A
30minute
delay on Sunday allowed for our first frost of 2019 to clear on course. As with previous years it is important we don’t allow buggies, trolleys and players onto the course until the leaf has thawed. It is no exaggeration that should the leaf get damaged by footprints or the weight of machinery the recovery time for the leaf canopy can be up to 8 weeks. Thanks to players for their patience, please be assured that our team continues to be in contact with the green keepers to provide the earliest start time possible on frosty mornings.
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Operations Update
Please see below some updates from the golf operations team ahead of our season starting in March.
Golf Cart Batteries –
As with 2018 we are committed to replacing the cart batteries over the coming weeks. The next delivery will be in Azerbaijan in February when we will accept batteries for the remaining part of our fleet – 20 vehicles. This sizeable investment will ease the current problems faced as the cart fleet enters its 4th year of operation.
Golf Cart Charger Points
– In 2019 we will have several charge points at the clubhouse cart staging area, this will allow buggies to have a top up charge prior to heading back out for 36 holes at the busy weekends
Care of the Course
– Members will receive their copy of our “Rules and Regulations” booklet with their 2019 renewals. As you will see, it addresses the need for us all to Care for the Course. With an average of 90% member play we ALL need to play a part in repairing pitch marks, raking bunkers to name a few points of etiquette. Over the coming weeks we will share some of our new on course initiatives designed around caring for our course.
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Cart Path Only For Golf Buggies On Par 3’s
As part of our continued “Care of the Course” campaign we have taken the decision to keep buggies to the Cart Paths when playing the 5th, 10th, 13th & 17th Holes. In the event that you decide to drive towards the grass apron your buggy will automatically stop and the above message displayed on screen. Once the buggy has been reversed out of the restricted area the cart will operate fully again. We appreciate everyone’s support so we protect the course
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2019 Membership Program
Thanks to all the members who have renewed their membership, please make sure you let Orhan and his team know about your plans for 2019. As with last year we are pleased to offer individuals a 6 month membership from January to 30th June to help players who maybe uncertain of their work situation beyond the summer months. The membership team will follow up this coming week to discuss the best option for you and how they can assist. For further contact or any questions please email
Membership@dreamlandgolfclub.com
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Welcome to 2019 for our Ladies!
Our lady members kick started their year with the first of their monthly Scramble Tournaments. Played over 9 holes, 14 ladies competed with the winning awards going to the team of Elaine McFadden, Khayala Winkle and Sevda Askerova with 41 gross, 27.3 net. The on course prize winners for the day were Longest Drive on Hole 4 Becky Brannan, and Nearest the Pin on Hole 5 Elaine McFadden – Well done to all and best wishes for the rest of the year!
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Seasonal Calendar
Anton and Phil are currently in talks regarding the season’s event calendar which include Medals, Club Match Play, Scrambles, Away Trips and our Major sponsored golf days. We look forward to updating soon as we confirm with sponsors and partners.
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Saturday 12th of January 2019 – Saturday Roll Up Results
Due to cold and windy playing conditions, only 30 players participated in last week’s Saturday Roll Up. Scores were not as high as usual with Yeanhyuk Yim winning with his 1 over par 35 points. Graham Beattie took second place with 2 over par 34 points. There was a tie for third place with 3 players – Sean Harrison, George Ball and Steve Baker – scoring 3 over par 33 points. In order to determine the third place winner, it required us to look at their back 9 scores. After countback Sean took third place with 17pts whereas George and Steve’s 15 back nine points were not enough to keep them on the leader board. No one had a 2 on their scorecard, so we have roll over for this week’s Saturday Roll Up.
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Winter Eclectic Series
Great to see over 50 members competing in the Winter Eclectic series over 10 rounds. A couple of updates from the events team…to keep our results as accurate as possible.
- 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).
We still have till the end of March so players can enter again for another series of 10 games if they wish.
Good Luck to All!
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Newly Certified Coaches
This week it gave Head Professional Alex Day great pleasure in presenting Kamran Aliyev and Tural Velizade with level one coaching certificates. Throughout 2018 both demonstrated a real eagerness to further their knowledge and learn more about the coaching side of the business. Recognizing their hard work and enthusiasm, Alex delivered a programme to develop Dreamland;s new coaching recruits to provide quality and safe golf instruction.
Having two such aspiring Azerbaijan golf coaches achieve this accolade is a great asset to the Academy. Using the knowledge and skills they have learned provide Kamran and Tural a fantastic opportunity to grow this great game locally and further their career as coaches.
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Flagstick In or Out
So now when putting whilst on the green we have three options available to us - putt with the flag out, putt with the flag tended, or putt with the flag left in and unattended. The third is now an option since there is no longer a penalty incurred if we hit the flagstick.
Whilst this rule change has been introduced to help speed up play, some of the game's most scientific minds are led to believe it will also help golfers hole more putts.
Short Game expert Dave Pelz conducted an original pin in or out test in 1990. The test was performed with a special putting device built to roll putts accurately aimed with a laser, and a pure roll from two feet away. He rolled putts at different speeds hitting different parts of the pin on flat, uphill and downhill sloping greens. The test results were conclusive: You will hole a higher percentage of putts when you leave the flagstick in.
Another golf physics guru currently playing on tour and in the world’s top ten is Bryson DeChambeau. In the attached video you can see DeChambeau choosing to leave the pin in for all putts in Kapalua Hawaii last week, regardless of the length. What’s your preference? I have no doubt that towards the end of this year we shall see far more top players also choosing to always putt with flag left in.
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Two Minute Tip
This week’s two minute tip is about the business end of the game – the putting – and in particular distance control.
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Lesson Packages
Need help in achieving your new year golfing resolutions!? Whatever you experience, we have various packages specifically designed for different levels of golfer. For further information please contact Head Professional Alex Day on M: +994 50 983 8 172 E:
alex.day@dreamlandgolfclub.com
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On Course with Martin McGavock
The agronomy team have been using up their annual leave over the past and current weeks, earning a well-earned break after a year of hard work, though small projects continue throughout the winter. Below we touch on a few of these going on in the background:
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You may have noticed the work going on in this area where we are creating a landscape bed for flowering plants and shrubs. This 2-4m buffer zone between the practice area and hotel will provide a landscaping theme that will both blend with the golf course and other surrounding landscape at the hotel. It also helps us as we don’t have grass right at the hotel front, minimizing sprinkler water drift onto the hotel. This project involves the relocation of grass, irrigation and cabling followed by creating a soil base, installing landscape irrigation and finally the planting of flowers and shrubs.
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Turf Nursery
Outside the border of hole 14 we are creating an area of 13,600m2 to be used as a turf nursery for both fairway/tee and rough grasses. This project is in the early stages with the ground having been cleared and raised at present. In the months ahead we will be excavation for a sand layer and trenching for full irrigation to the same specification that we have on the golf course. The primary use of this nursery will be for replacing areas of contaminated grass (where seed from greens was blown onto fairways/tees during course construction) to provide a uniform surface as intended – our main areas of priority for this are foregreens which contain amounts of greens grass. The turf will also be used to replace areas that are damaged from things like summer stress and cart/machine traffic damage. We will update as the project progresses.
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17th Golf Mad Pro Am
We glad to announce that two teams are fully booked and we wish them a great game in February while new options for trips will be announced soon. Return matches to Russia and Kazan together with St.Petersburg to discover new golf courses from famous designers. Keep yourself open for a great trips with Dreamland Golf Club. All information about the summer trips and possible locations can be found out from Anton Samsonov -
Anton.Samsonov@dreamlandgolfclub.com
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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.
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It is SKI TIME!!!
Pik Palace Hotel Shahdag
Discover the winter magic at Pik Palace Hotel this winter with skiing, great food and magnificent views over the surrounding nature.
Park Chalet Hotel Shahdag
Azerbaijan’s definitive five-star ski destination devoted to heightening the senses and nurturing moments of family fun awaits you with exiting festive season offer. Get into the spirit of the winter season
For more information please contact +994 12 310 0009,
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Dreamland Golf Club | +994 (0) 12 404 7 404 | reservations@dreamlandgolfclub.com |
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