UAE Order of Merit Season Opener is here

Hi Fellow Addicts,

Welcome to my new UAE Golf Online column, my name is Mark and I have been in Dubai for just over 2 years now, moved here from Bahrain where I was the Captain of Vice at the Royal Golf club, well that’s what it would have been had I actually finished my tenure and not relocated. I have been playing this wicked sport for about 10 years now and in 2006 passed my World Golf Teaching Federation qualification as a coach, and did a little bit of coaching, I got down as low as 2 but currently reside in the old category 1 level cut line, 5 for all you young ones who only know the new system.

Well after being a right slacker over the summer and playing about 6 times, I am looking forward to some competitive golf over the coming months in the Order of Merit series. Not that I am expecting too much, but hey, hackers have their day.

Well as I write this I have embarked on a small practice schedule prior to the first event, the 6th RAK Men’s Amateur Open. It is my first time of playing in RAK so looking forward to that, probably not the second days drive as knowing my luck it will be an early tee time for me, teach me to practice more won’t it!

I am looking forward to catching up with a few familiar faces, some of the guys playing in the MENA tour will hopefully make it down, always good to see how these guys play and they are all pretty humble too, golf is like that, and some of the UAE National team, who as we all know had a pretty good showing recently in Asia. My goal, top 16, why? To try and get into the Pros versus Amateurs’, which was a close fought thing again this year.

So, what of my preparation, over the summer I have focused on fitness and flexibility, thanks to the guys at Emirates in the Fitlab for that, 10 kilos lost, let’s hope that translates into 30 yards gain in distance off the tee. We will work on keeping it on the fairway in the coming weeks, not something I am renowned for, but hit it hard, go look for it and hit it again has worked in most part, not to shabbily I might add.
Preparation was to hit some baskets over the weekend, once I had mastered that I moved on to the smaller objects known as practice balls, fortunately I didn’t catch the eye of one of the teaching pro’s, sure they would have rubbed their hands together in anticipation for lots of lessons, but fellow golfers passed on a few well-earned tips like, “take up tennis” or “just starting out at this, keep trying you can’t be that bad for long”.

After some short game thinning and over hit putts and the preparation was complete, I normally practice what in the game is known as a “Dennis wise” length putt, a nasty little four-footer, but due to no practice until now I practiced rather lengthy putts as this is how close I imagine I will be! I hope my swing coach from Bahrain who is moving to Abu Dhabi Golf Club doesn’t read this, positive re-enforcement this isn’t but hey it’s the start of the season and us old folks need a lot of re-learning skills not just oil in the joints!

Well, I plan to play in all the OOM’s (Order of Merit) events this season and I will keep you guys updated with the trials and tribulations and of course my high scores when they come and the slightly lower ones, is evident.  I will try and let you know how my fellow competitors fare and any preparation tips they have used, I expect many early mornings on the second rounds, but I am used to that, so I don’t think carpooling with many of my friends will happen on day two, but you never know, one post 10 AM round beckons, please!!!
Let the hacking begin.

Swing Well

Mark Homans (Real Age – a bad front nine, mental age, less than the current handicap)