20 Professionals and 60 Amateurs competing alongside each other, as Bjørn’s team took top spot with 92 stableford points. Bjørn helped his team to victory after a superb round of four under par, consisting of 8 birdies.

David Laing, David Gowans, Candice Wang, and Anish Bhatia secured the runner-up spot, with a very respectable score of 86 points.

Leading the individual PGA Professional category, after a round of level par 71, which consisted of 15 pars, was Dubai Creek’s Director of Golf, Michael Major.  Tied in second place with three over 75s were Matt Rice, Louis Gaughan, and Jules Lompech. Rounds of four over 75s, was enough to guarantee tied sixth position for the following four professionals, Hassine Wallani, Purna Sharma, David Gray, and Stuart Smith.

On Course Competitions:
Nearest The Pin – Hole 5 – Nelly Shani
Straightest Drive – Hole 12 – Candice Wang

After the prize presentation, Trisha Kumar, Assistant Golf Services Manager, said: “Congratulations to all of our winners and of course to to Thomas Bjørn for shooting a very impressive score of four under par! Thank you as always to Lincoln for their continued support to Dubai Creek. We look forward to seeing you all back soon!”

Image: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

The post Thomas Bjørn’s team wins Dubai Creek Lincoln Dubai Golf Pro-Am appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Trump triumph over JGE
Trump International prevailed over Jumeirah Golf Estates 5.5-2.5 to advance to the final of the Emirates Golf Federation scratch league.
Dom Morton and Tom Hoban were the stars as they secured the victory.

Ahmed Al Marar. DDF

Ahmed Al Marar claims Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup
More than 40 Emiratis teed it up for the 28th Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup at Montgomerie Golf Club on Saturday, with Ahmed Al Marar winning with a stableford score of 34 points, ahead of Amir Al Barki and Rashed Al Jassmy. In the Ladies’ Division, Alia Al Emadi claimed victory with 33 points.

Sami Butt. SGSC

Sami Butt prevails in Sharjah
The final Monthly Medal of the season took place on Saturday at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club with Sami Butt winning with a level-par 72 which proved to be enough to win not only on the day but also both the net and gross season-long Order of Merit titles.

Tariq Al Suwaidi with Shiba Wahid (Lady Captain) and Gene Cha (Men’s Captain). Dubai Creek

Tariq top of the Creek
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s latest Monthly Medal was claimed by Tariq Al Suwaidi, with a two-under 69, as best gross was claimed by Obediah Ayton with and even-par 71.
In the Men’s Division A, Michael Mcginley took top spot and Saqib Mahmood won Division B. The Ladies Division was won by Roma Khanna.

The winners! Arabian Ranches

McGettigan is the star at Ranches
Barry McGettigan won the Arabian Ranches medal with a 75 gross, narrowly beating out Raymond Logan  and Steven Bennett by a stroke.
In the Net A Division for handicaps 0-12, Markus Hacker won on a countback on 68, followed by Craig Gibson.

Marc Begg and Abhishek Rana. JGE

Begg and Rana the Texas toast at JGE
Marc Begg and Abhishek Rana defended their title at the Jumeriah Golf Estates Members and Colleagues tournament. Prevailing over 46 teams, the pair claimed the Texas Scramble event with a, 11-under net 61, just ahead of Kieran Casey and Bhupendra Thapa.

Ravi Khanna. JGE

Ravi revels on Fire Course
It was a busy time as the season nears its end at Jumeirah Golf Estates, and the OMA Emirates Medalford on the Fire course was won by Ravi Khanna with a net 66. The winner of the Gents Division A was Ben Wise. The Gents Division B crown went to Manu Chauhan as Mitsuko Emmerson claimed the Ladies Division.

The post The Gulf Club: All the latest from around the UAE and beyond appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In 2022, once again it is living up to expectations.

Now in its 23^rd year, the Dubai Golf Trophy pits the UAE’s top 16 professional players against the top 16 amateurs in the region. Each team consists of 12 automatic qualifiers from the season-long UAE PGA tournaments and qualifying Emirates Golf Federation events across the UAE. Both team captains have an additional four ‘wildcard’ picks, and two ladies are selected to compete in the Dubai Golf Trophy Ladies Challenge Match to complete both sides.

The event is one of the highlights of the UAE golf calendar and closely follows the Ryder Cup format, where Europe’s finest take on the formidable talent of the United States. Just like the famous transatlantic clash, the Dubai Golf Trophy once again sees two teams of 16 battle it out in the team matches and then 16 matchplay singles.

The action began on Sunday at Dubai Creek with the morning foursomes and the pros held a slender lead by lunch, with opening pair Sujjan Singh and Michael Bolt getting the better of Toby Bishop and Jay Mullane to lead the charge on the way to a 4.5-3.5 advantage.

But it was all square when Hugo Garcia and Sam Mullane got the first point of the afternoon fourballs for the amateurs — defeating Olivia Jackson and Luke Plumb 3&2 — once again heaping the pressure back on the pros.

It was getting worse by the minute for the pro team as Liang Wei Lui and Jamie Rosalyn Camero were cantering to a 5&4 victory over Lea Poulliard and Ginger Delacretaz in the Ladies Challenge Match to get the amateurs’ noses in front.

Yash Majmudar and Raghav Gulati claimed a 1-up win over Thomas Ogilvie and Tom Buchanan, and amateur captain Khalid Yousuf alongside Max Burrow defeated Oscar Yeomans and Louis Gaughan 1-up to hand the amateurs a healthy advantage.

However, the rest of the scoreboard was blue to give the pros hope, with Jack Woods and Ryan Smith thumped Dan Byrne and Barry Pavic 4&2, Jackson Bell and Nathan Kernaghan dismissed Craig Vance and David Guinee 4&3, while Steven Munro and Graham Forbes overcame Jonathan Selvaraj and Ahmed Waheed 2&1.

So after a pendulum-swinging Day 1, the pros hold a 8.5-7.5 advantage. So, we now head over to Emirates Golf Club for Day 2 on Monday for the individual head-to-head clashes on the Majlis course with the tournament very much in the balance.

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The post Dubai Golf Trophy: All to play for as pros hold slender advantage after Day 1 at Dubai Creek before EGC showdown on Monday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tom Ogilvie
Even the simplest of bunker shots evokes anxiety in most amateurs. The fear factor ratchets up further when you find your ball in a deep bunker and are faced with a high lip to clear with a pin cut tight to the trap. But a high escape from sand that lands soft isn’t as tough as we often make it. Simply follow these five basics and you be on your way to momentum saving sand saves.

Stance
Your stance should be much wider than your normal set up position with a focus on more flex in the knees to lower your centre of gravity. Keep your feet square to the target with your lead foot flared open. It’s also very important to have a little more pressure on your lead food; the weigh should never be on your back foot.

The clubface
Using a higher lofted club such as your sand wedge or lob wedge, open your club face to promote a higher trajectory and a softer landing. It’s essential for a higher flight to maintain an open clubface through the shot.

Ball position
Position the ball adjacent to your left heel. This allows you to have more time to slide the club under the ball with an open club face. Practice by drawing a line in the sand just inside your left heel to help you understand where the ball should be positioned.

The Swing
You have to commit to bunker shots. Even though you’re trying to play a delicate shot, acceleration through the ball is key. I see many high handicap players hesitant to swing through bunker shots. Don’t hit at the ball, swing through it with speed with an out to in swing path.

Contact
Draw a line just behind the ball during your practice which will be your reference point for contact. This practice will give you good feedback on your strike. Stick to the basics and you’ll soon fear the sand no more.

Tom Ogilvie is a PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post Five steps to escape deep bunkers and land it soft appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matthew Brooks
Chipping is a part of the game where amateurs commonly struggle. The reason for all those fat and thin shots? It’s mostly due to poor body sequence and a lack of lower body stability.

So how do we remedy this? There’s a big hint every time you watch tour golf on TV and notice how fit and strong the world’s best players look today. They aren’t just hitting the gym to get stronger and more powerful. When it comes to chipping, we don’t want power and speed, rather a soft touch and control to help minimise the chances of hitting duff shots.

The world’s best are thus also in the gym to help improve mobility and stability, which in turn will help them with the shorter, more delicate shots. One of the screening assessments we undertake at Dubai Creek to help us best understand how your body moves and how it can cause swing faults when chipping is called the “Torso rotation”. This tells a qualified TPI instructor like myself whether you can separate your upper body from your lower body, while keeping the lower body stable, vital to perform the chipping sequence correctly.

Torso rotation
In golf set-up, with your arms crossed over your chest, try rotating your torso while keeping your lower body still and stable. It’s very important to focus on quality rather than quantity with this movement. The majority of amateurs fail this test with a stability issue. Fret not. Here are two exercises that can help you and your chipping technique.

1. Single leg balance in golf posture, with torso turns (Beginner, no equipment). Get into golf posture, with your arms crossed over your chest.  Now bend one leg from the knee off the ground. Rotate the torso while holding golf posture and keeping the lower body still.

2. Seated cable torso turns on an exercise ball. (Intermediate, cable machine). Sit on an exercise ball and set the cable machine to chest height when seated. Grip onto the handle with the outside hand first and have a wide base with your stance. Extend the arms out in front of you, forming a triangle with your shoulders and arms. Keeping this shape, rotate the torso while keeping the lower body stable on the ball.

Chipping is very different to the full swing and while this is only one area to touch on to help with your chipping, it is an important step to lower scores.

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Matthew Brookes is a new PGA teaching professional and golf-specific fitness trainer at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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The post Move better to chip better: The body-swing connection you need to knock it close appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joe Way

It’s no coincidence that Jason Day’s recent success has coincided with the Australian missing just one putt from inside five feet –  from 233 attempts at last count! So how often do you practice short putts, the ones that turn bogeys into pars, to keep the momentum going during a round? It is vital on short putts that the ball comes off the centre of the face and this simple drill will help you achieve that more consistently and see your scoring plummet. Place two tees in the ground approximately five feet from the hole, just outside the heel and toe of the putter. If you find yourself hitting the inner tee you will have a toe strike, and the outer tee a heel strike. Both of these will be detrimental to your chances of consistently making these important putts. Start with the tees a little bit wider apart and hit 10 putts until you miss the tees every time. As you gain confidence to move them closer together and repeat. You’ll begin to not only have an improved strike, but also an improved conversion rate.

It’s vital on short putts that the ball comes off the centre of the face.

Money shot
If you’re feeling confident add a coin onto the back of your putter. Hit putts trying to keep the coin on until impact. This will help develop and maintain a smooth tempo.

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Joe Way is a PGA Teaching Professional at DCGYC’s Peter Cowan Academy Dubai. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

The post VIDEO: Putt with dough appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

I don’t too know many golfers who wouldn’t take a little extra distance off the tee. It’s a great feeling when you rip one out of the middle of the club face and watch your ball bound past your playing partners. But the driver can just as quickly ruin a round if you start chasing yards with a faster, arms-led swing which is a common fault from amateurs. The biggest bombs happen with a combination of launch and spin and that comes from swinging under control and in good sequence. Here’s a few tips to show you how to make that happen. —with Kent Gray

The post VIDEO: How to go deep <br> when you need to appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Many golfers get fixated about hip rotation in the swing, but the reality is that the hips should simply react to the coil of the upper body against the lower, explains Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s PGA professional, Cennydd Mills. The amount of hip turn you have is dictated by your flexibility.

The post Video: Hip rotation in the swing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Most golfers tend to use far too much hand, arm and wrist action when trying to set the club on the takeaway, which leads to inconsistencies in the swing. This simple exercise will give you a reliable, repeatable position that allows you to make a solid backswing, explains Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Cennydd Mills

The post Video: How to set the club correctly on the takeaway appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Get your arms and body working together with this simple drill
By Cennydd Mills

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lot of amateur golfers struggle to get the most out of their body turn when hitting shots. Once your arms start moving independently from your body, it becomes difficult to strike the ball consistently. Here’s a drill to help if you tend to suffer from this swing trait.

Grab a golf towel and hold it under both arms before setting up to the ball (as shown in these images). You’re going to hit shots ensuring that you keep the towel held in place, but here’s the thing – it’s very important that you don’t try to make your full swing. What you’re looking to feel is how your arms and body should work together through the hitting area. So you only want to make a half backswing. Once your hands get past hip height and the club hinges up, go ahead and hit the ball. This drill forces you to use a lot more rotational energy to strike the ball. Golfers who struggle to rotate and get onto their front foot through impact can really benefit, but most importantly, your sequencing is going to improve.

Getting your arms and body to work together is vital for good sequencing.

It’s very difficult to get your downswing sequnce right if your arms have separated from your body turn on the backswing. So by syncing this up going back, you’ll start to see a much more solid strike on the ball, and a little more compression too.

Cennydd Mills is a PGA Teaching Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. For more information, visit dubaigolf.com

Photograph by Farooq Salik

Related: How to get set up for hitting crisp, powerful iron shots

The post Swing drill: how to get your arms and body in-sync appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.