What would a compilation of the Middle East’s favourite holes look like? Stunning. Long. And very, very tough. Welcome to the region’s dream 18.

By Kent Gray
“The ideal hole is surely one that affords the greatest pleasure to the greatest number, gives the fullest advantage for accurate play, stimulates players to improve their game, and never becomes monotonous.”

Alister MacKenzie departed this life 86 years ago, more than 50 years before golf first met grass in Dubai and longer still before the game spread its virtuous tentacles around the Middle East.

But if he could, the revered British course architect surely would doff his Tam o’ Shanter to this, our compilation of the Middle East’s favourite holes.

Judged by the expert panel that brought you Golf Digest’s Top 10 Courses of the Middle East 2020 ranking (click here) and dreamed into a composite 18 by the editorial team, this is an impressive and imposing test of golf.

The criteria to be considered for the region’s dream 18? The same exhaustive process that determines the world’s most respected course rating system, a series of seven categories which reward shot values, design variety, resistance to scoring, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and ambience. The kicker is that holes had to receive at least 75 per cent of the panel’s collective ‘your favourite hole’ vote at a respective course to be considered.

There is nothing more subjective in sport than the apples versus pears ranking of players or matches from different eras. The same can be applied to the rating of golf courses where one players manicured hybrid of parkland and desert, is another’s modern-day seaside layout, or, in the Middle East at least, yet another’s inland links wannabe. Drill down further to individual holes and the debate is even hotter. The most impartial way to measure that is with Golf Digest’s internationally trusted formula.

What is indisputable is that our composite layout complies to the criteria of the ideal hole as MacKenzie once famously hypothesised. Each and every hole inspires, demands accuracy (or acceptance of a lack thereof), will send you to the range searching for solutions and could never, ever be considered tedious. Enjoy.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s iconic 16th makes the cut in our favourite holes selection.

1. The 16th, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
488 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 1
We’re fans of course architects who like to ease you into a round with a simple hole, providing, if not a birdie chance, then a relatively straight forward shot at par. There is no such luxury at our composite course. With its tight tee shot, magnetic waste bunker hugging almost the entire right-hand side of the fairway and approach over yet more sand to a deceptively large green well protected by humps and hollows, par is no cinch. Add in a breeze off the Arabian Sea and, well, good luck. This hole is stunningly brutal, a bit like designer Gary Player’s fitness regime.

READ MORE: Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

Soak in those Red Sea views on the 16th at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia

2. The 16th, Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
180 Yards, Par 3, Stroke Index 16
We’ve gone for a par-4, par-3, par-5 opening to our composite 18 to test every club in your bag early. You won’t find many short holes in the Middle East more picturesque than the last par 3 on the Kingdom’s most recognisable course but don’t be lulled by those turquoise Red Sea views. Dustin Johnson nearly lost the inaugural Saudi International here before producing a miraculous recovery from the drop zone for a bogey to hold off Li Haotong in 2019.  Take par and run.

Any par on the closing hole at The Address Montgomerie Dubai will help you soar up the club’s monthly medal leaderboard

3. The 18th, The Address Montgomerie Dubai
656 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 1
How many good and great rounds at The Monty have been sunk by Colin’s (in)-famous closing hole? Finding dry land off one of the numerous teeing grounds is cause for mini celebration but this par 5 will keep you sweating till the end. The hole is relatively straight forward if you can get off the tee but isn’t it amazing how sensible strategy goes out the window with so much water everywhere, or how you suddenly chunk a wedge that has been co-operating so well until now? The potential sucker punch is under clubbing what should be your third (but probably your fourth, fifth of sixth) shot into the green. You deserve a drink but we are only getting started…

The 18th at Greg Norman’s Muscat gem, Al Mouj Golf, tests the European Tour’s best in the Oman Open so don’t fret your score

4. The 18th, Al Mouj Golf
410 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 9
Speaking of tough closing holes with watery graves…

The 18th at Greg Norman’s Muscat masterpiece tests the mettle of the European Tour’s top players at the Oman Open so it’s a given that it will keep the blowtorch focused on your ball striking now you’ve warmed your way into our composite course. Slicers can’t aim far enough left off this tee – and invariably they’ll hit it straight into trouble if they do. Don’t be tempted by any pin cut in the right half of the putting surface or you could be playing pinball with the rocks which elevate this green, and hole, to favourite status among our judges… a big call on a layout overflowing with memorable holes.

The 16th at Al Ain is another par 4 where getting wet is an ever- present danger

5. The 16th, Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club
421 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 5
This par-4 ranks as just the fifth toughest hole at AESGC but don’t be fooled by the stroke index or the alluring design aesthetic. A telephone number awaits any player who strays from the fairway off the tee and that’s just the beginning of the fun. Ideally you’ll shape your drive around the dogleg and past the two furthermost palm trees on the right, hopefully without needing a second or third ball with all that water right and sand and OB left. Now play smart, ignoring any back left (bunker bound!) or centre-right (you’re wet!) pin. Simply rifle your mid-iron to the centre of the green, two-putt and walk off with a big smile and plenty of lead left in your pencil.

Good luck if you need a birdie to win your match on the 18th at The Faldo at Emirates Golf Club. Actually, best of British if you need a par

6. The 18th, The Faldo, Emirates Golf Club
485 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 5
We find The Faldo one of the region’s most exacting tests off the tee, particularly on the outward nine with all those tight doglegs. And sand. And water. To be fair, the closing hole on the Majlis’ sister course at Emirates G.C. offers a generous landing area for all but the biggest slicers but there are few more intimidating approach shots than here. Sir Nick was one of the game’s great shotmakers. You’ll feel like one too if you escape with par of better here.

The curvy 18th at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai is another testy finishing hole but comes early in our dream 18

7. The 18th, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai
425 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3
Just don’t go left, right? Easier said than done on designer Gil Hanse’s closing hole at Trump Dubai. With that man-made lake hugging the dog-legged par 4, it’s easy to push it way right off the tee which then brings the wet stuff into play with your approach. Aim right of the green and hope for a members’ bounce onto the putting surface because any chip, downhill and with that ever-present water begging, is sure to unearth any jitters in your short game. In effort not to thin it? A frustrating fat? Fun and sometimes frightening.

8. The 16th, Al Zorah Golf Club
354 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 14
The 16th at Nicklaus Designs’ Ajman gem will have you umming and ahhing like the ebb and flooding tides that engross the hole’s island tees. The smart strategic play, with sodden marshland left and desert despair right, dictates a hybrid or mid-iron off the tee and a flick of a wedge in. But maybe, just maybe, you could get there with driver, maybe even a 3-wood? A classic risk and reward hole from another classic course Jack (kinda) built.

The 4th at The Track, Meydan Golf isn’t quite the shortest par 4 in our composite layout but it is a, ahem, tall order for those who suddenly get nervous with a bit of H20 to negotiate.

9. The 4th, The Track, Meydan Golf
358 Yards,  Par 4, Stroke Index 7
For further, irrefutable proof, that a hole needn’t be long to be memorable, welcome to this feisty little dogleg at The Track, Meydan Golf. You could almost throw it off the tee and have a shot at a green that is generously proportioned. Isn’t it amazing how even the silkiest of swings suddenly becomes a little twitchy though when you have to negotiate a bit of H20. And good luck if you over club (prudent) with your approach and leave yourself a slippery downhill chip, looking back at that hypnotic water.

RELATED: Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

You’ve done well to make it to the turn with balls left in your bag, not to mention the will to carry on. Grab yourself a nice drink and perhaps an extra sleeve or two of your favourite ammo and prepare for yet more fun.

Do you pull the trigger from this spot on the closing hole on the Majlis course at Emirates G.C. or lay-up and risk getting wet with a wedge anyway?

10. The 18th, Majlis, Emirates Golf Club
546 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 12
It’s the scene of so much OMEGA Dubai Desert and Moonlight Classics glory – and amateur heartache. Go straight off the tee and you run the risk of not reaching the corner of the dogleg and blocking yourself out or overpowering things and running out of fairway. Hit it too far left and you’re in the trees or lush rough at best. Somewhere in between and either wooden or watery fate potentially awaits. Then you must decide to go for it or lay-up and test your nerve over the water. Short is wet while air mailing the green brings another chance of the same. A brilliant strategic test.

11. The 18th, Dubai Hills Golf Club
486 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 10
European Golf Design architect Gary Johnson wanted to differentiate Dubai Hills’ finale from the par-5s that predominate the UAE golfscape. The Scot surely did – the 485-yard finish is an absolute brute. Getting it in play off the tee of this par 4 (don’t go too far right) is the (not so) easy bit. Afterwards you’ll need to rifle a mid-iron to a peninsula green guarded by water left and magnetic bunkering front right that looks like it’s cut tight to the green but is actually a clever optical illusion. Par? You’ve just roared up the leaderboard.

12. The 18th, Yas Links Abu Dhabi
646 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 3
There is arguably no tougher finish in Middle East golf than Yas Links’ closing par-5, a hole that just keeps coming at you. That’s why we’ve slotted it in early in our inward nine, to leave you some energy to get back to the 19th! You’ll need a solid drive and two decent whacks from there to stand any chance of reaching a green large enough to make three-putting almost inevitable. Into a breeze? Your blob won’t be the first or the last today.

The approach shot to the 16th is one of the trickiest shots on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates

13. The 16th, Earth, Jumeirah Golf Estates
486 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 10
The best players on Earth breathe a sigh of relief if they escape here without a scorecard glitch during the DP World Tour Championship each November so who are we to sniff at par? Proof again a hole needn’t be long to be challenging. Watch that your tee shot doesn’t bound right, never to be seen again. Commit fully to the approach shot too, ignoring the water that frames the partial island green. Yeah, we can’t either.

It’s the most photographed hole in the Middle East, the iconic 8th on the Majlis at Emirates G.C.

14. The 8th, Majlis, Emirates Golf Club
459 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3
Is there a more iconic hole in the Middle East? Is there a hole where more golfers miss right off the tee anywhere in the world? Dust yourself off at the end of this famous par 4 and remember that no matter your score, you’ve got a marina views selfie your pals the world over will be jealous of.

Any par on the 15th hole at The Els Club, Dubai is to be celebrated, especially if you manage to get up and down from the bailout area pictured to the right of the green here

15. The 15th, The Els Club Dubai
489 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 1
Thankfully in our composite 18, you haven’t had to play the par 4 that mirrors the 15th at The Els Club Dubai because, no doubt, you’d rock up to this tee with the mental scar tissue from negotiating the 6th hole at Ernie’s course still fresh in your mind. Instead, rid your thoughts of the water right, that welcoming pot bunker in the landing zone off the tee left, and the bailout area left of the green, a no go zone for those with a twitchy wedge game. Instead, find the fairway, pure your approach to the heart of the green, two-putt and walk away with a par and the lingering admiration of your playing partners. If only golf was as simple as the Big Easy makes it look.

The 17th at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (foreground right) didn’t make the cut in our dream 18 but easily could have. The closing par 4, as you approach the iconic Dhow shaped clubhouse, did and thoroughly warrants the distinction

16. The 18th, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
421 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3
Likewise, be thankful you haven’t had to play the previous hole at the Creek (see p.39) before you roll up to this beautifully brutal par-4. There is actually no option here other than hitting it arrow straight down the middle and then purposefully onto the green. There is no Creek. Or sand. Or rocks guarding the green to send your ball there anyway. Who are we kidding. Grab a group selfie with the iconic clubhouse in the background and forget that double. Or was it a triple?

The sun sets on one of the prettiest – and most testing – par 3s in the Middle East, the 17th at Yas Links Abu Dhabi

17. The 17th, Yas Links Abu Dhabi
204 Yards, Par 3, Stroke Index 13
For golf eye candy, it doesn’t get much better than the penultimate par 3 at Kyle Phillips’ Abu Dhabi masterpiece. Aesthetically pleasing yes, easy no. You’ll need to strike it crisp, long and straight to walk away with a score anywhere as attractive as those shots your entire group did manage to nail off the tee – with their camera phones. Majestic.

18. The 18th, Abu Dhabi Golf Club
567 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 5
Great closing holes effortlessly conjure great late drama. A doff of our cap then to architect Peter Harradine for the climax to the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship each January. Risk and reward comes in wet and sandy waves, tempts the big hitter, teases till the end with its speedy, sprawling green and lures all to the most astonishing clubhouse anywhere in the Middle East. You’ve made it and well played, regardless of your score. Enjoy your drink and the debrief of the Middle East’s favourite holes.

RELATED: Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

If you’re also like us, you’re probably looking for ways to golf more for less in 2019 after another expensive silly season. Well, Dear Golfers of the UAE, we have an ace up our sleeve, or more specifically news of a discount card that will not only be conducive to your new year’s golfing resolutions.

ONE City Card is a single-purchase card that unlocks an array of benefits and discounts across Dubai and beyond, on everything from golf, to restaurants and bars and family days out.

Golf is our gig so we’ll focus on that, as well as the ONE City Card’s unlimited usage.

Unlike other discount schemes which offer a one-time only benefit, this little beauty can be used over and over again. That’s useful if you get beaten at one of the participating clubs below; next time invite a pal you know you have the upper hand over or keep playing and playing to exact priceless revenge, all the while saving money on green fees.

ONE has negotiated 2-4-1 deals off the rack green fee rate at the following clubs (the fine print – e.g. the cost of the ONE City Card which follows below and may surprise you):

Arabian Ranches Golf Club

Designed by former Open winner Ian Baker-Finch, “the winner of the Gold Medal and the Champion Golfer of the Year” in 1991, Arabian Ranches is a golfers’ golf club. A strategic challenge which is scoreable if you keep it out of the sand, you’ll also enjoy one of the best post-game debriefs in the region.

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The Address Montgomerie Dubai

Thomas Wiberg tackles the treacherous par 5 18th at The Montgomerie.

Colin Montgomerie sadly missed the cut at the Desert Classic, but produced comedy gold in his press conference. The Dubai course carrying his name is class too. Take advantage of the generous fairways early because there are some potential card wreckers as your round progresses, none tougher than that water encased par-5 18th.

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JA The Resort Golf Course

Better known to most of us as Jebel Ali, Dubai’s pioneering 9-holer has undergone a transformation with UAE-based architect Peter Harradine re-doing the opening three holes. You can read all about the recent makeover of JA The Resort Golf Course here. We’re big fans of the now par-4, par-4, par-3 start which has added even more strategic challenge to an idyllic course with teeth. Luckily they have a new Leadbetter Golf Academy to help take the bite out of a testing layout. You might even pop into Desert Swing regular Rafa Cabrera Bello, the resort’s global ambassador, who is a regular on the driving range.

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Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club

Another Harradine Golf design, SGSC created history by becoming the first course in the world to host a main tour event, the Staysure Tour’s Sharjah Senior Masters. Picturesque and ever challenging, SGSC is well worth a trip north of Dubai’s border where you’ll find some of the friendliest members in the Middle East. Comes with free buggy and range access.

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The Track, Meydan Golf

Continuing the nine-hole, Peter Harradine-theme is The Track, Meydan Golf, a course previously voted the world’s best nine-holer. If there is a tougher opening hole in the Middle East than the Track’s par-5 1st, we haven’t played it. Bring a few spare balls for all the water that follows too; this is a stern but fair test that will keep you coming back. Score well on the Track and you can score well pretty much anywhere.

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Trump International Golf Club

ONE has also negotiated a great deal at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai which offers these preferential rates:

500 AED Weekend
450 AED Midweek
250 AED Twilight after 2pm (Weekdays only)
75 AED Par 3 Course

But that’s not all. ONE City Card is not all about the discount, it’s about the golf and starting on February 20 is ONE Golf Wednesdays. Hosted at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, 40 golfers can enjoy a 9-hole par-3 game followed by a thirst-quenching beverage and burger with prizes to accompany the event.

ONE Golf Wednesdays will be on a first booked-first-serve basis so get in quick. Here’s the details: 

Date : Every Wednesday, starting February 20
Time: 7pm shotgun start
Course: Par-3
Cost: 150 AED
Inclusions: One house beverage + Burger & Prizes

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THE ONE CITY CARD FINE PRINT
ONE card is priced at 100 AED for 12-months of unlimited access from the day you sign up, which means you’ll pay less than Dhs10 per month for access to heaps of discounts.

Or, if you sign up this February with the exclusive Golf Digest Middle East discount code, GDME50, and you’ll get 50 per cent off your annual membership – that’s just Dhs50 for 12 months of brilliant discounts.

Enjoy, bargain hunters!

Find out more and sign up now at onecitycard.com here

The post 2-for-1 golf? There’s only ONE discount card you need appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

To preview the grand final, we rewind to the fourth and final qualifier of the season at the Address Montgomerie Dubai last Thursday and present this, our video review. Enjoy.

PHOTO ESSAY: All the best photography from the 2018 XCGC qualifier at the Address Montgomerie Dubai

Stay tuned to GolfDigestme.com for full coverage of the 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge grand final.

Related: Team Arshad top Monty qualifying for JGE finale

The post VIDEO: 2018 XCGC qualifier at The Address Montgomerie Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge reaches its climax on Saturday, back at where the special anniversary season began at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

To get you in the mood for the 18-hole grand final at JGE, enjoy all the best action shots from last week’s final qualifier at The Address Montgomerie Dubai where Arshad Khan and Arshad Waheed led the action.

RELATED: Team Arshad topy Monty qualifying for 20th XCGC grand final

Stay tuned to GolfDigestme.com for full coverage of the final at the home of the European Tour’s season ending DP World Tour Championship.

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GOOD CART GOLF: If you can’t beat ’em, join them…

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FOCUS: Deep breath, make the next one count…

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BOOM!

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SPLASH!

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SHORT GAME WIZARD: Did you get it up and down, Good Sir (let us know on our social media channels)?

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GREAT ESCAPE!

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STRIKE A POSE: Hold…hold!

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TRUST ME: Just keep your head down partner…

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TOUGH IN THE ROUGH: A lush lie for this XCGC competitor…

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GOLDEN HOUR: Perfect late afternoon conditions at The Address Montgomerie, Dubai.

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IMPACT: A stylish shot…

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EYES ON THE PRIZE…

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GIVING IT EVERYTHING: …and holding the finish…

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WELL, HELLO THERE…

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LEFTY LIKE: Wishing I’d taken one more club so I was putting already…

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UNDERWAY: The 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge has been another great success in 2018.

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LOVELY LINCOLN: Sponsors Al Tayer Motors provide a perfect backdrop to this tee-shot…

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FAIRWAY FINDER…

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HANDY SANDY…

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WELCOME: Lincoln cars courtesy of sponsors Al Tayer Motors.

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YOUR HONOUR: Pin seeker…

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TAP, TAP, TAP it in…

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GO YOU GOOD THING…

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TAKE A LOAD OFF: Watching the opposition from another relaxing Al Tayer Motors activation.

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HEAR THIS: Xerox Emirates General Manager Chris Govier addresses the field at prize-giving.

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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Arshad Khan and Arshad Waheed won the final qualifier with a pairs betterball net score of 62 at ‘The Monty’.

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Thanks to the crew at ‘The Monty’. See you all at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The post PHOTO ESSAY: 2018 XCGC at The Address Montgomerie Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A pairs betterball net score of 62 saw Khan and Waheed ease to a two-stroke victory at The Address Montgomerie, Dubai over Jason Waldron and Philip Mayers last Thursday. Eugene Labuschagne and Julius Thomas Segers also carded a 64 but had to settle for third on countback.

Raja Flora and Daniel Brocklebank claimed the gross crown at The Monty with a 72 and also qualify for the grand final.

Khan and Waheed join defending XCGC champions Hisham Shammas and Paul Abouchacra as qualifying tournament winners headed for JGE. Shammas and Paul Abouchacra laid down an impressive marker at the opening qualifier of the 20^th season with a score of 62 on Fire at JGE on Sept. 27 before Kelvin Tayfield and Ernest Hosking trumped that with an 11-under 60 in winning at Trump Dubai on Oct. 18.

Ghazi Arungazeb and Nicholas Hymas won the penultimate qualifier at Tower Links Golf on Nov. 2 with a 61.

At the Monty, meanwhile, Darren Schofield and Jason Waldron won a weekend with the Lincoln of their choice after knocking it into the ‘Lincoln Circle’ in a nearest the pin competition with a twist on 17.

Ben Nami.won Xclusive Yacht’s yacht tour package by claiming the nearest the pin on the 8^th while Young Cho holed a 70-footer to win the special Odyessy Long Putt challenge.

Here’s what’s on the line for the two three pairs at next month’s grand final:

Champions: A memorable ‘International Experience’ at one of Europe’s leading golf clubs.
Runners-Up: Pro-Am spot as well as corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Third: Corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

Stay tuned to Golf Digest Middle East and xeroxcgc.com for all the latest from the grand final.

The post Team Arshad top Monty qualifying for 20th XCGC grand final appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There was certainly a lot of action off the fairways as you’ll discover in our video review of the event here:

Fortunately there were plenty of smiles afterwards as Ghazi Arungazeb and Nicholas Hymas celebrated their victory.

PHOTO ESSAY: XCGC 2018 at Tower Links G.C. 

The Address Montgomerie Dubai is set to host the final qualifier later this month ahead of the 20th XCGC’s 18-hole grand final at Jumeriah Golf Estates next month.

You can enter the Nov. 29 Monty qualifier here where the top four teams in the pairs betterball net competition will qualify for JGE and compete for the following prizes:

Champions: A memorable ‘International Experience’ at one of Europe’s leading golf clubs.
Runners-Up: Pro-Am spot as well as corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Third: Corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

ENTER the Address Montgomerie Dubai qualifier on Nov. 29

The post VIDEO: 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge at Tower Links Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A betterball net score of 60 – 11 under par – saw the duo waltz into December’s 20th anniversary grand final in style.

RELATED: Hosking and Tayfield tame Trump to reach 20th XCGC grand final

Check out all the highlights from Trump Dubai in our video review here:

Tower Links Golf Club hosts the penultimate qualifier in the XCGC’s “Celebrating 20 Years Premium Series” tomorrow (November 2) where the top four net place-getters and the gross-winners automatically earn starts in the XCGC’s 18-hole Grand Final in December. There, the following prizes are up for grabs:

Champions: A memorable ‘International Experience’ at one of Europe’s leading golf clubs.
Runners-Up: Pro-Am spot as well as corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Third: Corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

Remember, it’s not too late to enter the final qualifier at The Address Montgomerie Dubai on November 29 here – xeroxcgc.com.

RELATED: XCGC – Jumeirah Golf Estates video review

The post VIDEO: Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge – Trump Dubai appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Scott Graham
Tiger Woods’ performance at the Valspar Championship shocked plenty of pundits and not only because he contended down the stretch. The 129mph swing speed he clocked was the fastest driver swing recorded on the PGA Tour this season, quite remarkable when you consider the four back surgeries he has endured.

Added distance off the tee is something on every golfer’s wish list but a lot of amateurs think that increased clubhead speed comes from hitting the ball harder. Sadly, this is not the case and usually results in less distance. Research has shown that the body must move in a certain way to transfer energy and achieve maximum speed. It’s known as proximal to distal movement or kinematic sequencing.

The kinematic sequencing of the downswing must start with the large body segments, the hips and torso, before progressing to the small segments, the hands, arms and club, to maximise power and clubhead speed into impact. Any breakdown in this chain rapidly reduces efficiency and hence distance.

To encourage the correct kinematic sequencing we must train in a similar manner. The “Step Drill” is a fantastic exercise as it encourages the lower body to initiate the downswing, thus allowing energy to be transferred in an efficient manner.

Start in a normal set up position. Bring the front foot to the back foot so the club is in front of the hands and swing to the top of the backswing. From here step towards the target with the lead leg allowing the weight to shift as you do so while the torso, arms, hands and club follow. Try this without the ball first to ensure the movement is correct and efficient.

As with all sports, it is important to physically train the body as well as the technique. Tiger is again a prime example of this.

The kettle bell swing exercise (left) follows the same kinematic sequencing rule seen in an efficient golf swing. Although only working in the sagittal plane, the kettle bell swing requires the body to create power from the ground up to achieve an explosive movement just like that seen in the multi-plane golf swing.

Kettle bell conditioning

To avoid injury and maximise efficiency, follow these points when performing the kettle bell swing:

● Get Set: Set your feet shoulder width apart with the knees slightly flexed. Hold the kettle bell between the legs with a straight back and your head up

● Swing: Keeping the back straight, bend your hips back until the kettle bell is between and behind your legs. Squeeze the glutes to extend your hips and swing weight up to eye line

● Bring it down: Let the weight swing back between your legs as you bend the hips and knees

For more info or to book a lesson, visit The Academy by Troon Golf at the Address Montgomerie, Dubai

The post VIDEO: Step into longer drives appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But before the Middle East’s preeminent corporate series reaches its climax at Jumeirah Golf Estates this weekend, join us at the final “Race to Earth” qualifier held at The Address Montgomerie Dubai.

Check out the best action here:

All the results and best still photography from The Monty can be found here:

PHOTO GALLERY:  XCGC at The Montgomerie

Stay tuned to GolfDigestME.com for coverage of the Dec. 16-17 Grand Final.

The post VIDEO: Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge – The ‘Race to Earth’ reaches The Montgomerie appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The post PHOTO GALLERY: Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge <br> Al Zorah Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.