Hola, fellow readers. I could have sworn I’d just written a post for October, but time is flying so fast!
Here’s an update on the golf news, I’ve successfully defended my AESGC Ladies open title for the 2nd year running but this season’s win was the most satisfying of them all.
I cannot begin to explain how well juniors like Sana Tufail and Kavita Sehmi are playing. Sana posted a -1 total in the first round to set the pace by 2 shots from me in second place. During the 2nd round, I had to play lights out and bring my game to a whole another level, as Sana was extremely steady as always and Kavita was firing on all cylinders after an illness sidetracked her in the first round. It took 2 back to back birdies on the last few holes for me to win this title on a 36 hole total of -1 with Sana in 2nd place and Kavita in 3rd. The next edition of the ladies order of merit event should prove to be an exciting one with the start made at AESGC. Big Thanks to Emirates Airlines for the prize, It’s made my life easier when I don’t have to pay for my flights to Q-school in January.
Straight after the Ladies event, AESGC held the final event of the inaugural MENA Tour. I’m very proud that our course stood up well to a strong field of professionals and talented amateurs, and even more proud that so many of our members got involved with the running of the tournament. It was a new experience being behind the scenes for a change and it makes me appreciate all the hard work that goes on for tournaments to be a success. The guys at Golf in Dubai also sprung an amazing surprise for me! I’ve been officially invited to compete in the Omega Dubai Ladies Master’s, an event that will let me go head to head with some of the LET and LPGA’s top players! It still hasn’t quite sunk in…
So now that you are updated I hope you have had a fantastic Halloween. It’s only the second year I have celebrated Halloween because where I come from it really isn’t celebrated and I have to say looking at some of the pictures posted there is a lot of creativity out there! Speaking of creativity, I have just returned from a week in Spain, where I played both the North and South courses at the La Manga Club in preparation for the Q-school in January.
I approached it as I do with any other course, hitting massive drives, leaving myself a type of pitching wedge distance in (which is my favorite), I then proceeded to hit it straight at the pin and then watched in horror as it spun backward 20 yards down the bank and into the water.
All I can say is that after 4 days on those really soft undulating greens, I must have hit a few hundred chips and putts (I’ve still yet to find a straight putt) and I have literally received an education on smart golf. If I could relate it to a course in the UAE It would probably be close to The Els Club’s green’s mixed with the Majlis’s scenery, very beautiful.
The benefit of playing different courses played such a massive part in being able to safely navigate La Manga’s seemingly foreign greens, you may not physically notice the benefits but subconsciously you do become a lot more experienced and creative and you also learn a lot about how the ball reacts to the different surfaces. You really don’t need to read golf books or practice like a pro (although that might help) just shake it up a bit and play different courses when you can.
Of course though, that all becomes almost impossible when the skies decide to open up and make everything as wet as the Pacific Ocean’s bottom!
We don’t get a lot of rain out here in UAE but a lot of us travel and play golf back home or abroad and playing in rain can be very difficult, the wind never helps of course, so I’ve decided to list some helpful tips on making life easier out there when the heavens open upon you while you are out there “innocently” just trying to get 18 holes in.
1. A short sleeve waterproof jacket is vital, while it doesn’t cover your whole upper body, it doesn’t restrict your swing.
2. Spend some money on a decent golf-specific umbrella, and I say golf-specific because they are designed with golfer’s in mind, they will be slightly larger so you can cover yourself and your clubs, and they’ll be doubled layered so when the wind blows it will pass through the top and not blow underneath. (Anyone thinking of impersonating Mary Poppins should NOT purchase these.)
3. Keep a dry towel inside your bag, very important if your grips are smooth.
4. Leather gloves become totally redundant in heavy rain, always have extra in the bag. I use Taylormade’s R11 leather gloves normally but when the rain comes, I’ll switch to Callaway’s Warbirds gloves. The rubber padding on the palm area prevents the golf clubs trying to impersonate the golf balls and go flying through the air or even better, climb trees. (it’s happened)
5. Last, but not least, just accept you’re going to get wet the sooner you get over it the less chance there is that you will lose your mind.
There are many more tips but those are the ones that I keep close to me.
Thanks again for reading my column, I really enjoy writing them and would love some feedback, if you have any questions or if you would like to comment then feel free to ask away. Have a fantastic week everyone and happy golfing as always.
As they say in Spain, Adios.
Lindsay
Main Photo: La Manga North