Latest News
A welcome return for the A.I.G.S (Azerbaijan International Golf Society) this past weekend with their first event of 2019. With 38 players competing in cool and windy conditions the average stableford scores sat around the low 30 pts.  Well done to the winner Ilgar Ahmadov with a spectacular 38 points followed closely by Luka Ivkovic with 37 points (both players starting the year with a small hcp cut) Iain Grant finished in third place with 34 points (better back 9) with wife Alison Grant winning the leading ladies score. On course the accuracy award went to Billy Blanchard with his Nearest the pin on hole 17 with Ian Allan claiming the distance award for his Longest drive on hole 3.
Sunshine Golf
Winning prizes vouchers in the 2018 Azerbaijan Open the team of Bryan Thomas, Nick Hore, Ben Stansbury and Steve Parkes met up in Doha to experience rounds at the newly open Education City Golf Club and Doha Golf Club. Not known as a golf destination Qatar is placing itself firming on the golfing map with yet another world class golf course on offer. With flights from Baku on Qatar Airways it is well worth considering a golfing stop off, if you are transiting through or alternatively if you fancy a warm weekend in the sun. 
USA PGA Show - Anton Samsonov
Freshly back from Florida USA, Anton has started to update the team as to the current trends in the world of golf. We are delighted he has returned with a few great touches for Dreamland Golf Club, not least with another superb teaching aid for our Golf Academy. The Putting Stroke teacher is a number of alignment sticks that you can use to ensure the club head remains square to the Ball To Target throughout your putting stroke. Quite simple, but very useful to lower your scores by eliminating miss hits on short and long putts. Stay tuned to more news from PGA Show in a couple of next newsletters.
Operations Update
Please see below some updates from the golf operations team ahead of our season starting in March.

Golf Cart Batteries – The first of the 2019 replacement batteries have been fitted this past week with 7 carts now back in full operation. The team will continue to install more batteries in readiness for the golf season in March.
 
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.
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
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. From the 1st of February members joining will be offered an individual a 5 month membership from February to the 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 
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. 
Saturday 26th of January 2019 – Saturday Roll Up Results
Cold and windy playing conditions did not prevent 36 players to participate in last week’s Saturday Roll Up. Winner was Alistair Macduff with 2 under par 38 points. Jeanhyuk Yim kept himself on the leader board 3 weeks in a row, taking second place this time with 1 under par 37 points. William Blanchard took third place with level par 36 points.
Last Saturday 4 players had 2s on their card. Alistair Macduff and Wade Droney birdies 5th hole, whereas Darren Thomson and John Salins birdied the 17th hole to put 2 on their scorecards. 
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).
  • 75% of your CURRENT playing handicap (at the date of the round) is used to calculate your Nett Eclectic score for that day.
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!
ACADEMY NEWS
Ball accidentally moved on putting green 
The reason for this rule change is that slopes and condition of many putting greens nowadays have increased the chances of a ball at rest moving. There have been numerous instances whereby it’s been difficult to determine whether a player caused the ball to move or whether the ball was moved by wind. Therefore, under Rule 13.1d, there is no longer a penalty if a player (or opponent) accidentally causes the player’s ball to move on the putting green. For example, if you were to accidentally do one of the following you simply replace your ball or marker without penalty:
  • move your ball when addressing the putt or making a practice stroke
  • drop your ball marker on your ball or vice versa
One further point to note (especially here in the windy city) is that if the ball does move before addressing it due to the wind, the player must play the ball from the new position without penalty.
Dream Skills
February at the Academy sees the return of the Dream Skills series. Details are as follows:
  • Experience a series of fun challenges to put your all round game to the test.
  • Sessions run every Wednesday from 18:00-20:00 and Saturdays between 8:30-9:30
  • Two competition categories (0-24 & 24.1+) with prizes awarded monthly to winners
  • AZN 10 to enter – please contact Academy reception to register
This month's ‘Dream Swing’ Challenge is ZERO HERO – Achieving ‘0’ in terms of clubhead path and clubface aim at impact (coupled with a centre strike from the face) results in straight golf shots. Using the big stick (Driver) make 10 full golf swings attempting to get as close to ‘0’ (neutral) as possible.  
Two Minute Tip
In this week’s two minute tip Alex looks at whether to chip or pitch.  Should you have any top tip requests, please contact Head Professional Alex Day on M: +994 50 983 8 172 
New Year Lesson Promotion
Need help in achieving your new year golfing resolutions!? Whatever your 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
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.
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,
Dreamland Golf Club | +994 (0) 12 404 7 404 | reservations@dreamlandgolfclub.com |