A busy November weekend for golf, with the rain showers thankfully avoiding us on Sunday. Great to see the A.I.G.S (Azerbaijan International Society) celebrating their 100th event with us – so much great golf has been played since the society began in 2015.
Read on – for the latest results, the launch of our Christmas Scramble and a highlight this week - Eldar Kerimov shares his experience of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Grand Final.
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For the coming mid-week days (non-tournament days) we will operate an on course drinks service via the course ranger / beverage cart. The Café T Lakeview will be open for restroom access daily however the bar area will not be in operation.
Due to Monday – Wednesday evenings being quiet at the Golf Academy we will stop serving food at 5pm. The Bar will be available for drinks as usual until last balls at 8.30pm. The Clubhouse Lounge and Restaurant are open till 9.00pm during the weekdays so players can pop over if they wish to have food after their practice.
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A.I.G.S Celebrates The Big 100
It’s not often players take on a 36 hole challenge, however it did not put the A.I.G.S members off as they celebrated their 99th and 100th event in the same day. The morning singles Stableford (N99) was won with some great performances by Mike Young winning with 40pts followed by Eldar Kerimov with 39pts. Over lunch the pairings were announced for Number 100! - a two player scramble to conclude before dusk.
Congratulations to Stuart McLean and Ulvi Kerimli with a nett 67.7 with Eldar Kerimov and Danny Lee runners up with a net 68.7. The side contests for the day were N99 - Nearest the Pin Hole 10, John Salins and Nearest the Pin Hole 13 Ray Jacques. N100 side contest winners were Nearest the Pin Hole 5 Wade Droney and Nearest the Pin Hole 17 Alan Ferguson. Well done to all – we look forward to the next 100 events!
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Sadhguru Visits Dreamland Golf Club
Dreamland Golf Club were honoured to host Sadhguru on his first visit to Azerbaijan. An author, poet, visionary and renowned speaker Sadhguru is a Yogi and mystic named as one of India’s 50 most influential people (pictured with member John Salins - India's 51st most influential man!). He founded the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organization which offers Yoga programs around the world and is involved in social outreach, education and environmental initiatives. In Baku this past weekend to launch his book Inner Engineering (available also in Russian Translation) Sadhguru spoke at the Heydar Aliyev Centre on Saturday evening after first enjoying a game of golf at Dreamland. A previous 9 handicap player, Phil agreed to give Sadhguru a shot per hole in the match as a gesture of welcome to Baku…. “It was a very enjoyable game and a chance talk about his other passion – Golf. Travelling the world with his clubs he always manages to find time for a morning game. I am pleased to say the match was an honourable draw, with both players agreeing to a rematch in the future….he wont be getting 18 shots !
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Christmas Scramble 2018
Join us for the annual Christmas 4 player Texas Scramble on Sunday the 9th of December at 11.00am Start (due to the BBG Christmas Party the night before). Teams can register with the link below, Fancy Dress is encouraged with prizes awarded to the best dressed team. Come and join us for a memorable sendoff to 2018!
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Kings Call Up!
This week is guaranteed to be memorable for Tural Velizade our 2018 Matchplay Champion and Academy Team member. Enjoying a great season, and reducing his Handicap Index to 5.3! Tural has been invited to play in the 11th King Hamad Invitational Trophy in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Staged at the prestigious Royal Golf Club, Tural will join leading amateurs alongside professionals such as former European Tour player Raymond Russell, MENA Tour pro Zane Scotland and defending champion Luke Joy for the 54 hole championship.
“We are proud that we can support Tural with his trip to Bahrain to play in the tournament, it’s a great opportunity to put Azerbaijan golf on the map in the GCC. Alex and Anton have been preparing him for this week’s event, not least with his preparation and travel plans. As it’s only the second time Tural has ever been airbourne! … (The first was part of his national service and he had to jump out of the helicopter!!) …. We have calmed his nerves and assured him his ticket will get him all the way to Bahrain …. And he can sit and enjoy the hospitality of Fly Dubai. We look forward to updating everyone during the week as to his progress.
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Saturday 11th of November 2018 – Saturday Roll Up Results
The weather was perfect on Saturday with 36 members using this opportunity to participate in the Saturday Roll Up. Good playing conditions brought high scores and Stuart Mclean’s 4 under par 40 points took him to top of the leader board. Giorgio Danieli took second place with 3 under par 39 points. Iain Paterson’s level par 36 points were enough for him to take third place.
Last Saturday two players had 2s on their card. Robert O’Donoghue birdied the 10th hole and Bruce Ferguson birdied the 17th hole to put 2 on their scorecards.
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Movember!!
November recognizes the support to a global men’s health, with the “Movember” fundraising efforts as Gents around the world grow a moustache to increase awareness. One such fundraiser is Dreamland Golf Club member George Park who is well on his way to not only a great charity fund raise but also an impressive moustache! We would be delighted if members would support George’s appeal with donations to the following link…. Well done George!
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Qatar Trip
Thanks to those who have signed up for the Qatar trip it promises to be a great couple of days playing these fantastic Middle East courses! Below is a brief summary:
Friday 23rd of November – Late evening flight down to Doha – Check in at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Doha
Saturday 24th of November – Education City Golf Club Doha – Due to open January 2019!
Sunday 25th of November – Doha Golf Club – home of the Qatar Masters (European Tour Event)
Sunday 25th of November – Return flight to Baku
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Retail News
We look forward to launching PING clothing, which will be in store later this month. The 2018 collection includes a range of winter fleeces, jackets and wind stoppers all designed to keep you warm on course with freedom of movement to swing the club.
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Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup
Reflecting on the week at the Turkish Airlines World Cup Final – Eldar Kerimov shares with us his fascinating journey for the most memorable week so far in his golfing career. Confirmation (if it wasn’t already needed) that representing Azerbaijan at the Grand Final is so worth the practise and effort. Keep up the great work!
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New Rules for 2019
There have recently been a number of rules changes announced by the R&A that shall take effect from January 1st. The majority of the changes have been made to make the game quicker and less complicated. Over the coming weeks we shall highlight some of these rules but this week we shall start with what is maybe the most significant – Rule 13. Hitting the flagstick will now be without penalty which means you can always leave the flag in the hole. Demonstrated in the video link below.
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Top Tips
When putting, more often than not I see golfers making their practice strokes with their eyes fixed on the the ball (not at the hole). In doing so, the golfer is getting absolutely no feel for the putt and the rehearsal is therefore serving no purpose. To help improve your distance control be sure to look at the hole whilst making your practice stroke. Really try and visualize the ball tracking towards the hole and whilst you’re seeing it, try and feel it through moving your shoulders. Once you are, then set over the ball with the club aligned square to your aim point, take one last look and pull the trigger attempting to recreate the practice stroke you had just made. Demonstrated in the video link.
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Arccos Caddie
Winner of three-straight Golf Digest Editor's Choice Awards for "Best Game Analyzer", ARCCOS features 14 sensors – one for every club in your bag - and access to golf's Smartest Caddie, powered by Artificial Intelligence. Golf's first and only fully-automatic shot-tracking system records and analyzes every shot you hit. It provides "plays like" distances to any point on the course and tour analytics to help you make smarter decisions to shoot lower scores.
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User Benefits:
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Get Artificial Intelligence-powered caddie advice for every shot, on every hole
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Know your exact distance to any point on the course
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Learn precisely which club to use in every situation
•Identify your actual strengths and weaknesses
ARCCOS really is an easy way to improve your game. To understand more about these benefits please see the following link:
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In conjunction with the launch of this fantastic product to Dreamland, Head Professional Alex Day is offering a customized lesson package. Through access to player’s online data, Alex will analyse player’s individual on course performance
FREE for a month
and then tailor
3 x 50 minute sessions
covering Driving, Iron Play, and Short Game. In addition Alex shall offer a
FREE 2 hour on course
session ensuring the course management skills are in check. This package is perfect for the season end to highlight and provide focus on what needs most attention over the coming winter months.
- ARCCOS Caddie - 595AZN (565AZN with member discount)
- ARCCOS Caddie with lesson package – 995AZN
Stocks are limited with only 6 pieces remaining. Please contact a member of the Academy team to purchase.
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Staff Winter Matchplay
The knockout competitions excitement is growing with quarter final matches completed Monday afternoon. Despite playing some steady stuff Professionals Phil and Alex were both on the receiving end of some incredible scoring from Bakhtiyar and Vagif. Both inflicted their heavy defeats on the Pro’s by each carding numerous net birdies and four net hole in ones for good measure. The Pro’s were by no means bitter but immediately demanded reviews of the players handicaps from Mr Parviz.
On the other half of the draw Orxan continued his rich reign of form with a comfortable ??? win over Gulnara. However the match of the day was between Fuad and Vusal. After trading blows and rattling flagsticks they finished all square after 18 holes. However it was Vusal who kept his cool in the tense sudden death play-off making a solid par on the first to seal the final spot in the semifinal.
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Academy Membership Promotion
With Dreamland Academy becoming increasingly busy with new visitors we are offering a membership promotion to entice novice golfers between now and the end of the season. Should you know of any colleagues or friends that might be interested in learning the game, please kindly share this great value offer.
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Foot Golf
To coincide with the football season getting underway this month we are offering a 2 for 1 promotion on all Monday evening rounds of Foot Golf.
The game is played similarly to golf, with the exception that a football is used instead of a golf ball. Also the ball is kicked rather than hit with a club, and aimed towards an oversized hole in place of the usual golf hole. Our specially built 9 hole course at the Academy includes bunkers, trees, hills and water which should all be evaded to reach the hole.
It’s great fun for all the family!! Get your shooting boots on and come and have a crack at breaking the Dreamland course record. We’re open every Monday from 17:00-20:00
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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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Dreamland Golf Club | +994 (0) 12 404 7 404 | reservations@dreamlandgolfclub.com |
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