In conjunction with Fitz patrick’s swing coach, Mike Walker, and with the assistance of data captur ing technology and computer anima tions, MacKenzie helped Fitzpatrick gain five miles per hour of clubhead speed in about two years. “Clubhead speed is an equation,” MacKenzie says. “It’s a literal equation. The things the golfer does add up to clubhead speed. I can measure it.”

MacKenzie identified different ways for Fitzpatrick to increase the output of that equation without changing the feel of his swing. Increased grip pres sure was one of them, so MacKenzie encouraged Fitzpatrick to practise hitting big, high draws. MacKenzie believed doing this would naturally help Fitzpatrick apply more “force” to the grip early in the swing. Once Fitzpatrick felt comfortable with that motion, MacKenzie instructed him to start releasing hard and to the left, a fade-like release that Fitzpatrick preferred. MacKenzie then filtered that information through Walker and had Fitzpatrick train with “The Stack”, MacKenzie’s speed-building system.

The result has been about a 10-yard increase in driving distance.

“I’ll be honest,” Fitzpatrick says. “It’s worked wonders.”

Another doctor who is a member of multiple players’ teams is Dr Bhrett McCabe, a clinical psychologist who works with Jon Rahm, Sam Burns, Billy Horschel and Davis Riley, to name a few. McCabe will sometimes walk with his players during practice rounds, but he prefers to do his work away from the golf course — say, in a coffee shop or a rental house.

“My job is to get them to believe in themselves more and to handle what ever comes their way,” McCabe says. “Confidence is not knowing you can

would rely on instincts and expe rience, today’s stars turn to statis tics experts who create customised instructions for each of their players, the details of which depend on their strengths, weaknesses and the golf course. These stat gurus will also craft detailed practice plans for players with an emphasis on improving specific parts of their games.

Hunter Stewart isn’t an average stats guy. He played collegiate golf at power house Vanderbilt and was on the 2015 Walker Cup team. After a brief pro career, he dived into the data world and convinced two pros, Maverick McNealy and Robby Shelton, to let him help them. He now works with seven players on the PGA Tour.

do it. Confidence is knowing that you can face anything before you. Do you prepare the way you need to prepare? Or are you always fixing problems? Lastly, are you ready to go into the uncertainty of competition and get ready to brawl when pressure picks up? If I can get them to believe in them selves to do that, we’re 99 per cent of the way there.”

Part of that belief comes from trust in your clubs. Every player on tour, even those without an endorsement deal, will interact with equipment reps throughout the season. These reps are in charge of making sure every piece of equipment is dialled in on any par ticular week. Kenton Oates, a tour rep resentative for Ping, will attend 35 to 38 tournaments a year.

“We’re checking in with players on Sunday or Monday, whenever they get to the golf tournament, making sure that they don’t need grips and that their clubs are all good,” Oates says. “Do you need a fresh lob wedge? How’s your gear? Is your driver good? We’re basically a NASCAR pit crew trying to make sure all their gear is ready to go.”

Once they get their body right, their mind primed and their equipment prepped, the players shift to on-course strategy. Whereas pros of bygone eras

“Every player has different strengths,” Stewart says. “Some of them are going to hit drivers on certain holes that others aren’t. You’re not go ing to see my guys playing to the ex act same spot. If you’ve got one player that’s a bad iron player and one that’s one of the best at it, and then you’ve got another guy who’s not a great driv er and one who is, you’re going to see a bunch of different strategies.”

For the player, who McCabe calls “the tip of the spear”, a bunch of team mem bers means a bunch of cheques to cut. It’s not uncommon for an elite player to pay out as much as $1 million or more annually to his entourage. (Most of these collaborators are paid a flat fee, plus a percentage of on-course winnings.) I asked Morikawa if he winces at the idea of slicing a tournament cheque into so many different pieces. His response speaks to the mind-set of players in 2022, when professional golf is big business.

“When it comes down to it, it’s all an investment on this business, this brand that we’re building,” Morikawa says. “So whether I need to pay for this per son’s flights or for helping me work out a little more, it’s all an investment for me to get better and perform as best as I can. It’s not tough to write these cheques because I’m trying to improve myself, and all these people around me are trying to do the same.”

Whereas players of the past relied mostly on instincts, today’s stars turn to data experts.

Dan Rapaport believes his game has improved by talking to so many experts. Call it verbal osmosis.

Finding Your People

How today’s search firms help clubs attract the right talent

By Matthew Rudy

On the surface , a leader ship job at a country club might not seem so different today than it was even in the 1960s. S ome clubs still chase after those “simpler” times when golf was the ultimate priority, men wore jack ets instead of denim and the menu in the dining room offered whatever you wanted provided it was steak, chicken or fish. But the reality is very different.

Tastes were evolving even before the pandemic turned the past two years into a work-from-home experiment for many club members. A general manager is now essentially running seven busi nesses — a retail shop, pool, restaurant, maintenance facility, banquet hall, fit ness centre and entertainment venue — for groups that range from busy professionals with young kids to retir ees. Head pros must keep those groups happy with fewer assistant pros entering the business and even fewer willing to stick around for the 60-hour work weeks it took to move up the ladder.

Filling leadership positions such as GM and head golf pro in this rapidly changing, COVID-complicated envi ronment is a lot like buying a house in a superheated real estate market. A guide who knows the terrain and has the agility to adapt is invaluable — which is why executive-search firm Kopplin Kuebler & Wallace has grown into a 20-person operation, conducting more than 100 searches a year for clubs such as Winged Foot, Desert Mountain and Congressional, making it and Bob Ford’s Golf Business Network two of the premier search firms in golf.

Tom Wallace joined Dick Kopplin and Kurt Kuebler — both experienced former club general managers — at KK&W in 2014 after stints as a general manager at Oakmont and The Club at

Mediterra in Naples, Florida, where he saw how many of the jobs at a club had mushroomed far beyond their original interpretation and beyond the scope of quiet, friend-of-a-friend type place ments that were standard. “It used to be that clubs wanted somebody who knew everybody’s name and understood ev eryone’s strengths,” Wallace says. “Now, clubs want a thought partner who can create experiences for members and who understands you have to pay atten tion to the quality-of-life piece and not just work people 10 hours a day.”

That can be a painful realisation for some traditional clubs — where change is often an anathema. However, the threats and opportunities presented by the pan demic made many clubs receptive to change. KK&W’s decades-long recruiting connections in industries such as hotel and restaurant management, resorts and human resources meant that it was posi tioned to deliver experienced candidates even when pandemic restrictions made transitions more complicated.

“Change at many clubs happens like turning a cruise ship, but COVID made it more like a jet ski,” Wallace says.

A prime example is Topgolf-ification. “Young members coming in have often interacted with golf in different ways,” Wallace says. “For them, it can mean a

90-minute indoor experience with food and beverage attached. If you’re the gen eral manager at a club, are you going to ignore that or look for ways to make the case to add it to what you can offer?”

Building amenity programmes like indoor simulators and fitness centres, mentoring assistant pros in the art of teaching, adding sports like padel ten nis and athletic training for kids and bringing in culinary techniques honed at great restaurants are some of the skills KK&W is trying to match in its searches.

In the approximate 10-week search process — which involves everything from intensive site visits and Zoom in terviews to background checks conduct ed by private investigators — the goal is to find a candidate who fits the club’s culture and coach the club’s board on identifying what it needs.

The best-case result is managers and leaders who can navigate the space be tween tradition and modernisation to maintain the culture of the club and welcome new people.

Matthew Rudy knows the best place to get authentic barbecue in 22 states. Skip the sauce.