Golf News
Year II, issue 4, December 2013
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Golf News
New 2014 Membership Dear Members
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rom the Muscat Hilll’s team, we all would like start by thanking you for making Muscat Hills a true members club. The end of the year comes with many thanks particularly to the clubs outgoing Captains Latif Razek and Karen D’Amours who have held the clubs image and moral high over the last 2 years, it is with gratitude that we see them hand over their responsibilities to the incumbent Vice Captains Bob and Joyce Broomhead who we have no doubt will be a pillar of strength and support to all our members for the next year. We also welcome Russel Sephton and Su Pattison as the selected new Vice Captains 2014. Reflecting back on 2013,
the year has come and almost gone so fast one gets the feeling events that took place in the 1st Quarter of the year only happened just the other day. With the end of the year in sight, it gives us great pleasure to release the Muscat Hill’s 2014 annual membership subscriptions. Members will be pleased to note that there is a 7% reduction in the Gold Membership fees in the fully paid up category and the Silver Membership has now changed to a “Pay & Play” membership category. Except for the 2 categories mentioned all other membership categories prices remain the same as 2013. The good news is that the much debated golf cart fee is no more and all prices quoted include golf carts with the proviso that any non playing guest or mem-
Captains Final Message In this, my final letter as out-going Captain of Muscat Hills, I would like to thank you all for your help and cooperation. It’s almost two years since I took over the captaincy and during that time, although there hasn’t been a shortage of problems to deal with, your patience has been very much appreciated. I couldn’t have asked for two more loyal and supportive Vice-Captains as Danny and Bob. They have been there whenever help was needed and taken their fair share of the duties with enthusiasm. Their encouragement has been invaluable to me and I thank them both sincerely. There is no doubt that Ray and his team, Warren, Alex, David and the reception staff, have a very difficult task. Keeping everyone happy all the time is quite impossible but they 2 | Muscat Hills Golf News
ber traveling as a passenger during tournaments and on weekends will be charged a golf cart fee. 2013 has been a year full of challenges for all and it is always sad to see members and friends leaving Oman moving on in the transient expat life style however in saying that it has also been
a pleasure to welcome new faces at the club and we hope your stay with us is an enjoyable one. To all members old and new have a good Christmas and great golfing 2014. See you on the golf course! Kind regards Ray Stopforth
manage to keep the majority happy most of the time, which is nothing short of admirable. As we all know the budget is tight, decisions have to be made that do inevitably mean some sacrifices. Jeet and his staff, have benefited from experience and are doing a great job with limited resources. Jade and David have been a welcome edition, and through them we hope our golf will get better and better. They have also added to the clubhouse social life. We don’t often catch sight of Warren as his working hours are fairly unsociable, but the results of his achievements on the golf course are greatly appreciated by us all. Thank you Warren for managing to keep the course in such good condition is this climate, with minimum disruption to our play. Finally I would like to wish our new captain, Bob Broomhead, all the best and I feel confident that you will all give him full your support. Congratulations Russell Sephton on becoming the new Vice-Captain, he will be a valuable addition to the Muscat Hills team. Latif Razek
No Joining Fee! 2014 Membership now available 750 OMR Pay & Play Membership 950 OMR Midweek Membership 1650 OMR Gold Membership Click for details
Golf Carts ride free in 2014!
Past Tournaments
The Inaugural HH Rawy Classic 2013
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achin Bawa, 2 shots behind the tournament leader Tenzin Tsarong after 18 holes going into the final 9 holes of the 27 holes golf classic had his work cut out for him to win the tournament, which he did in style emerging as the tournament champion taking first place with a 4 shot margin to emerge the tournament champion. The final cut was set at 36 players playing for the top positions in the final standings of the tournament over the last 9 holes all with a chance of winning. After receiving the championship trophy from HH Al Rawy Bin Qais Al-Said who the tournament was in honor of Sachin Said, “it is great honor to play in the inaugural HH Rawy Classic golf tournament and I am pleased at winning the tournament. I played steady golf over the first 18 holes and I knew that I had a good chance with only 9 holes to go Muscat Hills golf course is in superb playing condition and the final 9 holes proved to be the biggest test with faster greens and challenging pin positions”. The setting for the evening’s prize giving dinner was under the moon light and was well supported by the 215 guests comprising of the players from the days event together with distinguished guest from HH Al Rawy Bin Qais Al-Said’s family and guest of tournament sponsors Bank of Beirut and Audi in attendance. “The success of this event is the direct result of the cooperation between two diverse entities – Bank of Beirut and Muscat Hills – coming together to contribute to a common cause.” Commented Ms. Juliana Frem Younes, Retail & Marketing Manager, Bank of Beirut, Oman. “We are also grateful to HH Al Rawy Bin Qais Al-Said for giving us the opportunity to further our commitment to make Oman a regional sporting hub. More collaborative efforts like this will ensure that the Sultanate soon becomes an intrinsic part of the Middle East’s golfing map.”
T
he Pink Charity Day in its 3rd year saw over 100 golfers rocking their pink attire on Muscat Hills fairways and greens. The event was very well supported by generous companies and perhaps most notably by three of our members, Dave Kiernan, Mark Kirk and Farique Tareen. The fun scramble format was followed by good food and drink at the club and raffle draw with over 30 prizes (with which Mr Kojima was very thankful and filled his boots with the majority of the prizes). The final figure raised on the day was 1715.600 OMR. This will be passed in the form of a cheque to the National Cancer Awareness Association in Oman. Congratulations to the winning team consisting of Waqar Ghulam, Vikas Dixit, Puli Sharma & Sarah Al Hosni. A big final thank you to all who got involved in the event and making it a memorable day. Thanks to our sponsors particularly the Hole sponsors, Shangri La - Barr al Jissah Resort, Cadillac, National Trading & Projects LLC, Lamor and Nov fluid. Other thanks go to prize sponsors: The Indus, Pizza Hut, Caffe Vergnano, Al Nahda Resort & Spa, The Jungle, mOre Cafe, Al Bustan Palace Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel, Olivio's at Radisson Blu, Ayana Spa, African nd Eastern, Millennium Resort Mussanah, Gloria Jeans Coffee.
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Golf News
Bank Dhofar Pro AM 2013
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st November 2013, Muscat – Jack Harrison & Daniel Owen both fired 5 under par, course record 67’s around Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club to cause a sudden death playoff and an exciting finish to a great golf event. Due to the fact that both players were tied meant that they both had to replay the 18th Hole until a winner was decided with the lowest score. Both players had regulation pars on the first extra hole, however on the 2nd extra hole, Harrison rolled in a 15 foot birdie putt to secure his win in the Bank Dhofar Pro AM and he took home a cheque for OMR 500. Defending Champion Francois Van Coppenhagen had another good round of golf in his second year playing in the Pro AM, finishing in the top 4 with a solid round of 71. The event featured professionals from the neighboring GCC Countries and a number of MENA Tour players. The teams participating were from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai & Sharjah. The professional golfers and teams all stayed in the InterContinental Hotel for the tournament The Winning team was the Crestlink Team from Qatar who were led by professional Peter Bailey (Doha Golf Club) and featured amateur players Chris Duffy, Gregg Krahulec, Hiram Diggines scoring -23 Under Par. Following closely in 2nd place was Sohar Aluminium Team with professional David Taylor (Muscat Hills) Serge Gosselin, Frederic Royuer and Chris Bezuidenhout. In 3rd position was the African & Eastern team of Mark Kirk, Carl Ainscough & Dirk Holscher with profes4 | Muscat Hills Golf News
sional Cormac Flannery from Bahrain. Aziz Al Harrasi, Deputy Head- Marketing & Corporate Communication, BankDhofar handed out the prizes to the winners of the golf event. The Tournament is designed to strengthen tourism in the sultanate for golf & encourage the corporate community to play golf by encouraging participation in the business sector. The event is expected to assist in the ongoing development of the game of golf domestically as well as increasing Oman’s growing reputation in the GCC Region as a first class golfing destination. The event hosts and organisers are anticipating this event as a stepping stone to a larger professional golf event in the future for Oman. Ray Stopforth, Muscat Hills Director
Words from the Superintendant
On the green stuff!
of Golf quoted “last year’s high profiled event was a great success which raised the profile of Oman as a great golf destination. Organising and hosting this event again this year will continue to grow the game of golf in Oman.” The continuation of this high profiled event would not have been made possible without the sponsorship of BankDhofar,
2013 has been another year of projects especially with course changes to accommodate the building of Phase 2. My maintenance team although reduced in numbers has met the challenges head on and I am very happy to say they have grown from strength to strength as well as in knowledge and vision regarding improvements to the golf course. It gives us great pleasure to see the season full of tournaments and members enjoying the course setup and presentation at these events. I would like to extend my personal thanks to all our members for your patience and understanding through any renovations and changes. As we know, all the maintenance on and around the golf course can be quite a distraction at times during your game however once completed it certainly improves the golf course and playability such as the 10th and 18th newly seeded areas. Another year of cultural practices is now successfully behind us and we can expect the golf course in 2014 to get better. We will also see the bunker projects complete during the year.
a leading bank in Oman. They have recognized the business values and social ethics in the game of golf and saw a great opportunity to communicate its services in front of the local golf business and community. Additional sponsors of the event were InterContinental, Muscat, Nespresso, Crème de la Crème, African & Eastern, Airbourne Travel & Crestlink.
The newly constructed fairway extension at No. 6 fairway will be put into use within the 1st Quarter and 8th tee box complex back in full use. What members can be sure of is there will be a lot more green grass out there more than before which will enhance the golf course features and pleasing to the eye. In general, the golf course continues to mature with dignity and the turf is in really good condition. The late winter or what I call the “Cold Snap” has not quite kicked in yet, this is when the grass on the course goes slightly dormant affecting the growth and the recuperation capacity of the Bermuda grass. With this said please take extra special care on the greens and repair your pitch marks and any other pitch mark that has not been repaired. Divots remain a major concern for the maintenance team as it is always important to repair your divot. With sand boxes on your golf carts please ensure you use it when needed as it helps us keep the fairway profile consistent and it is the right thing to do for general play for respect to your fellow members. From us all on the maintenance team season’s greetings to all, if you are travelling over the season please take care! Best Regards your Golf Superintendent Warren Stopforth Muscat Hills Golf News | 5
Golf News Cleveland RTX Wedges in Store
Spot the ball competition to win a Sleeve of Callaway balls
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ith an average of 65% of shots being played from within 120 yards, closing the gaps in your short game is the key to better scoring – Raise your game by switching to a new wedge from the Cleveland Golf 588 range!
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The wedges have been developed closely with tour players,and the U-Grooves are more precise and 16% larger to maximise spin on critical scoring shots – especially out of the rough, sand and in wet conditions. In store @ Muscat Hills
Previous Newsletter Winners: Karen D’Amours & Scott Ruthven collect your prizes in the pro shop
Your Upcoming golf events at Muscat Hills by Alex Day
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he 2013 season has been extremely busy and we have seen increased uptake in the competitions. The next few competitions at Muscat Hills are:
The Al Nadha Cup – Saturday 7th December one of our Hotel partners Al Nada Resort kindly sponsor this fun event for the second year running as a scramble event this year. There will be an evening meal and prize presentation supported by Al Nahda Medal Championship – Friday 13th December. 2013’s medal winners and runners up come together and battle it out to see who will be crowned the overall Champion of Champions in this true format of the game.
Now only
Captains Day & Dinner – Saturday 14th December. Get ready for the Captains Day competition at Muscat Hills followed by a buffet dinner at Radisson Blu. Club Captains Latif Razek and Karen D’Amours are organizing this special event for all members and their partners. Join us in thanking Latif & Karen for their great efforts over the last 2 years and welcoming the new captains in for 2014.
OMR
Other fun golf days to look forward to in early 2014 are the return leg with Abu Dhabi National & more Scrambles V’s the Pro’s
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NBO Classic The Challenge Tour
Jade on Junior Golf & Ladies Golf by Dave Taylor On Thursday 24th October, at 11:10am, I teed it up on the 1st hole in the NBO classic. In front of a few of the Muscat Hills faithful, I pulled out the driver with dreams of taking home the title and my share of the €300,000 prize fund. My first shot was not pretty. It was low, started left and went further left. However, a good recovery and long putt led to an unexpected birdie at the first. It got better. Despite the embarrassment of having to hit driver into the par 3 second (it was a bit windy), I safely found the green and another long putt dropped for birdie! I was 2 under, and in 7th place. Unfortunately this flying start was not an indication of how the next 34 holes would go! By Friday afternoon, when I trudged off the final green after another ball had found its way into the ocean, I was a broken man! So after 36 holes of golf what did I learn from the challenge tour? . Firstly, playing in an event the size of the NBO Classic was different from anything I had previously experienced. It was a different pressure from playing in your local proam or regional events. The previous competition I played in was a Texas-scramble at Muscat Hills where I won 3 golf balls, now I was playing for €300,000! Unfortunately I didn’t handle my nerves very well or listen to the advice I normally give to my students. I didn’t stick to my pre-shot routine, I focused on the shot I had just hit rather than the shot that I was about to play and I lost my temper a little bit! In hindsight, I wish I had just gone out and enjoyed the experience, rather than get so worked up about my score. Secondly, the guys playing on the Challenge Tour are good! Jamie, my playing partner, told me he was 90 under par for the season! The difference between my game and theirs was the consistency. I actually made more birdies than both my playing partners on the first day, but also had quite a few higher numbers. Finally, there are two simple ways to lower your score in a bid to challenge the Tour; • Better course management • Improve your short game
The second term of this year’s OGC Junior Program has just got under way! The initiative, which started back in 2010, has been going from strength to strength and now has close to 300 children registered at clubs in Muscat. Here at Muscat Hills, we are passionate about our junior program and very excited about where we will be taking it in the future. In our first term alone we had over 50 juniors sign up. Now, going into our second term, we have nearly 70! Ages range from 3 years- 16 years and all are enthusiastic to learn. Such an initiative has created some exciting prospects for our students. Many of the youngsters recently went along to the HSBC Clinic to meet golfing legend Padraig Harrington. It was a lovely afternoon for all the families, with an opportunity to ask Padraig questions and see some spectacular shots. All of the juniors who attended the clinic came away having had fun and having learnt a lot. Looking to the future, we hope to inspire even more youngsters and develop junior golf in Oman. If you have or know a child who might be interested in joining our programme, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us- even if it is half way through the term! For more information call the pro shop or email us directly at academy@muscatgolf.com
Mommy and Me! The OGC will soon be launching a new initiative called ‘Mommy & Me’ to promote women’s golf in Oman. Here at Muscat Hills, we have been selected to implement the scheme with our Lady Professional, Jade Lucas. The programme is designed specifically for Omani ladies and their daughters and aims to get the girls ready to play the golf course. Their long term objective is to establish a national team who can proudly represent Oman in international events. It is an exciting prospect to have such an initiative taking off at Muscat Hills and we are pleased to welcome all the ladies to the club. We are all enthusiastic about growing golf here in Oman and Jade is particularly excited about being able to help grow the women’s game. More information will be available on this scheme closer to the launchso keep an eye out! Muscat Hills Golf News | 7
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