Club Life April 2017

What a great Captain’s Day we had last month - there was a wonderful, happy atmosphere and everyone was so enthusiastic on the day. Vipen managed to look cool, calm and collected for his drive and produced an excellent 217 yard shot into the wind. Vipen chose 17th March for his Captain’s Day - St Patrick’s Day….maybe he has some Irish roots also? Under Armour shirts were distributed to all players and there was much on-course fun - what a great idea to have one ‘party’ spot on the course where everyone gathered….the Royal Majlis at the 8th was the perfect spot for players coming off the 8th, driving off the 9th and hitting off the elevated tee box onto the 2nd. Music, food, beverages, massages….why would anyone want to move from that spot? Congratulations Vipen - super day and evening.

The following week the ladies were back for Maura’s Captain’s Day which, this year was held in the afternoon, with an evening dinner on the terrace; this was a great idea and everyone really enjoyed it. Thank you Maura for a wonderful day of golf with the lovely commemorative pens and ball markers, the on-course food and beverages and superb organisation altogether! What a great turnout with everyone dressed in green for our Irish Lady Captain and then all the ladies dressed in their finery for the evening function - testament to the fact that we are, for sure, the biggest and the best ladies’ section in the region!

The month of March was totally packed with events and major ones at that, including the 25th Anniversary of the Indian Invitational at which there was a huge turnout, a large amount of money raised for our junior colleagues and accolades galore from so many. Well done to the organisers and especially to the the one person who has been involved from the very beginning, Surender Kandhari. Thanks and congratulations also to those who have been involved for many years, Rekha, Jayshree, and not forgetting Ashok Bakshi, RIP, who had a huge impact on this event over the years.

The Annual Members’ party took place on 14th March and this worked so well this year with everyone seated on one level on the Clubhouse terrace which made for a fantastic atmosphere. What a truly wonderful evening and I think a special mention should go to Chef Nicholas and his team who produced the most amazing array of food on the evening! Club Manager, Barney Coleman, delivered an excellent speech thanking everyone who is involved in making the Club one of the best in the region. If you missed his speech, it is in this issue. Congratulations to incoming Vice-Captains for the 2017-2018 season who were announced at the Members’ party…Paul Byrne and Sulafa Hamdan. Best wishes to the two of them who are obviously very popular choices.

Talker Cup - Europe v North America should have taken place on 24th March (also the Junior Club Championship that day) but due to a big storm and thunder and lightening, play was suspended after four holes and the event is to be rescheduled; this is another event that has been running since 1989…it is wonderful to see all these traditions being followed to this day. So many of them could have fizzled out but it is because of the people working behind the scenes, and indeed the support of Club Management, that these events are as strong, if not stronger, than when they first started.

My editorial would not be complete without a mention of the weather. What has happened to our guaranteed sunshine in the Gulf…I feel sorry for the tourists who have been out on holiday for some warm weather while Europe has been going through winter but for us…I have to say it has been a lovely change, perfect golfing weather and a chance to get some of that light winter clothing put to use.

Congratulations to Club member, Alison Muirhead, who produced an excellent score of 71 gross to win the Emirates Ladies Amateur Open. Our juniors in the UAE are dominating everything and it’s great to see them doing well so I hope we will see some of them go on to bigger and better things in golf in the near future.

What a great month - well done to all our colleagues who have worked tirelessly with the setting up of the events, aprés golf dinners and for always looking after us so well and delivering service with a smile! We are so fortunate to have the facilities, and the many colleagues, who pull out all the stops at every event to ensure we have a great time.

Jacqui

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB SENIOR MANAGEMENT

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Dear Friends,

The month of March has been extremely busy and enjoyable for us all at Emirates Golf Club and I am sure everyone who was present to enjoy the week particularly between 10th and 17th March will agree with me.

The Indian Invitational tournament celebrated its Silver Anniversary and we saw a record turnout of 200 golfers at the event. Most importantly, the members’ contributions for the junior collegues’ fund was fantastic, and on this occasion we managed to collect an all-time high figure of AED 50,000, for the 350 strong junior colleagues at the Club. Personally for me this record turnout and contribution was a feather in my cap as it happened during my Captaincy. The turnout for the dinner on the Clubhouse terrace was also fantastic with each one of the tournament and the raffle prize winners in attendance to personally collect their prizes and gifts. Hats off to Mr.Surender Kandhari as the founder member and all the others who have supported the event over the last 25 years.

The Members’ party on the 14th was also very well conducted with the food and entertainment being top notch. Attendance of Past Captains and the present and incoming Vice -Captains made the evening even more glamourous.

The most important day for me during my Captaincy i.e. Captain’s Day, was a day I will

MEN’S COMPETITION RESULTS

MEDAL & STABLEFORD

Friday 3rd March

BYRON KRAEMER WINS THE OMA EMIRATES MARCH MEDAL

Byron Kraemer scored a superb five-under par net 67 to win the OMA Emirates March Monthly Medal. Byron’s score saw him also top B Division from runner-up Guarav Verma and third placed Ashok Ahuja. Both Guarav and Ashok carded a net 69 with Guarav carding a better back nine hole score.

Winner of A Division on the day was Dalip Tripathi with an excellent score of 68 net. In second place was Cody Isles, having shot a 71 net and one stroke further behind was Gary Black with a net score of level par, 72.

Russell Yeomans produced an excellent round of golf to win the best gross prize, recording 76 gross, four over par, in challenging conditions. Robert Scott won C Division with a solid net 71 score. The Junior Medal was well contested and Amber Waite scored a net 76 to secure the prize. The winner in the Men’s Stableford competition, run in conjunction with the Medal tournament, was Sachin Mahajan with a score of 45 points!

Best Gross: Russell Yeomans 76

Division A (Handicaps 0-10)

Winner: Dalip Tripathi 68 Net

Runner-up: Cody Isles 71 Net

Third: Gary Blacknet 72 Net

Division B (Handicaps 11-20)

Winner: Byron Kraemer 67 Net

Runner-up: Gaurav Verma 69 Net

Third: Ashok Ahuja 69 Net

Division C (Handicaps 21-28)

Winner: Robert Scott 71 Net

Men’s Stableford

Winner: Sachin Mahajan 45 Points

Junior Division

Best Net: Amber Waite 76 Net

remember for a long time to come. Having organised branded polo shirts in my favourite colours, red for men and white for ladies, the course was packed with all 128 golfers competing for the trophies.

Barney and every colleague of the Club put their best foot forward to really excel in managing the tournament, setting up F&B on and off the course, arranging entertainment et al. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my day as I think most of my 128 friends who supported me on that day did. The evening was also very well attended and the party went on much longer than we had anticipated, all for the right reasons.

The latter part of March saw some wet weather and unexpected rains which have made the courses greener and I do hope we can push back the summer a little bit into May and June. However, with the tournament calendar quite busy for the month of April, I am sure we will again have another great golfing month.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Club soon.

Golfingly yours,

Vipen Sethi Club Captain 2016-2017

CAPTAIN’S DAY

Winners: Rohit Gupta

Jayshree Gupta 43 Points

Runners-up: Suresh Shewakramani

Kurup Devanand 42 Points

Third: Kuttan Malattiri

Liz Agha

Most Golf: Gokul Mani

42 Points

Anand Lakhiani 25 Points

Guess the Captain’s Driving Distance

David Waite

Yana Jamieson 217 yards

Boat Challenge: Shravan Khanna

Varun Sood

Nearest the Pin

Hole # 4: Gary Black

Hole # 7: Amber Waite

Hole # 11: Sulafa Hamdan

Hole # 15: Anthony Dols

Straightest Drive

Hole # 10: Vishal Tikku

Longest Drive

Hole # 3: Parit Mehta

Maura Duggan Lady Captain 2016-2017

When Jacqui emailed me to ask if I would like to use my Lady Captain’s speech for my April column I was relieved as I’m absolutely shattered from all the March celebrations at the Club .. we had three parties in one week starting with the 25th Anniversary of the Indian Invitational on 10th, the Annual Members’ party on 14th and Captain’s Day on 17th (also St Patrick’s Day so a double celebration for us Irish). How wonderful it was to see so many people golfing and partying at Emirates!

I had a very anxious build up to my Lady Captain’s Day on 27th with three continuous days of thunderstorms and heavy rain, and all our plans to party on the terrace looked like they might have to be cancelled. However my prayers were answered and on a cloudy day with one light rain shower (typical Irish weather) the ladies took to the Majlis at 1.00pm.

As usual F&B went above and beyond expectations to make my day outstanding starting with the beautifully decorated terrace being a vision of green and white. The choices and the presentation of dishes was impeccable.

Once I had my speech delivered it was time to party and what a job the ladies did with the Lady Captain’s cabaret; it was a ‘This Is Your Life ‘ cum ceili (Irish dancing....Riverdance style). A lot of hard work and time had gone into preparing my show and I’m eternally grateful. We danced late into the night with DJ Phil playing lots of favourite songs and I had so much fun and very sore feet the next day.

Excerpts from my Captain’s Day speech

I would like to begin by thanking you all for rearranging family schedules, afternoons off work and travel plans to be here tonight to celebrate my Lady Captain’s Day with me. It is a few weeks earlier than usual, because when planning the calendar with Barney, we discovered that the regular date for Lady Captain’s Day fell on a DRY Monday and well…..I’m Irish so that was never going to work!

So thank you to Barney our Club Manager, who unfortunately can’t be with us tonight as he is travelling, for allowing me to have our party on this beautiful terrace after a fun round of golf on the magnificent Majlis. However it is hard to believe that I have spent the last three days praying for the rain to disappear.

I have been a member of three golf clubs before Emirates Golf Club. Clubs in Poland, the Czech Republic and Ireland and, as many of you are aware, I go home to my golf club in Dublin every summer and take part in the competitions there.

I would like to paint a picture for you of life at many golf clubs in Ireland…the game starts with trying not to injure yourself before you play as you wrestle with your golf trolley and bag and change into your golf shoes out of the boot/trunk of your car usually ducking into the driver’s seat to avoid the passing rain showers and praying it will be dry before you’re due on the first tee.

After putting on a few layers to keep warm and making sure to have your rain gear in your golf bag…water and snacks also as there are no huts on the majority of courses, it’s time to play, although we have had a taste of Irish weather this weekend!!

Contrast a day’s golf at Emirates Golf Club

- drive through the impressive entrance to a salute from our security - stop by bag drop to receive a friendly greeting and good luck wishes to play well from Benni and the boys - into the Clubhouse to be welcomed by Heba and the receptionists - on to the locker room where our hard working and every smiling team member led by Cecelia are so helpful - finally out to the driving range where Ummer and his staff have my bag and buggy ready for action Now that’s what I call 7 STAR SERVICE…and why I love Emirates Golf Club

As I mentioned during the Season Opener last October I could NOT have asked for a better partner to have beside me this year than Najla. She is a huge support and friend and whilst she is the life and soul of every party, she does take her role of Lady Vice-Captain very seriously. She is energetic, enthusiastic, very welcoming and I know we can all look forward to a wonderful season next year with Najla as Lady Captain.I would like to wish our Incoming Lady Vice-Captain, Sulafa Hamdan, every success - together they will make a great team. Thank you also to Past Lady Captain Helen Srivastava for your guidance and friendship over the last two years. I would also like to express my gratitude to Club Captain Vipen Sethi for his unwavering support to all my requests for help throughout the season

I have had a fantastic year so far with many cherished memories

- from the drive-ins with all the ladies dressed in green and singing Olé Olé Olé

- our Pink Ball Competition which raised so much for Breast Cancer Charity

- our Christmas celebrations with the many festive costumes, the highlight being Sue Hopwood prancing around in her reindeer costume much to the delight of the Ladies European Tour players and their caddies.

- a bear hug from our Omega Dubai Desert Classic Champion Sergio Garcia

- our staycation in Ras Al Khaimah where we had two fun days away. This was helped by the cozy spot we found that had a three hour Happy Hour! However I did get into trouble for not inviting Rhys along…so take note Najla!

- our roller coaster Inter-Club competition a few weeks ago where we came within ONE tiny point of reaching the Finals in Abu Dhabi and defending our title. Thank you ladies for playing and supporting the Inter-Club - you did Emirates Golf Club proud!

This is the thank you part of the speech and tonight is the only opportunity I get to publicly thank the amazing team we have working at Emirates Golf Club who take such great care of the ladies’ section:

- Barney Coleman, our Club Manager, whose door is always open; he is approachable, calm and ensures the ladies’ section thrives and continues to remain the largest ladies’ section in the region.

COMPETITION AT DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB

- Rhys, our hero, who hands out the Monthly Medals but deserves a medal himself for ensuring the ladies’ section runs like clockwork. He has had help this year from our new Interns Cian Hurley and William Tickell who have been a tremendous asset to Golf Operations.

- Nishanthi, the Lady Captain’s best friend, who is worth her weight in gold; she has a wealth of knowledge that a Lady Captain needs to constantly call upon. She is indispensable and everything she does is for the benefit of us ladies.

- the very large F&B team, who I have driven NUTS this week because of the weather. Thank you Steen, Chef Nicolas, Sri and all their colleagues; every week we are treated to a delicious meal served in the relaxed atmosphere of Le Classique by Thess and her team.

- Craig Haldane, our Golf Course Maintenance Director, and his crew who meticulously prepare both courses daily for us to compete on.

- Jacqui Barry, our Club Life editor, for her patience… in waiting for our monthly articles but more importantly for her passion for Emirates Golf Club

- Margaret Bain, our very first Lady Captain in 1988, who did such a great job they asked her to continue on for a second year as Lady Captain…… who played today and who can still party with the best of us.

- all our Golf Pros who help out with events and particularly to Alex Shedden for providing free clinics every Sunday for the ladies.

- Juan Kramer from Pro Sports, who takes care of Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Pro Shops. He is very new to Emirates but he has helped me with sponsorship of all our major events this year

- Chris May, CEO of Dubai Golf, who has been a strong supporter of all the activities within the ladies’ section including the Breast Cancer fund raisers on the Par 3. Chris made it possible for us to keep every dirham of the AED 150,000 raised over four years (2010-2014 for Breast Cancer Arabia) The list is endless …we have 350 junior colleagues who make life as a member of Emirates Golf Club so enjoyable.

I would like thank my family team of Frank, Darragh and Cian who have helped and constantly supported me throughout the last two years. Thankfully Frank is a better cook than I am so as long as the fridge was full there were no complaints, well not many!

Being Lady Captain continues to be an amazing experience, I feel honoured and privileged to be your Lady Captain; I have learned a great deal over the last two years and I thank each and every one of you for your support.

Finally, I would like to toast you, the ladies of Emirates Golf Club. You are simply the best!

Monday 6th March

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club hosted Emirates Ladies for our regular ladies’ morning event, as our course was closed due to the hosting of the BMW Amateur World Finals. RESULTS

Nearest the Pin In 2, hole # 3 Hyun Kyung Bae

Nearest the Pin hole # 8 Lynne Dickinson Longest Drive hole # 12 Veronica Elias

Noemy Bertoul and Carolyn Smylie

Ingrid Lind and Margaret Breen

Yana Jamieson and Caroline Granger

LADIES AMATEUR OPEN

(EGC)

(ARGC)

(ADGC)

MUIRHEAD WINS EMIRATES LADIES AMATEUR OPEN

Alison Muirhead from Emirates Golf Club was crowned the Emirates Ladies Amateur Open Champion after scoring a fantastic one-under par 71 on the Majlis course. Alison successfully defended her title having won last year, beating her previous winning score by a single stroke.

Alison’s nearest competitor and runner-up with a two-over par 74 was Cheng Kim

LADIES’ MONTHLY MEDAL

Monday 13th March 2017

Silver A

0 -14) Winner:

B

(Handicaps 15 - 23)

Runner-up: Sue Hopwood

Bronze Division (Handicaps 24 - 42)

Winner: Caroline Granger

Raffle Winner: Haide Wright

Chiang from Arabian Ranches Golf Club. In third place, and two shots further adrift was Chantal El-Chaib from Abu Dhabi Golf Club, who posted a gross 76.

In the net division, the winner was Emirates Golf Club member, Martha Wong who scored an excellent 69 net, beating Hyeonji Kang, also from Emirates Golf Club, with the better back nine score over

Sponsored By

a scorecard playoff. In third place was our Lady Captain, Maura Duggan, who shot a great score of 70 net, finishing one stroke behind.

Our sincere thanks to PING for again sponsoring this year’s championship. Congratulations to all of our winners on a day of great scoring and thank you to all the ladies who competed this year.

LADIES NATIONS CUP

SPAIN CLAIM VICTORY IN THE LADIES NATIONS CUP

Congratulations to the Spanish team, represented by Monica Palao and Gema Blanco, who shot a fantastic score of 44 points in this Pairs Betterball format. Spain clinched victory by a single point ahead of the Netherlands pairing of Ingrid Lind and Thea Hendrickx, who also played very well and scored 43 points. The Netherlands better back six holes score saw them claim the runners-up spot. In third place was the Korean team of Hyun Kyung Bae and Young OK Kim, again having carded 43 points!

Congratulations to all the prize winners and to all the ladies who took part and represented their countries! With 26 nations represented by over 60 ladies, the event was certainly a very well contested tournament.

Winners: SPAIN

Monica Palao

Gema Blanco 44 Points

Runners-up: NETHERLANDS

Thea Hendrickx

Ingrid Lind 43 Points

Third: KOREA

Hyun Kyung Bae

Young OK Kim 43 Points

LADY CAPTAIN’S DAY

Monday 27th March

Winners: Maureen Platt, Glory Xavier, Hannah Cheryl Alan, Amber Waite 108 Points

Runners Up: Fiona Berry, Ashley Anderson, Christiane Sprunck, Sue Hopwood 99 Points

Third: Gemma Blanco, Jacqueline Eiffe, Jacqueline Byat, Aisling Dekonski 97 Points

Guest Winners: Paula Savage, Wafa Abu Zeid, Lilian Yee, Vijaya Brahmachary

Guess the Captain’s Drive: Jayshree Gupta

Nearest the Pin

100 Points

Fiona Munro 161 Yard

Hole # 4 (Division B – Handicaps 15-36): Maureen Platt

Hole # 7 (Division A – Handicaps 0-14): Fiona Berry

Hole # 11 (Division B – Handicaps 15-36): Maria Petre

Hole # 15 (Division A – Handicaps 0-14): Jayshree Gupta

Nearest the Lady Captain’s Picture

Hole # 8:

LONGEST DRIVE

Jenny Ayres

Hole # 3 (Division B – Handicaps 15-36): Hannah Cheryl Alan

Hole # 12 (Division A – Handicaps 0-14): Amber Waite

Lucky Draw - Golf Bag Donated By Mitsuko: Hannah Cheryl Alan

MAURA DUGGAN’S LADY CAPTAIN’S DAY

This year’s Lady Captain’s Day was hosted by Maura Duggan for 72 players on the Majlis course. After a week of torrential weather, the luck of the Irish prevailed and the sun shone for the Lady Captain.

In traditional fashion, Maura hit the ceremonial drive on the first hole and competitors were invited to guess the distance. The two correct guesses were by Jayshree Gupta and Fiona Munro both correctly guessing 161 yards, winning a bottle of champagne each to toast the day.

As always, there were several on-course prizes to be won. Maureen Platt, Fiona Berry, Maria Petre and Jayshree Gupta won nearest the pin prizes, whilst Hannah Chery Alan and Amber Waite won longest drive prizes on the third and twelfth hole respectively. On the eighth hole Jenny Ayres won the prize for nearest the Lady Captain photo.

For the main competition, the guest prize went to the team of Paula Savage, Wafa Abu Zeid, Lillian Yee and Vijaya Brahmachary who scored 100 points. Third place went to the team of Gemma Blanco, Jacqueline Eiffe, Jacqueline Byat and Aisling Dekonski who scored 97 points, narrowly missing out on second place after the team of Fiona Berry, Sue Hopwood, Christiane Sprunck and Ashley Anderson scored 99 points. The winning team of this year’s Lady Captain’s Day was a team combining youth and experience, consisting of Maureen Platt, Glory Xavier, Hannah Cheryl Alan and Amber Waite who scored an excellent 108 points.

Congratulations to all prize winners and to our Lady Captain Maura Duggan for hosting an excellent day and evening of entertainment at the Club.

LADIES INTER-CLUB CHALLENGE - FIXTURE FOUR

Wednesday, 15th March 2017

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club played host to the final group fixture with first place, and a spot in the final to be held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, still to be played for. With multiple permutations possible, any one of teams from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Emirates Golf Club, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club and Abu Dhabi National Golf Club could still win the league, with a tie between all four teams on 10 points also not out of the question.

In the individual competition it was Ingrid Lind, from Emirates Golf Club, who fired three gross birdies on the difficult back nine to claim first place with a fantastic score of 37 points. In second place was Young Souk Choi, from Abu Dhabi Golf Club, who had 36 points. Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member Beatrice Galeppini used her home advantage wisely in

TALKER CUP

claiming third place also with 36 points, losing out to second place on a countback. With four on-course prizes available on the day, Karen Black and Noemy Bertuol claimed the nearest the pin prizes on the 8th and 14th respectively. Naima Maya won longest drive on the 4th with Haide Wright claiming straightest drive on the 17th.

In the team results, a single stableford point over the whole day’s play was pivotal in deciding the overall league winner. With eight of the best ten scores to count from each team, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club came fourth with a commendable 223 total, with Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club third on 232 points. A single point more was enough for Abu Dhabi Golf Club to claim second place on 233 points; however, an exceptional performance from Emirates Golf Club saw them claim victory on the day with a fantastic score of 245 points. It was that

extra point on the day by Abu Dhabi Golf Club that proved critical and avoided all teams finishing tied on 10 points. The three points that Abu Dhabi Golf Club earned for finishing second meant they claimed the league title, and a place in the final, finishing on 11 points. Tied in second place was Emirates Golf Club and Abu Dhabi City Golf Club on 10 points, with Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club finishing fourth on nine points.

After the prize presentation Joe Way, Dubai Creek’s Player Concierge, commented; “What a great morning of golf. It is amazing that the whole league can come down to a single stableford point, it really does show how important every single shot is in golf. Massive congratulations to Emirates Golf Club for their win on the day, and of course to Abu Dhabi Golf Club for winning the league. Best of luck in the final!”

PRIME LEGACY PRO-AM CUP

Saturday 4th March

Winners: Phil-ProSports

Bhupesh Sharma

Sameer Joshi

Nadir Mohammadi -21

Runners-up: David Gray

Ghanshyam Manghnani

Arjun Manghnani

Priyam Godiwala -15

Third: Daniel Hendry

Scott Macpherson

Darren Cole

Fran Cole -13

Nearest the Pin (Amateurs)

Hole # 7: Keith Prosser

Hole # 15: Walid Al Attar

Nearest the Pin (Professionals)

Hole # 4: Jonathan Craddock

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#emiratesgc

Awarding of AED 50,000 for EGC Junior Staff Fund

25TH INDIAN INVITATIONAL GOLF DAY

Friday 10th March

Once again the Indian members of Emirates Golf Club hosted a fantastic event with the greatest ever turn out in this event of 200 members marking this significant anniversary. The event was attended by the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Mr. Navdeep Singh Suri who was in high spirits interacting with the vibrant Indian and golfing community of Dubai.

Players were excited to play and were fortunate to have wonderful weather. Checkin registration was filled with laughter and smiles and the organisers were kept busy selling tickets to players for the evening raffle draw. By tradition, all proceeds of the raffle were given to Emirates Golf Club junior colleagues’ fund. There were also some delicious snacks on the course - Nando’s chicken at the 1st and 10th holes on the Faldo, Al Kabeer at the 4th and 12th holes on the Majlis, and Chef Bala’s Tea stall at the 1st and 10th holes of the Majlis. Players enjoyed the food as well as the game and everyone had a really good time.

The format was a 4-person team shamble and the winners were Andrew Robinson, Wendy Robinson, Glory Xavier and Hannah Cheryl Alan, having carded a fantastic score of 99 points! In second place came the team of Sanjay Dhandsa, Jatinder Chopra, Grant Thomas and Suneel Agarwal with a score of 94 points. Only one point further adrift in third place was Raj Janardhan, Chandru Manghnani, Selma Kehoe and Swati Singh. In overall fourth position, with a score of 92 points (and the better back 9 score), was the team of Ashok Odhrani, Anand Kapoor, Arathi Appaiah and Mimi Hosking. In fifth place also on 92 points was J.G. Lee, H.J. Park, Madhu Sharma and Archie Sharma. In honour of the 25th Anniversary of the tournament, there was a special 25th place prize and this was won by Lionel Smith, Rajesh Verma, Alniz Popat and Liz Agha with a score of 83 points.

On-course prizes were contested for and won by K.J. Singh for nearest the pin on the Majlis 4th hole. Rajinder Razdan was the winner on the Faldo 2nd hole. Tom Luig picked up the prize on the Majlis 15th hole

and Paryank Shah won nearest the pin on the Faldo 17th. On the Majlis 10th hole Sharat Seth won the straightest drive with David Thompson claiming the prize on the Faldo 5th hole. The longest drive winners were Fran Cole, on the Majlis 3rd hole and Alniz Popat on the Faldo 16th hole.

Thanks to the generosity of our Indian Community at the Club combined with all our other members, the prize raffle and donations raised approximately AED 50,000 for our junior colleagues; the cheque was presented to Dubai Golf CEO Chris May on the evening.

During the dinner a throwback video showcased the 25 wonderful years of this Indian Golf Day that brought back fond memories to everyone. Surender Kandhari, in his speech, remembered those dearly departed Club members in recent years, namely, Abraham Titus, Ashok Bakshi, Mike Gerbich and Russi Patel. A short ‘in memoriam’ video was also shown in appreciation of Russi Patel’s sponsorship of the first prize of this tournament since

its very first event. A plaque was then presented to his wife Mrs. Negrish Patel as a thank you memento for his support to this Indian Golf Day.

The organisers’ considerable effort of bringing 200 members together was appreciated by all members and the management and colleagues of the Club.

An integral part of the success of the tournament’s 25th event were its supporters. Cash contributors were Mac Singh, Anand Lakhiani, Manoj Kapur, Dalip Tripathi, Narendra Rawat, Pariank Shah, Vipen Sethi and BDO Patel. Raffle prize sponsors were Air Arabia, Lama Holidays, Emirates Golf Club, Baker and Mackenzie Habib Al Mulla, Media Rotana Hotel,

KGT Communications, Versons, Midcom, Trump Golf, and Pro Sports. Special contributors were George Khairallah of Promo Sports for the tournament shirts, Amit Radia of Atlas Printing for all tournament print materials, Nando’s Chicken, Al Kabeer, and Chivas Regal.

The organisers of this 2017 event, Vipen Sethi, Rekha Bandopadhyay, Jayshree Gupta, and Surender Kandhari did a tremendous job in making the event truly memorable. Emirates Golf Club Captain, Vipen Sethi, acknowledged the 25 years of personal efforts of Surender Kandhari in making the Indian Invitational Golf Day an annual event that is enjoyed by all.

Overall Winners: Andrew Robinson

Wendy Robinson

Glory Xavier

Hannah Cheryl Alan 99

Overall Runners-up: Jatinder Chopra

Suneel Agarwal

Sanjay Dhandsa

Grant Thomas 94

Overall Third: Raj Janardhan

Chandru Manghanani

Selma Kehoe

Swati Singh 93

Overall Fourth: Ashok Odhrani

Anand Kapoor

Arathi Appaiah

Mimi Hosking 92

Overall Fifth J.G. Lee

H. J. ParK

Madhu Sharma

Archie Sharma 92

25th Place Lionel Smith

Rajesh Verma

Alniz Popat

Elizabeth Agha 83

Nearest the Pin

Hole # 4 (Majlis): K.J. Singh

Hole # 2 (Faldo): Rajinder Razdan

Hole # 17 (Faldo): Paryank Shah

Hole # 15 (Majlis): Tom Luig

Straightest Drive

Hole # 5 (Faldo): David Thompson

Hole # 10 (Majlis): Sharat Seth

Longest Drive

Hole # 3 (Majlis): Fran Cole

Hole# 16 (Faldo): Alniz Popat

SPOTLIGHT ON DEBORAH CHANG

My name is Deborah Chang, and I was born in Busan, Korea on February 21, 2002. I came to Dubai about six years ago and I joined the Universal American School of Dubai. I started golf at the age of 11 and it has been four years since then. My Mom has driven me to fall in love with golf. The milestone of my first golf experience was at Al Badia Golf Club (which sadly closed down recently) and I joined Emirates Golf Club in April, 2016. I have lessons from Dong Lee every week but I practice every day for two to three hours and I play twice a week. I am also participating in the Elite Academy with Stephen Deane. I aspire to become a professional golfer one day and will strive to be one of the best.

THE ACADEMY JUNIORS

YELLOW HATS

The Yellow Hats junior group enjoying their weekly session with the Professionals at The Academy

TEE IT UP

Last month we successfully completed another Tee It Up activation with seven teachers from the Universal American School of Dubai. If any members are interested in what we are doing in schools, please contact us for more information or if you would like us to approach your children’s school to discuss this initiative.

The Tee It Up Vision

Through partnerships, our aim is to give all children between the ages of 6 and 16 the opportunity to experience golf in school for a sustained period of time through educational programmes before 2020.

Mission

The Tee It Up Initiative begins focusing on the age category of 6 to 9 years of age named Tee It Up Smash. The programme will provide all schools with the tools and training to activate the game of golf internally by 2020. Teachers and parents will be trained and qualified to activate the game internally through physical education sessions, lunchtime sessions or during afterschool activity sessions. Parents will play a key role in improving the grass roots culture of the game in the region learning firsthand what it takes to become competitive.

The Tee It Up programme has also developed a programme working with simulators to cater for the ages of 10 to 16 named Tee It Up Discover and Tee It Up Enhance. The Tee It Up Discover programme aims to give those children, who may not have experienced the game at all, to give it a try and Tee It Up Enhance provides students with the opportunity to enhance their golfing skills within school environments.

Jonathan Craddock

Come along to our family friendly weekend brunch with an Easter twist on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th April between 12 noon and 3pm at M’s restaurant.

Enjoy our live carvery brunch buffet along with plenty of Easter entertainment for the youngsters including a bouncy castle, PlayStation and movie corner, Easter egg hunt and egg painting, the best decorated egg on the day will receive a prize from the Easter bunny!

AED 165 per person inclusive of food and soft beverages

AED 335 per person inclusive of food and selected house beverages

AED 390 per person inclusive of food, selected house beverages and sparkling upgrade

AED 45 per child aged five to 12 years

To make a reservation, please call +971 4 417 9999 or email emiratesdining@dubaigolf.com

#teamdubaigolf #meettheteam

Meet Nishanthi, our Golf Operations Administrator at Emirates Golf Club who joined us over 22 years ago! She is a mastermind when it comes to Golf Operations and tournaments! Nishanthi has two children in Dubai and when she is not at work you will find her on the golf course working on her game. Her favourite dish is lasagne, an all time favourite for a lot of people.

Meet Maritess Gaona, Restaurant Supervisor at Emirates Golf Club. Originally from the Philippines, Thess has been at Dubai Golf for 16 years where she has worked as Captain in Le Classique and was recently promoted to Supervisor in the Spike Bar. When she is not at work, Thess enjoys cooking and dancing; her favourite music is love songs! Her favourite restaurant - Le Classique!!

Meet Mary Ann, our Senior F&B Events Coordinator at Emirates Golf Club! She has worked at the Club for six years, putting her signature flair on a range of events from small functions to large concerts! What are the top items on her bucket list? Skydiving and climbing the Himalayas!

Meet Edgar Clores, Assistant Outlet Manager at Le Classique. Originally from the Philippines, Edgar has worked at Emirates Golf Club for almost 20 years. Outside of work, he enjoys experimenting on a variety of dishes in the kitchen and taking his family on trips.

Edgar’s favourite type of music? Jazz!

Pro’s Tip of the Month

by GOLF Professional Dong Lee

ALIGNMENT

Hi, this is Professional Dong Lee. No matter what the level, every golfer struggles with alignment on the golf course… we all know that if you are not aimed properly you might hit the very best quality shot of the day but miss the fairway or green and possibly even end up in a water hazard or bunker so then scores could hit the roof.

Let me give you a self-correcting method to improve your alignment on the golf course

So now, I have full confidence of my intended target line so then I can swing my club with a positive attitude. At least if you know your alignment is correct then you know it is your swing not your alignment that has caused a shot to go off target.

*This method is not breaching any rule of golf unless you are taking too much time while going through this routine (can cause slow play) or if you are using any other spare clubs or alignment tools (using additional clubs or aids rule)

ACADEMY NEWS

The Ladies’ Programme is the perfect way to learn to play golf or brush up your swing in a fun and relaxed environment at The Academy! Over a period of eight or ten weeks, your group will be taken through various aspects of the game by your qualified Golf Professional. To book your lesson package, please contact 04 417 9845 or email emiratesacademy@dubaigolf.com or visit goo.gl/DRariH

Looking for an introduction into the game of golf? Register for The Academy’s signature beginners’ group programme ‘Learn Golf In a Week’, including four x 60 or 90 minute lessons covering the basic set-up, fundamentals and golf swing mechanics. All equipment will be provided if required. Register now by calling 04 417 9845 or email emiratesacademy@dubaigolf.com

The fascinating and aweinspiring story of ‘House of Patels’ (HOP) began in the year 1959 when I returned from the United Kingdom to India, all geared up with a vision of my own. I didn’t want to fill my father’s shoes in running the cap business and, instead, embarked on a long journey, creating multicore conglomerates on the way, with a well deserved reputation for strong business values, quality services and unflagging corporate excellence.

From a stenographer to a secretary to a salesman, I went on to logistics and on to my first consignment for Glaxo in 1959. This was the dawn of Patel Roadways Limited. A zest for success and a clear-cut vision drove me to transform Patel Roadways into one of the largest logistics companies in Asia with 1000 delivery outlets complemented by a workforce of over 7,500 people and ultimately creating a Brand ‘Patel Roadways Limited’, unparalleled in the Indian logistics industry in terms of reach and quality of service. The company is today a public limited company on the Mumbai Stock Exchange.

I was then able to take up my passion for golf. I remember getting my very first personal golf set from Hong Kong. It was the late 80s and from here on golf became my life! At that time, the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) and The Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai were THE clubs to be in. Both clubs were built in 1927 and 1933 respectively, and, being an ardent golfer, memberships to these prestigious clubs was obviously the natural course. In fact, the year 1997, saw the HOP proudly hosting The Wall Street Invitational Greensomes Golf Tournament in BPGC.

to serve Queen Elizabeth on her flight when the Queen visited India in 1961.

At that time, Yasmin’s sister Joan, an artist, was married to Eric Pereira the Director (UK & Europe) of Air India. Though initially in Geneva, they finally settled in UK. This saw us travelling to UK whenever we could, with golf on the old Scotland courses always on the itinerary.

The Family Way

In 1965, our course steered us into the family way and we were blessed with a son Riaz. Soon after we had our daughter Natasha, and then our youngest son, Areef. Riaz runs his own business, having secured an MBA degree from USA. Natasha is a homemaker whose first priority, like her mother, is her family, whilst Areef has now taken over the reins of the Logistics business. Areef too has several accolades with the first being at the age of six, when he was the youngest to have swum from Sunk Rock to the Gateway of India for the Swamy Mukadam Trophy in 1979, a distance of 6kms. He was the National Champion in his age group for India in swimming, squash and springboard.

Creating one brand was not enough and I was soon setting my sights beyond the boundaries of India. In 1982, the House of Patels entered the foreign exchange business in the UAE by setting up Wall Street Exchange Centre (WSEC). Expansion of this chain saw HOP going to London, Hong Kong, USA and Canada.

Back in the 80s, the retail courier business grew in leaps and bounds augmenting with it a corresponding need for consolidation of cargo for the string of courier companies across India. This gave me the idea that I could become the ‘courier of couriers’ and soon Patel On-Board Couriers Ltd. was soaring with success. The company went for an IPO in 1994 and was oversubscribed by 14 times at a premium.

By this time, the HOP had a fullyfledged, skilled team…a dream team. No doubt, it was the management skills of the seniors, the highly motivated and dedicated managers and the HRD who played the vital role in my success because I could leave the steering to them.

I managed all this because I had a wonderful wife - Yasmin. Yasmin, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Oliver, was a great intellect herself, having graduated with an MSc. in Chemistry and Biology. With her being Catholic and me being Muslim, our families were in fact against our marriage but the chemistry was just right and here we are, until today, our links cemented more than ever. In fact, in those days, we were ‘outcasts’ and had to fend for ourselves; those were tough days. Yasmin took up a job as an air-hostess and was selected

They say it is never easy to find a partner who is as crazy about a game as you – but not for me. My long time friend, business associate and fourball partner is Ashok Wadhwani who is a renowned architect. We have golfed together for over 20 years.

The experience gained in the construction business in India helped me to establish a thriving Real Estate business in Dubai in 2008. Yana Jamieson, member of our Club was the Managing Director of our company and she excelled in this business as she does in golf at Emirates Golf Club.

One of our acquisitions included the marketing and sales rights of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, MahaNakhon Thailand for India, GCC and Russia. Today, MahaNakhon stands as a magnificent edifice in the city of Bangkok in Sathorn District.It is an architectural marvel and the tallest building in Thailand. Indeed, a sight to be seen indeed.

augments the Group’s revenues.

To have a successful 50 years for any entrepreneur, is a long haul, particularly when I started with one truck and one vision. Now, having completed 77 years and having seen the Golden Jubilee year of the Patel Empire, one is to guess if I will hang up my boots and stick to my long time passion of golfing? In fact I am one of the few individuals in the world who can proudly boast of a rare achievement - not one or two, but three holes-in-one, one being on the Majlis course in Dubai in 2011.

In 2012, I had the good fortune of attending one of my best golfing holidays, courtesy of Chivas. It was hosted on the Archerfield Links, Scotland with my second hole-in-one achievement

(17th hole-163 yards). It was a fabulous tournament and holiday, for most of us a first in kilts! Golfing holidays are something I enjoy and hope to do many more in the coming years.

My third and most recent hole-inone was on hole 8 on the Faldo Course, Dubai in 2014. Without doubt, what I did, I did well

I have been a member of Emirates Golf Club in Dubai since 1997, a Club that is in fact my second home. I may be a high handicapper, but I try my best to improve the one thing I love most - golf!!. I must say I can hardly go a day without visiting Emirates Golf Club. A golf game a day keeps the unwanted elements away.

Bad times did come! However, not trounced by the devastating economic setback, I decided to make a foray in the Big Apple with Instant Cash a global, instant money transfer service. After procuring the required licences from the respective banking departments, Wall Street Finance LLC, USA and Wall Street Finance (Canada) Ltd. were started where I oversee the businesses to date. Despite the businesses being on a small scale together with an on-going economic crisis in USA, I manage to keep these two companies buoyant which

BIRDS OF THE EMIRATES

by Akhil Menon

Black-tailed Godwit

Scientific Name: Limosa limosa

Shot: Faldo

Date shot: February 2017

Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_godwit

Description:

The Black-tailed Godwits are long-billed shoreline birds and winter visitors to the UAE. They are seen to take pit-stops by the water bodies in the mainland; however, the birds are not very commonly seen at the Club. There are three sub-species which differ on the basis of the colour of their heads namely orange shaded, dull grey shaded and black/white shaded plumage. These birds have been noticed to breed all the way from Iceland, stretching across Europe and all of central Asia. Winters are spent by these birds in warmer regions such as the Indian Subcontinent, Western Europe and Africa.

In this species, the females are larger than the males with longer bills. The common call of the birds sounds like a strident weeka weeka weeka. Their breeding habitat is river valleys, floods at the edge of large lakes, damp steppes, raised bogs and moorlands. Secondary breeding habits have been noticed in grazing marshes, pastures and saline lagoons as well. Owing to almost 25% decline of these species in the past 15 years, they have been classified as near threatened.

At Emirates Golf Club, this bird was a rare spotting in February on the Faldo course. Since February, these birds have not been seen again.

DUBAI GOLF TRIUMPHS AT THE GOLF SERVICE INDUSTRY ‘OSCARS’

Dubai Golf had another outstanding evening at the seventh annual 59Club Awards held last month in UK by receiving six prestigious awards and further cementing its reputation as a world-class leading golf operator.

Regarded by many as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf service industry, the awards are designed to reward the top golf venues across all business elements – sales, service, operations, retail, food and beverage, and management – while 59Club’s industry benchmark, the Gold, Silver and Bronze Flags, recognise the finest membership clubs and commercial venues around the world, including The Belfry, Celtic Manor, Monte Rei and Gleneagles, as well as golf groups such as Marriott Golf and Arabella Golf.

Dubai Golf picked up the much coveted title ‘Golf Group of the Year’ title for a third consecutive year while both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club received a Gold Flag award. Emirates Golf Club also took the award for the ‘Ultimate Members Club’, an honour given to the venue, which leads the average scores of all those receiving a Gold Flag.

Both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club also took home an esteemed Gold Flag award while Dubai Golf’s highly respected Director of Golf Course Maintenance, Craig Haldane, left with the award for ‘Greenkeeper of the Year’. Barney Coleman, Club Manager at Emirates Golf Club picked up the highly

contested accolade of ‘Golf Manager of the Year’.

The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at The Belfry Resort, England, celebrating the achievements of the very best individuals, teams and venues within the golf industry, while 22 golf venues saw their commitment to continued quality recognised with the award of a prestigious ‘flag’.

Mustafa Al Hashimi, Chief Hospitality & Leisure Officer of wasl Asset Management, owner of Dubai Golf, commented, “This is a fantastic achievement for Dubai Golf, further cementing its reputation as world-class amongst a host of leading international golf resorts and clubs. Dubai Golf is committed to continually raising the levels of service on offer, ensuring our Clubs remain a top choice destination for UAE residents and tourists alike.”

Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Golf added, “We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to service excellence at this prestigious Award Ceremony once again. The teams at both Clubs have focused on improving the service in every area, and it is rewarding to see this compare favourably to some of the best golf operations in the region and overseas.”

Simon Wordsworth, Chief Executive at 59Club and a fellow of the PGA, said: “Our congratulations go out to the Dubai Golf group on their outstanding achievements

during 2016. The group claimed two of our most highly-prized titles, ‘Best Golf Group of the year’ and for the Emirates, ‘The Ultimate Members Club’. Both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek & Yacht Club received two converted ‘Gold Flag’ awards in recognition of their ability to offer excellence in terms of the facilities and service afforded to golfers. A special mention to Barney Coleman, who was named ‘Golf Manager of the Year’ and Craig Haldane, who received the ‘Greenkeeper of the Year’ award. The awards are based on the ability to offer an excellent customer experience across all business elements; seeing Dubai Golf scoop six awards further demonstrates the group’s commitment to consistently deliver the very best customer experience – we are very proud to work with them and we look forward to assisting the group to push the boundaries”.

59Club is fast becoming the industry standard for measuring and comparing customer-service levels and analysing all key revenue streams for golf venues, and is committed to the on-going development of club managers and PGA professionals.

The unique benchmarking and training service has already benefited hundreds of PGA members and golf course operators. The services include a series of mystery shopper recorded-enquiry calls and live visits, followed up with regular analysis and training to ensure venues can identify trends and compare, improve, or maintain, service standards.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPECIAL GREEN FEES AT OUR RECIPROCAL GOLF CLUBS

Planning a trip abroad? Why not take advantage of your membership with our reciprocal offers at some exceptional golf clubs around the world, providing members with special rates on green fees.

All full golf members at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club can take advantage of member’s guest green fees at the following golf clubs:

• Australia, Victoria - Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club

• China, Hong Kong - Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club

• China - Mission Hills

• China, Hong Kong - The Hong Kong Golf Club

• Czech Republic - Royal Golf Club, Marianske Lazne

• Albatross Golf Resort, Czech Republic

• England - Centurion Club

• England - Close House Hotel & Golf

• England, Surrey - Foxhills Club & Resort

• England - London Golf Club

• Germany - Münchener Golf Club

• India, Gurgaon - DLF Golf & Country Club

• Japan - Taiheiyo Club

• Mauritius - The Heritage Golf Club

• Scotland - Archerfield Golf Club

• Scotland - The Duke’s, St Andrews

• Spain, Barcelona - Real Club de Golf el Prat

• Singapore - Laguna National Golf & Country Club

• Thailand - Banyan Golf Club

• Thailand - Blue Canyon Country Club

• UAE, Abu Dhabi - Yas Links

• UAE, Dubai - Jumeirah Golf Estates

If you would like to make a booking, tee time reservations should to be made in advance through the Membership Services team. When checking in for your round at the reciprocal club a valid membership card should be produced.

For further information please contact Membership Services at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on ODMello@dubaigolf.com or Emirates Golf Club on VDaniel@dubaigolf.com

GREENKEEPER’S CUTTINGS

Dear Members,

It’s been a busy few weeks post tournament and the team have been actively working on surfacing some of the green surrounds on the Majlis Course in particular. As mentioned before, with the additional stresses of hosting events. we experienced a few issues on the cleanup passes on greens. This is as a result of a combination of stresses; however, our primary goal is to get back to full coverage which is now almost complete. This will allow a full season of grow-in and certainly presents a lot better than before.

With cart traffic back on, you will unfortunately notice some specific wear and tear areas developing. We simply encourage you to please drive sensibly and avoid driving over already weakened turf wherever possible. We are trying to minimise roping this season both for presentation and for the golfer’s experience. Your assistance in this regard will be very welcome.

Both courses are being enjoyed by one and all and the team continue to put a lot of effort in on a daily basis to keep them in the best possible shape for you to enjoy. We trust you enjoy the remainder of the golfing season!

Good golfing!

Craig Haldane Director - Golf Course Maintenance

EGF MEMBERS – HANDICAP OBLIGATIONS

In order for the EGF handicap system to work in the way it was designed, EGF card holders have the following obligations:

1. Every round of golf a member plays should be registered in the Golfers Card system with the following information:

• The course played

• The tees played

• 9 or 18 holes

• The category of game played (tournament or general play)

**Please note that all games when you are playing your own ball for the entire round MUST be registered and the score recorded. Examples of when you would NOT register your game would be when playing a Scramble, Greensomes, or Foursomes format or when you are playing on your own with no other players to verify your score.**

EGF MEMBERS – HOW TO REGISTER YOUR SCORE RULES BY RHYS

Registering your round

The registration of a round can only be done in person at the Club and should be done prior to your round. You may register a round at the golf reservations desk, the Golfers Card terminals outside the locker room or at the starter’s hut at the first tee.

If you have forgotten your EGF card or number then registration can be completed by quoting your surname or Golfers Card membership number to a reservations team member or to the starter. Upon registration please inform the colleague of the number of holes and type of game e.g. holes 1 to 18, 1 to 9, or 10 to 18. Category: G for General or T for Tournament game.

2. When playing the game, golfers must always try to score as best they can.

3. An accurate score should be recorded in the Golfers Card system every time a game is played.

4. The score recorded in the system is the one calculated after Equitable Stroke Control is accounted for and this is your Adjusted Gross Score (explanation and table below).

5. If a player starts but does not complete a hole or the hole is conceded then the player must record the most likely score for that hole for the purpose of their handicap. The most likely score on any hole cannot exceed the equitable stroke control limit.

6. If 13 or more holes are played, the player must post an 18 hole score. If 7 to 12 holes are played, the player

must post a 9 hole score. In either case, scores for the holes not played must be recorded as par PLUS any handicap strokes that the player is entitled to receive on the holes not played (net par).

Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) to calculate the Adjusted Gross Score

Equitable Stroke Control is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for HANDICAP purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on a hole depending on the players course handicap. ESC is only used when a players’ actual score or most likely score exceeds the players’ maximum allowance on that hole. It is this Adjusted Gross Score that must be entered into the Golfer’s Card system. The ESC limits for a hole can be viewed in the table below:

Recording your score - two ways

(Please note you are to record all scores when playing your own ball for the entire round unless you are playing alone).

1. Enter score at Handicap Terminal at respective club:

• Swipe your card or enter your player details at the terminal outside the locker rooms

• Click on ‘View O/S games’ (outstanding games)

• Enter which tees you played from

• Enter your Adjusted Gross Score taking into account the ESC table attached in the ‘EGF Members –Handicap Obligations’ document

2. Enter your score online:

• Log on to www.golferscard.ae

• Click the tab MEMBERS

• Type in your Golferscard membership number (not your Emirates Golf Club membership number)

• Type in your password

• Now you can enter a score for a previously registered round at the club within 72 hours

Failure to enter your score within 72 hours after your game was registered means you will receive a ‘penalty score.’ A ‘penalty score’ equates to your best score in your playing record.

You may also print off handicap certificates from this site.

SPORT2BUSINESS

Sport2Business Golf Society play on the Faldo each week and they have played every Monday at Emirates Golf Club for the past four years, even through the summer.

We play nine holes every Monday from 6.05pm – 7.15pm on the Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club with an option of also playing 18 holes, teeing off around 4.30pm

Sport2Business Golf Society has a promotional video, directed by Kristi Sealey. Here’s the link to the video: https://app.frame.io/f/y6Wxkw8H

GolfGameBook Ambassador

We are now proud ambassadors of the golf scoring App called GolfGameBook. We use this application every week and part of our agreement is to get everyone in our society to download it. Each time our members play, their results are logged into the system to check out whenever they want.

To join Sport2Business society, we charge a joining fee of AED 150 This goes towards the running of the society.

The aims, rules and objectives of the Sport2Business society:

COMPETITIVE

- to create a regular, competitive, multicultural golf society (handicap limit men 24/ladies 28) with its own handicap system that aims to spread the rewards (i.e winners get cut and strugglers get shots back). We have weekly winners and we run 12-week eclectic events as well as the monthly and weekend competitions.

EASY TO USE

- to make the society inexpensive and easy to use so if members are available they can play but they do not need to commit to play every week.

RESPECTFUL NETWORKING

- to add an on-going element of professional networking to the society where members stay around in the comfortable M’s bar to discuss golf, business and life. We do not want too many business presentations but we do embrace moderate sponsorship should people want to create an awareness within the society of their personal and company expertise. Turret Media Holdings

(represented by Richard Hease), Yeomans Executive (Russell Yeoman’s search firm), Fairmont Hotels (represented by Omar Souab), Audio Visual Entertainment (represented by Dave Minchin), Credence International (Represented by Mark Boyes) and Barclays Bank(represented by Darren Hooker and Gavin Pearson) are our current sponsors as you will see on hats, shirts, websites and emails.

SOCIAL ROLL UP

- to maintain a set of values within the society based on respect for each other and for the rules of golf, friendliness to welcome all newcomers, overseas visitors etc and openness to play with anyone within the society and not just with members’ chosen golf buddies.

LIVE LIFE BETTER

As well as golf, we arrange quarterly social outings for players and their families, mainly at Fairmont venues to support the sponsorship. We also encourage ‘other halves’ to join us in playing in the society or if not, to join us for drinks on Monday evenings.

SPORT2BUSINESS ;SOME FACTS

• it is a 9 hole competition that runs every Monday on alternative 9s of the floodlit Faldo Course

• the weekly tournament is supplemented by a 12 week eclectic to ensure there is always something to play for

• we have not missed a Monday evening for over four years (even through the summers)

• true roll up to ensure the social and networking aspects are genuinely maintained, M’s is always buzzing on Monday evenings!

• regular overseas visitors with smatterings of elite sportsmen joining in (David Howell, JP Fitzgerald, Trevor Steven, Apollo Peregrini, Daffyd James, Colin Charvis)

• prizes and ongoing support from brands such as Fairmont Hotels, DWC (now Dubai South), tmh, Barclays, Yeomans Executive, AVE, iPro, gamebook, Full Circle Design, Akram Skaik, Credence International, Fenix and Oncourse golf.

• S2B members have had holes-in-one on all par 3’s (2nd Russell Yeomans 8th Obe & Kristi Sealey, 12th Filip Ranebo, 17th Pedro Kafie

• best eclectic gross recorded is 58 by James Yeomans and Simon Earl

• best gross front 9 – James Yeomans 32, best back 9, Randall Mohammed 31

• we have 10 to 40 participants every Monday…..and growing

• we organise monthly weekend events at various courses around the Emirates

• most importantly, long lasting business and social relationships are formed through the members.

• the society has been managed and run by the staff of Yeomans Executive, a boutique executive search firm.

• we are always well supported by the management of Emirates Golf Club who have appreciated the business and the growing number of Emirates Golf Club members participating; they are recommending the society to new members to help induct them into the membership and enhance their membership experience.

MEMBERS’ ANNUAL PARTY SPEECH BY CLUB MANAGER BARNEY COLEMAN

Ladies & Gentleman,

Good evening and welcome the to the 29th Annual Members’ party.

As you are aware, back in November I was appointed Club Manager and it was the proudest moment of my career and I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to manage such an iconic Club. The response I received from you, our members, was humbling and I thank you for your support and encouragement

Let’s take a look back over the past 12 months … this is now very easy to do with social media platforms covering the Club’s highlights.

The last Members’ party was 30th March 2016 … if on that evening at approximately midnight I told you that in 12 months time…

Gerbich trophy and Akash Kumar clinched the inaugural event.

and 250 covers throughout the Club.

The new cart fleet (170) arrived equipped with a new GPS system keeping our desert areas free from traffic!

During the Omega Dubai Desert Classic week, Craig’s team presented our Majlis in fantastic condition and once again lived up to our Dubai Golf core value of innovation with 300 yard targets in the fairways to improve spectator experience.

Tiger returned to the Middle East and to our Desert Classic but his back once more gave way resulting in his early exit.

Winds stopped play on Desert Classic Friday and Golf Course Maintenance crew worked through the night to remove every leaf that was out of place. Sergio triumphed on the Sunday.

Awards

Dubai Golf won the Golf Group of the Year Award

We won the Ultimate Members’ Club award

- Britain would vote to leave Europe - Donald Trump would be President of USA - Leicester City would win the Premiership - and Mike Tracey’s Fit Lab programme would get him back into 32 inch jeans ... then you might have told me to slow down on the red wine!

As you are all aware, our Club is vibrant and full of activity from one year to the next and I wanted to share with you some of this season’s highlights. ..

- April 2016: Club Champion Ed Hesson and Deborah Chang clinched the 2017 Ladies Club Championship last week.

Current Matchplay Champions are :

- Tony Azoulay and Veronica Elias

- Nitin Kripalani and Surjit Namli

- Josie Tracey and Yana Jamieson

- Carolyn and Nigel Thomson

Our ladies’ section, led by Helen and Maura won the Ladies’ Inter-Club Championship, followed by Team Europe taking the glory in the 25th Anniversary Curtisy Cup.

The Dubai Golf Trophy, an annual Ryder Cup style event, witnessed the Amateur Team beat the local Professionals for only the third time in 17 years. A star of the team was Dubai Golf junior member Rayhan Thomas who went on to win the MENA tour event at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and to make the cut in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Summer 2016 saw our Emirates Central once more turned into Football Central to host the Euros … Iceland knocked out England … Wales made the semis and Ronaldo’s Portugal clinched the title!

We lost one of our favourite Past Captains in Mike Gerbich, the day before the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Honorary member and past Omega Dubai Desert Classic Champion, Henrik Stenson, clinched the title and dedicated his victory to ‘The Gerb’. The Engineers Cup became the Mike

Our Spike Bar hosted over 600 members and guests to watch USA win the Ryder Cup at Hazeltinee. Pete Cowen coached seven of the 24 players …. a little plug for our Golf Academy there!

The ladies’ section once again reinforced their claim as the biggest and best ladies’ section in golf throughout the region and beyond.

The Pink Ball Golf Day saw 100 players on the course and AED 58,200 being raised for Breast Cancer Awareness. Well done Maura and Najla!

Andy Meech, our Head of Sport and Leisure, won the Sport 360 Fitness Manager of the Year .. on this occasion, he collected the award minus the crutches! On that note I am delighted to announce this evening that the company Up and Running will be taking over from Bespoke Wellness.

In December Shan Shan Feng won her fourth Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title.

The highlight of the year for me was in December when one of our colleagues won the Service Man of the Year at the MEGA awards. This rock of our Golf Operations receives praise from all over the globe..

Mike Stewart (Tournament Director of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and events across the globe), recently dropped me a note stating “I still can’t believe how good your guys are”. I would like to say a big thank you and congratulations to Ummer, our Golf Operations Supervisor, for his magnificent 26 years of dedication and winner of this award. He also won wasl employee of the year today! Congratulations to another recipient of a wasl award today for Manager of the Year (corporate) which went to Ganesh at Dubai Golf Publishing. Congratulations.

The Majlis won best course over AED500 in the Middle East Golf Awards.

Chef Nicholas and his team delivered on Christmas Day with 120 turkey take-aways

Dubai Creek and Emirates Golf Club were both awarded a Golden Flag Award for service excellence.

Craig Haldane won Greenkeeper of the Year

A Service Culture programme is now in its third year at Emirates Golf Club and two of the core Dubai Golf values are innovation and passion.

Innovation - the Legacy Prime Pro-Am series offering members the chance to play in a Pro-Am once a month.

Passion - Surender, Vipen, Rekha and Jayshree for putting heart and soul into the Indian Invitational each year.

The Indian Invitational saw 200 members playing over both courses and the sum of AED 50,000 being raised for our junior colleagues.

Finally, some thank yous…

First and foremost, to you, our members, for choosing to spend your valuable leisure time with us at Emirates Golf Club.

…to my colleagues, Chris, Craig, Rhys, Ahamed, Hari, Steen, Miles, Pansy, Anil, Ramani, Nic, Luke, Sayed, Kirsten, Stephen, Willie, Andy, Suyash, Fiona and Ganesh.

…to wasl for their support of the Club.

…to the Members’ Consultancy Committee – Sanjay, Andrew, Tom, Veneet, Mike and Sulafa.

…to Jacqui Barry for producing our excellent Club Life magazine each month.

..to Falcon Golf which sees us entering an exciting future as they continue the excellent work of Mohammed Juma Buamim and David Spencer to take the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to new heights.

…to Captains Vipen and Maura, a massive thank you!

Dear Members,

What a start for the first quarter within the Sport and Leisure Department. I have great news in advising you that Up and Running will be joining the team and heading up the Sports Rehabilitation Centre.

For those of you who are not aware, Up and Running, in my opinion, is the best Sports Rehabilitation Company within the UAE. Anna Zickerman is the owner and she is one of the leading pioneers in the UAE. Anna has a wealth of experience within the industry and has built an unbelievable team around her and we are very proud to welcome them to the Club. They will be operational from next month so please contact me or my team for further information or to make a booking.

The whole idea of bringing companies like this on board at Emirates Golf Club is so that you, as a member, do not have to go anywhere else for your health and fitness needs as everything is at your disposal at the Club as you have the following on offer: - top personal trainers, a great spa in Sensasia, a fantastic Tennis Academy, Padel Tennis, Elite Squash Academy, Aquatics Academy, a wide variety of classes that includes Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Insanity, HIT, TRX, Circuits, Karate, Dance and, to complement all of this, we now have Up and Running and also Roseleaf Café joining.

PLEASE WELCOME OUR LATEST PERSONAL TRAINERS TO THE FIT LAB TEAM

VINCENT MAYNARD

BSc Sport Rehabilitation, NASM Golf Specialisation Fitness

Vincent’s passion for health and exercise started from an early age when he spent most of his time playing sports and then went on to learn more about it at school and college by studying sports science.

In 2007 he went to St Mary’s University College in London and studied Sport Rehabilitation. He has been very fortunate to work at professional football and rugby clubs providing everything from treatments to strength and rehabilitation training. After gathering a wealth of knowledge back in UK, Vincent moved to Dubai in 2013 to pursue his career at a sports performance facility where he provided sports therapy and specialised training programmes for elite athletes. From there he moved to a sports injury clinic where he spent time learning from physiotherapists and sports doctors, enabling him to train through a variety of complex cases as well as broadening his training styles.

Vincent ensures that training for everyone is specific for that person. Each person has different needs from training so sessions will be tailored to their goals. Working closely with the Golf Professionals at Emirates Golf Club, he can provide sessions which closely follow the swing mechanics and ultimately improve your golf game.

ELIANE GITANI

BSc Sport Rehabilitation, NASM Golf Specialisation Fitness

Eliane Gitani received her Level III and IV in Fitness from the Australian Institute of Fitness (REPS7728 Level 3), and is a qualified pre and post natal personal trainer. Fluent in four languages (English, French, Arabic, and Spanish) Eliane’s approach to training is that it should be fun and functional, making sure that her clients achieve their goals and enjoy working for towards them.

PILOGA - NOW AT FIT LAB!

Piloga is a Pilates and Yoga studio located in downtown Dubai. We aren’t your normal yoga studio, we are known to break tradition by having the most innovative and high quality fitness and yoga classes in Dubai. We believe in movement, and letting our guests achieve their goals at a realistic pace. Our goal is to have our guests leave smiling after a class. Piloga’s motto describes how we want our guest to feel after leaving a class; “Walk an inch taller”. This means you walk the walk, leaving our studio and classes with your own swagger and with tight, toned and stretched muscles.

We currently provide corporate yoga and/or Pilates to Four Seasons Jumeriah Beach Resort, Meraas Holding, Aveda (the galleria mall), Emaar, DP and Schön Properties.

REFORMER CLASSES

In small groups of six, students receive personalised attention while being led through a workout designed to challenge endurance, flexibility and overall strength. This class is designed to work the deepest abdominal muscles while sculpting your legs, butt, arms and back significantly. Reformer classes have proved to be extremely popular and fill up well in advance, so contact the studio to reserve your space early on!

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

Barbara Van Meir is our Member of the Month for March. Barbara is a regular gym user and fully deserves the award. Credit to you Barbara and keep up the great work. All the best - Fit Lab Team

ELITE SQUASH TOURNAMENT WINNERS

Healthy Regards

Andy Meech Head of Sports & Leisure

TENNIS

ZATA in partnership with Elite Tennis Academy continue to operate a well organised tennis programme at Emirates Golf Club catering for all age groups and levels.

The ladies’ mornings on Mondays and Thursdays have been a huge success with last month being our best turnout ever so far this year. The sessions take place from 8.00-10.00 and are purely doubles match play based and the highest attendance and match play point scorers will be rewarded at the season end.

We also host three annual events for the ladies to compete in, namely the Breast Cancer Foundation, Christmas and end of season tournaments when winners and runners-up are rewarded with prizes.

ZATA and Elite Tennis Academy are also currently working on hosting an Open Ladies prize money tournament to be part of the official Tennis Emirates Calendar, which should take place towards the end of April.

TEE & SAND WEDGES FROM THE PRO SHOP

THE IDEAL GIFT.

Ping 50th Anniversary putter

If you are looking to buy something special, this Anser putter is the gift for this year. Yes, it’s more expensive than an ordinary production putter, but it is so much more than a club you putt with. The putter lover will gush over this limited release. The PING 50th Anniversary Anser putter brings the history of Karsten Solheim and his sons with it. The design set the stage for so many putters that came in the decades after its inception. It speaks for the brilliance of the initial design, and also to PING’s work to make that design better in the years that followed. The Anser is the foundational putter design for the past fifty years, and it is the “most copied” equipment design perhaps in all of golf. Just imagine if it never happened.

APRIL SPECIAL OFFER

Titleist Pro v Golf Balls buy 3 dozen and get 1 free! (members discount does not apply)

WHAT’S NEW

Scotty Cameron has launched the new Futura ’17 putter range from rounded mid-mallet to high-tech, high- MOI larger mallets. The 2017 Futura family is a cohesive line up for tour proven shapes and configurations with enhanced stability and forgiveness and improved alignment features.

The new range of Scotty Cameron Putters is available in the Pro Shop. Retail price- AED 2400.00 (members discount 20%)

A fun fact on how the Ping putter got its name: The name was inspired by Karsten’s desire to find an answer to name the popular putter of the time. His wife, Louise, suggested he call it ‘Answer’ but Karsten was concerned it was too long to fit on the toe of the putter. She suggested he leave out the W and the rest is history!

SPECS: PING 50TH ANNIVERSARY ANSER

Material: Sand-cast manganese bronze with tungsten plugs

Head Weight: 350g

Grip: PING PP58 by Golf Pride

Shaft: True Temper High-step

Number Produced: 775 from each mold

Recommended Retail Price: AED 4,250.00

CUSTOM

FITTING WITH FRANK

Get Fitted with Frank

With golf club equipment and golf balls changing so often, it is very important to find the right set that suits your game. Test your clubs with our Senior Custom Fitting Specialist (Frank) to see if your clubs are set up correctly. Using the latest Trackman technology test the newest equipment from the leading brands including Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.

For more information on custom fitting or to book your slot please see our Golf Shop associates and ask for Frank.

19th Hole Snippets

The Champions’ Club wall has a new addition .... great to see the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner Sergio Garcia add his Taylor Made M1 Driver to the Champions’ Wall!

It was great to see Colin Montgomerie at Emirates Golf Club last month as he took a shot from the same spot as his 1996 European Tour Shot of the Year on the Majlis 18th fairway, which won him the Dubai Desert Classic Trophy 21 years ago! Thanks Monty, for walking us through how to play the Majlis 10th, 11th and 18th holes after the final round of the BMW Golfsport Cup International World Final!

HOLE-IN-ONE

Arathi Appaiah Majlis 11th 21st March 2017

Emirates Golf Club was honoured to welcome Mr. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, internationally renowned speaker, visionary and one of India’s 50 most influential people. The founder of Isha Foundation was in Dubai last month to launch his new book and he was the recent recipient of the Padma Vibhushan in India (the second-highest civilian honour by the Government of India awarded to only one citizen annually from a population of 1.3 billion people!)

Congratulations

27TH MARCH QUIZ WINNERS

Congratulations to team Shy Ted who won the Spike Bar Quiz Night on 27th March, followed by teams Happy Hookers and Tequila Mocking Birds!

Great to have Joe Miller, two time World Long Drive Champion, at Emirates Golf Club, smashing a drive on the Majlis 8th last month as he made it 60 yards from the green from the black tees

LADIES THAT BRUNCH!

Every Friday from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, enjoy contemporary French food and beverages at Le Classique, Emirates Golf Club.

Ladies exclusive offer

Food, pink beverages, selected house beverages and grape AED 290

Unlimited food AED 195 per member, AED 215 per member’s guest, AED 235 per guest

With selected grape AED 355 per member, AED 385 per member’s guest, AED 405 per guest

With selected house beverages and grape AED 395 per member, AED 415 per member’s guest, AED 435 per guest