Latest News
Welcome to March! A month which always symbolises great change for Azerbaijan as we welcome the Novruz holiday and with it the knowledge that the cooler darker months are behind us and summer is on its way.  This week we feature our forthcoming events, along with our updated 2019 events calendar for those wishing to plan their diaries. Sadly as with the nature of expat life, we will wish members Alastair Anderson, Becky Brannan and Gary Barclay the very best for their next adventures in the USA and the UK as they depart Baku ahead of the holidays.  On course news with Martin McGavock will bring you up to speed with our winter works and our latest and LARGEST project a 13,000 sq.metre Turf Nursery.
Novruz Sramble on 17th of March
For those players looking for competitive fun why not join us for our March’s 4 player “Novruz” scramble to be played on Sunday the 17th of March. Please see below for sign up details. If you cannot make a full team of 4 players please advise the events team and they will do their best to find additional talent! events@dreamlandgolfclub.com
8th of March - International Ladies Scramble
The last few places remain available for tomorrows Ladies Scramble and our special themed Ladies Lunch to be held at our Dreamland Golf Hotel.  For further updates contact Anton, Anton.Samsonov@dreamlandgolfclub.com  or the events team  events@dreamlandgolfclub.com .
 
Lady Golfers – Will arrive for 9:30am for coffee / tea prior to the 9 holes 4-person scramble format. Upon completion of play, players will change ready for the transport to chauffeur them to the new Dreamland Golf Hotel restaurant overlooking the Academy. Everyone will enjoy a glass of wine, buffet and Spanish music show. Ticket price is 50AZN per person for the Golf & Lunch (walking player) and 60AZN per person for the Golf & Lunch if you wish to take a buggy for the tournament.
 
The Perfect Gift!!! Why not treat ladies in your office to a table for non-Golf Guests – A special "Welcome to Golf" program from our PGA Golf Professionals has been arranged for ladies arriving ahead of the Lunch program where they can try golf and learn this great new sport!
Saturday 2nd of March 2019 – Saturday Roll Up Results
Cold and windy playing conditions did not prevent 26 players participating in last week’s Saturday Roll Up. The winner was Sabina Stewart with a 6 under par 42 points, her first ever prize in our weekly Roll Up. David Seo took second place with 4 under par 40 points. There was a tie for third place with Tadeus Herrold and Jinyoub Choi both scoring 3 under par 39 points. In order to determine third place winner, it required us to look at their back nine scores. Since both players had equal back nine (21) and back six (15) points, it required us to look at their back 3 scores. After countback Tadeus took third place with a better back three score of 8pts and Jinyoub’s back three score of 7pts were not enough to keep him on the leader board.
Last Saturday three players had 2s on their card, Alan Ferguson and Sang Jun Park birdied the 10th hole, whereas Jinyoub Choi birdied the 13th hole to put a 2 on his scorecard.
2019 Season Calendar
We are pleased to share our Draft Calendar of events for the 2019 Golf Season. We have 90% confirmations on the dates for our key events and look forward to final confirmations ahead of April. In addition to those events listed we will launch the Garmin Dreamland Match Play event and continue to introduce Members Trips and Club Matches. Please feel free to contact the events team   events@dreamlandgolfclub.com  for further details.
IMG Prestige Clubs - Baku and other destinations
As a part of IMG Prestige - Dreamland Golf Club members have a preferred rates to visit more than 130 golf courses around the world. Please see attached lastest offers from IMG Prestige Clubs and don't forget to ask you personal Golf Tourism Coordinator Sevda Esgerova if there is any special offers for destinations you plan to go. From Turkey to UAE and Grand Canary Islands and Mauritious our department will assist you with your Golf Getaways at the best price.
Please feel free to contact Sevda at Sevda.Esgerova@dreamlandgolfclub.com for further details.
Winter Eclectic Series
It is the final few weeks for our Winter Eclectic Series, we hope that players have enjoyed this format which has allowed people to keep competitive through the cooler months!. Click down below to see the current leaderboard and who may finish at the top after round 10!
  • Can I submit my Saturday Roll Up Score for the Eclectic as well? YES, the eclectic is designed to be flexible and played from the same tee’s as the Roll Up – White for gents. *Keep in mind for the published scores that the Roll Up is based on FULL hcp and the Eclectic is based on 75% of your current handicap.
  • How will the events team know I will play in both competitions? As players approach their 8th and 9th card you may opt in or out for your score to count for both. To make it a little easier for all, we have added a column for the Saturday Roll Up Entry sheet – simply Tick next to your name if you wish for the card to count for the Eclectic as well the Roll Up (This has to be done before you tee off).
  • 75% of your CURRENT playing handicap (at the date of the round) is used to calculate your Nett Eclectic score for that day.
Good Luck to All !
Trip Advisor
With the soon to OPEN! Dreamland Golf Hotel we are continuing to see interest from golfers wanting to visit Baku for the first time.  With the popularity of Trip Advisor we call upon any members who would be willing to write a short review about Dreamland which would help encourage players come to Azerbaijan! It only takes a minute and would really help us boost awareness of our beautiful course!
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Given the success of last years Dreamland Golf Club hospital (typo- it should have ity on the end) suite at Saturdays F1 race qualifying we have once again reserved the meeting room at the Hilton Hotel. Join us for an afternoon of racing with an open buffet and a beverage package to get close up action ahead of Sunday’s race. 20 tickets are available on a first come first served basis - AZN395 per person for the full program. Please contact General Manager Phil Jones –  philip.jones@dreamlandgolfclub.com  for more details.
On Course by Martin McGavock – Golf Course Superintendent
It continues to be a productive time for the GCM team as we see out the end of winter. The lake cleaning project is now completed and we have started to refill the lakes, tree bases are being re-defined with fresh hazelnut shells added, bunkers are being topped up with new sand where required. As the temperatures warm we will start putting down some grass seed in weaker areas of the course in anticipation of some warmer weather coming in. One major in house project going on in the background is our new turf nursery. 13,600 m2 to be exact located just outside the boundary of the 14th hole. The crew are working well to install the 1,000+ meters of irrigation pipe, 10,000+ meters of irrigation cables and 5,000 tons of sand required before we start the seeding process.
Once completed we will have a mixed use turf nursery with fairway and rough grass varieties, which will allow for the following course enhancements. Players will notice that during the course grow in on holes such as the 4th – the wind caused the greens seed to move forward to the front apron and approach of the putting surface. When playing you will be aware that should your ball land short on the 4th – it doesn’t roll up onto the fringe, it generally sits and stops quickly. With turf from the nursery we will be able to replace these areas with the fairway grass ensuring that all approaches around the course play more consistent. We look forward to showing you the progress of our nursery very soon….
ACADEMY NEWS
New Rules for 2019 - Distance Measuring Devices
Over time club selection has been made much easier through the introduction of distance markers on the golf course and more recently technological advancements in the form of Distance Measuring Devices (DMDs).
Since 2006 the use of such devices has been allowed, but only under a Local Rule put in place by the relevant Club or Competition Committee.  Now, the 2019 Rules of Golf allow the use of DMDs without the need for a Local Rule.  Although the Rules of Golf allow the use of DMDs, players must ensure that the device they use complies with the restrictions in Rule 4.3a(1). For additional guidance, please see the do’s and don’t’s below:
 
Do’s
You may use a DMD to:
  • Measure straight line distance between two points
  • Access a club yardage chart based on historical information
  • Enter shot information – for later analytics
  • Access a local weather forecast
 
Dont’s
You may not use a DMD to:
  • Measure elevation changes
  • Calculate effective distance based on changes in elevation or other conditions
  • Interpret distance or directional information (such as using a device to get a recommended line of play or club selection)
Dream Skills
Congratulations  to Nabi Efendi who became February’s Zero Hero. The Dream Swing challenge win was achieved by producing just an impressive 0.2 degree difference between club path and face aim. Well done Nabi!
March’s challenge is called ‘Flightscope Finesse’ and focuses on approach play. Available at the Academy Every Wednesday and Saturday simply attempt to hit 10 balls to a 40 yard target.  Points shall be awarded according to proximity.  Just 10azn to enter – the winner shall receive a dozen Bridgestone Tour B XS (Tiger Woods preferred ball)
Break 100 Club
Dreamland's members have continued to show fantastic commitment to improving their skills and knowledge of the game through attending Break 100 sessions during the winter months.  The latest member to achieve the golfing milestone was Elaine McFadden scoring a smashing 98. Well done Elaine! I’m sure they’ll be many more scores in the 90’s now to follow.
For those who wish to get involved in these fun instructional sessions they run every Monday at 14:30 and Wednesday at 12:00 and cost just 25azn. Please contact Alex on E:  alex.day@dreamlandgolfclub.com   M: +994 55 333 0507
RETAIL NEWS
Pre-Owned Clubs For Sale – More Stock Needed!
Please find below the link to our Pre–Owned selection of golf equipment which we have on offer with the Golf Academy Team. Alex, Kamran or Emma are delighted to allow you to trial any of the items at the Driving Range, as you can see many of the leading brands are featured. If you have any clubs that you wish to sell the team are happy to prepare valuations.
Dreamland Golf Club | +994 (0) 12 404 7 404 | reservations@dreamlandgolfclub.com |