Dear Golfers,
In our 2018 summer Newsletter we are delighted to share with you the latest news, stories and golf success from the Land of Fire. It has been a great year of progress at Dreamland Golf Club so we felt it was time to pass our best wishes to all our members, guests and friends of the club for the rest of the summer season.
Like always we have given you the option to opt out of our news… however as one of the world’s most exciting emerging golf country’s we hope you will stay with us and share in our journey!!!
Dream Team
|
|
COURSE CHANGEOVER
In April 2018, the management completed the course changeover. With increasing numbers of players at the golf academy, the time was right to move the golf operation team to the main clubhouse building.
What are the main changes to the course?
We have changed the configuration of the golf course so that the 1st tee is close to the clubhouse and the 18th green is directly in front of the clubhouse terrace. The par for the course remains the same 72, however it is now a par 37 for the front 9 holes and a par 35 for the return 9. Based on analysing over 120 individual format tournaments (3000+ scores) we have amended the new scorecard and improved the accuracy of the stroke index’s for matchplay / stableford purposes,
Positives of the new layout:
- The course has a very good starting hole (13th old course) and an even better par 5 finishing hole!
- Once on the course, the comfort stations and on course café are positioned more suitably for a short break during your game. The café on course is at the back of the 10th green on the new layout.
- Players are able to use the patio area overlooking the green in the best part of the year from April to November.
- The café menu will be offered at the Academy and the Clubhouse Lounge Terrace so you can have a choice of locations where to meet for after golf.
- Our Golf Buggies & Members Clubs are located at the clubhouse so on arrival you have the option to drive to the Academy (warm up) or to proceed straight to the first tee.
We are pleased to report that 4 months into the new layout players are happy and enjoying the challenges of completing the 18th hole in front of a crowded terrace!
|
|
SPIRITED EVENTS
We believe that the success of any golf club are the moments enjoyed together on course and the friendships made whilst living in Baku. Through the work of our events team there is always something to take part in, whether you are a beginner or a more serious golfer looking to compete. Below is a recap of our 2018 tournaments so far ……with many more planned till the end of the season!
|
|
GOLF MARATHON
An AMAZING effort from players tackling the 72 hole golf Marathon recently. Well done to athletes Bryan Thomas, Les Tulleth, Ali Still, Nabi Efendi, Dave Kavanagh, George Ball, John Quinn, Brian Knowles, Luka Ivkovic, George Park and John Bruce for completing the challenge. The on day winner was Nabi Efendi winning the Best Gross 328 shots, Best Net 304, and 130 Stableford pts in total. The best score per hole for the 4 rounds was calculated for each player with John Quinn winning with 49pts. Consistency prevailed as Brian Knowles won the Longest Drive on the 1st hole and the final 72nd Hole!!! In completing the challenge the players have raised over $2500 which will go to worthy causes around the world.
|
|
NEW EVENT
The Buddha-Bar PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE
The team of Alex, Elshan, Anton and Phil took to the course to challenge the member teams in first ever Pro’s Challenge. Despite windy conditions the pro’s managed to record 7 birdies in a bogey free round. Their net 64.60 was only good enough for 8th place from the 20 competing teams so bragging rights and some AZN were handed over to places 1st – 7th. Our 2018 champions were the team of Leslie Tulleth, Alisdair Still, Stuart McLean, Elaine McLean with a net 57.8 (Gross 67). Runners Up were Darren Thomson, Rory O’Mahony, William Blanchard, Bruce Ferguson with a net of 59.7 (Gross 66). The final team in the prizes, were Ian Allan, William Walls, Mitch Hughes and Chris Bernardi – 59.8 net (Gross 71). The side contests winners were Nearest the Pin Hole 5 - Leo Troup, Nearest the Pin Hole 13, Chris Wood-Woolley, Longest Drive Hole 3 Darren Thomson (rescue club for safety), Longest Drive Hole 14 Brian Knowles.
|
|
NEW EVENT
Black Tee Challenge
Excepting the 2018 Black Tee Challenge trophy is G.G. aka Grant Gilmour after scoring a remarkable 96 gross, 68 net played on a course which measured a whopping 6838 metres!!. Well done from all the Dreamland Golf Club team, a very worthy Champion.
|
|
NEW EVENT
IADC CASPIAN CHAPTER – CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY
Well done to all the participant for the 2018 Chairman’s Trophy and to the IADC Caspian Chapter and SOCAR AQS for their support to Dreamland Golf Club. The event would not have been a success without the help of the following sponsors. SOCAR AQS, KCA DEUTAG, RDS, MAERSK DRILLING, LASER GULF, NOV, MH Wirth, RIGFIT 7 SEAS, PARKER DRILLING, ORCA, ROYALTON HOLDINGS, EDC, HALLIBURTON, FEARNLY PROCTOR, PETRONAS, SKN, PDMS & BP.
Congratulations to the LASER GULF Team as the 2018 Champions - Graham Beattie, Brian Knowles, Chris Andrew and Rob O'Donoghue who scored a gross 65 – net 59.3. In second place were team ORCA, George Ball, John Ball, Craig Dunn and Darren Thomson gross 68 net 61.7. The final prize award goes to team Rigfit 7 Seas, John Bruce, Steve Young, Emidio Deramo and Steve Dodson with a one under par 71 – net 62,5. Commenting on the event Bruce Ferguson from the IADC Caspian Chapter / SOCAR AQS “We are delighted to have established the Chairman’s Trophy in the infancy of the IADC Caspian Chapter. We are grateful for all our member companies who have joined us today to sponsor what will become an annual event”
|
|
JW MARRIOTT ABSHERON SCRAMBLE
The JW Marriott Scramble was another memorable event in MAD MAY, with 21 teams battling it out for the championship. Thanks to Martin and the entire team at the JW Marriott, for fantastic hospitality and relaxing on course massages by the Spa team. Well done to the winning team of Bruce Ferguson, William Blanchard, Darren Thomson, Rory O’Mahony – Net 56.3 after a flawless Gross 63. Runners up were Lee Henderson, David Kavanagh, Graham Beattie and Steve Baker with a Gross 68, Net 59.2. In Third Place the team of Craig Dunn, Sean Harrison, Leo Troup and Dana Smith with a Gross 67 and also a Net 59.8 winning with a better last 6 holes. The on course side contest action certainly didn’t disappoint with the following awards, Nearest the Pin Hole 5 Kestutis Jankauska, Nearest the Pin Hole 13 Bruce Ferguson, Ladies Longest Drive Hole 4 Becky Brannan and finally the Gents Longest Drive Hole 16 won by Chris Wood-Woolley.
|
|
TURKISH AIRLINES WORLD GOLF CUP – Azerbaijan Qualifier
Azerbaijani honours go to Eldar Kerimov winning the 2018 Turkish Airlines World Golf qualify to represent his country at the World final in November. Eldar has a great passion for improving technique and his handicap, recording 42 points to win the Azerbaijan Qualifier.
Runner up on the day was Ray Jacques again with 42pts. loosing out on a back 9 count back to Eldar. Third Place was Nick Hore 41 (Gross 87) back nine 22pts. Darren Thomson achieved the lowest gross score of the day with 79. Meanwhile out on course the gents nearest the pin on the 10th hole was won by Leo Troup with the ladies contest on the 17th hole won by Susan Drummond.
|
|
MERCEDES “DRIVE TO THE MAJOR”
In the first ever Mercedes Trophy, we are pleased to congratulate the following 2018 winners,
Group A Mercedes Owners
– Handicap division 0-18.4 Ankorr Lalaji was third with 36Pts, Refik Sabanovich runner up with 36Pts and Khalil Khuseynov with 37 stableford points for the winner’s podium!
Group B Mercedes Owners
– Handicap division 18.5-36.0 Leona Paterson was third with 32pts, Elman Rzayev achieved second place with 39pts and the winner was Sergey Kochev with 43 points.
Group C – Guest Players
- Iktiar Ahundov won with a fantastic 42Pts, John Wiseman with second place with 41pts and Alan Ferguson for the third with 40pts.
With luxury prizes from Mercedes-Benz everyone had a chance to win a trip to The Open in a “Drive to the Major” competition. A straightest drive line was placed on Hole №1 with the most accurate shot winning the all expenses paid trip. Well done to Mr Euichil Noh who travelled to Scotland for this once in a lifetime experience.
Please enjoy the video above from the tournament.
|
|
NEW EVENT
GREENKEEPERS' Revenge
Our inaugural green keepers revenge tournament was a AMESOME success. Congratulations to all the players who negotiated punishing pin positions, cut off pipe sections, tractor trailers, nets, coffee cups and pitch forks to complete the 18 hole endurance. Our 2018 winning team, captained by David Lawson was Alan Ferguson, John Quinn and Gavin McKenzie with 91 points (45 back nine points). Runners up also with 91 points were Leslie Tulleth, Alisdair Still, Stuart McLean and Greg Barclay however they had an inward 44 points. Our side contests were claimed by Iain Grant Nearest the pin on 13th Hole and Steve Young with Nearest the pin on 17th Hole.
|
|
FIRST CUP
18 aspiring Azeri golfers participated in our recent Dreamland ‘First Cup’. For the majority this was their first experience of competition golf on course. Offering support and guidance, many of our more established Azeri members joined the novice golfers in a fun scramble format and produced some fantastic scores. First place went to Iltifat Aghayev, Ramin Mammadov and Nabi Efendi who scored 32.1 net whilst runners up with a net score of 35.9 were Elman Rzayev, Ziya Zamanov, Libada Mammadova and Tural Aliyev. Elnur Mammadov won the Nearest the Pin and Iltifat Aghayev won the Longest Drive prize on the day.
|
|
2018 AZERBAIJAN OPEN – OFFICIAL LAUNCH!!!
We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2018 Azerbaijan Open. Please see attached the official brochure for the tournament, along with team sign up and sponsorship opportunities. For a recap of last year’s 2017 Azerbaijan Open please feel free to watch the video link above. For further details contact
events@dreamlandgolfclub.com
|
|
HOLE IN ONE HONOURS
We are delighted to see that so far in 2018, Daniel Lee and Les Tulleth have both achieved an “ace” on course. Be sure to follow further success with our Hole In One Roll of Honour.
|
|
RETAIL NEWS
Don’t miss out on a selection of new arrivals this summer in store. We have the 2018 collection of Imperial Headwear featuring a range of new custom designs featuring the DLGC brand and the flag of Azerbaijan. We are delighted to have been selected as one of the few shops to launch UNOGOLF. Originating in Asia the brand has recently been launched in the UAE offering a range of striking designs with a modern edge. Be sure to be one of the first to wear the latest fashion in golf.
|
|
OVERSEAS OUTING
We are proud to see Nabi and Huseyn who traveled to Zavidovo PGA National Russia to compete in their first international event. The week marked a huge milestone for the development of Golf in Azerbaijan as both players have progressed through Flames Golf and our own Future Stars training programs. With some early round nerves we were pleased to see both players record strong final round scores proving that they really do have the game to compete on the world stage. We would like to thank all our members, corporate partners and players who have contributed to various fund raising opportunities over the last year to make this trip possible.
|
|
SUMMER CAMP
It has been a busy summer for the our Academy team as we have launched our new Kids Summer Golf Camps. Under the watchful eye of Elshan Guliyev our Azerbijani coach and Emma Elisova players enjoyed the first two days at Dreamland Golf Club before travelling to the National Golf Club of Azerbaijan in Quba. Activities ranged from golf tuition to multi skilled sports and training sessions to on course competitions and games. Players received medals of achievement of their efforts with many signing up for the next summer camp.
|
|
MEMBERS TOURS
The Dreamland Golf Club members are always keen to try new courses, new destinations and meet more golfers. Between now and the end of the year our members will travel to Russia, Georgia and Qatar. For further details please contact Anton Samsonov
Anton.samsonov@dreamlandgolfclub.com
Good Luck to All!!!
|
|
TEAM SUCCESS
We were delighted to see Parviz Muradov our Golf Operations Supervisor complete his MDP 2 training course with the Club Managers Association of Europe earlier this summer. Studying the ten core competencies of operating a successful club Parviz renewed acquaintances and peers from the Middle East Region. He is currently completing a work based assignment to become the first Azerbaijani to achieve a Diploma in Club Management.
In January we congratulated Anton Samsonov who was awarded the Director of Golf Diploma from the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland. After completing the distance learning course, John Mulgrew PGA Master Professional & Education Assessor, visited Azerbaijan to meet Anton and study his role within the club. Seeing first hand Anton’s hard work and commitment, ensured that he not only passed the high criteria set, but in doing so also became the first Russian PGA Professional to achieve this recognition as well as PGA Advanced membership status. Commenting on the award Phil Jones Fellow PGA Professional and Club GM, “We are delighted to see Anton achieve the Director of Golf qualification. As a Golf Club we pride ourselves not only growing the sport in Azerbaijan, but developing our team with education and learning opportunities forming milestones in their careers. As a Russian PGA Golf Professional working overseas Anton’s passion for growing the game, managing tournaments along with the day to day operating of the club, naturally makes him a stand out employee, we are delighted to have him on board with us here in Baku”.
The further honours by the PGA in 2018 were for Phil Jones who was awarded Advanced Fellow Status and Head PGA Professional Alex Day receiving Advanced PGA membership Status. This means that the DLGC Team are the highest qualified Professionals in the CIS region providing Dreamland with the best opportunity to grow the game.
|
|
|
|
ALEX DAY
In March we welcomed our new PGA Advanced Head Professional Alex Day. Alex who is also TPI level 2 certified, has travelled through his time as a coach, developing the game in Oman (Middle East) where he coached their National teams at Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club. More recently in Russia, Alex developed another successful Golf Academy and secured the first PGA education program at Zavidovo PGA National
.
Alex.Day@dreamlandgolfclub.com
|
|
MID-SEASON MAKEOVER!
Alex and the team at the Golf Academy have been busy introducing new ways for players to improve their game this summer. With qualified coaches teaching the game in English, Russian and Azerbaijani languages the range of packages and lessons on offer are guaranteed to help reach your goal!
|
|
Alex Day, “Putting is without doubt the business end of the game – it’s where the game is won and lost. Therefore it is essential we devote as much constructive time practicing our putting as we do our long game. Furthermore, it’s important our practice sessions are made difficult. In doing so the game will become much easier when playing the course. To achieve this be sure to attempt holing putts into our freshly cut mini hole on the Academy Putting Green. How many consecutive putts can you make from 3 feet!?”
|
|
Playing from a truly flat lie on the golf course is rare, and so having an understanding as to how various slopes can affect your swing and ball flight is vitally important. Hitting balls from a specific slope can greatly benefit a golfer in helping promote an improved swing plane. The new sloping mat at Dreamlands Golf Academy is a fantastic addition. Located in the Swing Studio, club members are free to take advantage of this. However, should you wish to learn more and get the most out of it in terms of using it as a swing aid please make a point of seeing Alex and the team.
|
|
The introduction of more fun and colourful targets and nets to the driving range has provided golfers the opportunity to make practice sessions both more creative and effective. It is important we make our practice as much like actually ‘playing the golf course’ as possible. With new targets to now aim at, golfers have the option of alternating between different clubs and continually changing their line of approach to the targets.
What is your strike rate!? Should you wish to tighten up this department of your game, Dreamland's Teaching Professionals will be glad to help.
|
|
There is really nowhere to hide in our IMG performance and putting studios. State of the art technology in the form of Flightscope, V1 and the SAM Putting Lab provide Dreamland's Teaching Professionals with all the necessary data to analyse golfer's all round technique.
|
|
SABIS SUN International School
Enrolment is now underway for the forthcoming school year at our onsite Sabis Sun International School. For further details of the curriculum or to speak to a member of our team contact
www.ssisbaku.sabis.net
or +994 12 404 7441 / 42 / 43.
|
|
STAY WITH US!
Helping Azerbaijan reach its tourism targets Sevda Asgerova is now part of our team. Her focus is simple to attract as many tourists to sample the fantastic golf, hospitality and culture that Azerbaijan has to offer. Working with the leading hotels in Baku, we have packages starting with weekend visits up to a 5 day tour which includes a trip to the regions. Please feel free to recommend any of our “Stay and Play” offerings to your golfing friends looking for a new and very different destination
.
Sevda.Asgerova@dreamlandgolfclub.com
|
|
TRAVEL WITH IMG!
As a member of an IMG affiliated golf course, you can enjoy preferred rates and privileges at many of the leading courses around the globe, be sure to sign up to their monthly newsletter
THE VIEW
at
www.imgprestige.com
|
|
Dreamland Golf Club | +994 (0) 12 404 7 404 | reservations@dreamlandgolfclub.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
