Belated good wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2021. I hope you and your families are staying safe and well.
So, let’s go through what’s been happening on and off the golf course these past few weeks. First stop this season was Hawaii for the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, part of the revised Champions Tour combined 2020/21 season. My golf was fairly solid, without that spark you need to get in the mix, but nevertheless it was a nice way to start the year. A beautiful location and a beautifully run tournament. Thanks guys.
From there we travelled to the Middle East for back-to-back tournaments on the European Tour. The Omega Dubai Desert Classic has been one of my favourite tournaments, ever since I started playing there in the early 1990s. It holds some wonderful memories for me and it’s a golf course that I’ve always enjoyed. I didn’t have my best stuff this time and obviously I hate missing cuts. But if we’re looking for silver linings, I enjoyed being able to spend a few days at our club The Els Club Dubai. It feels like coming home to me! And it was good to catch up with the President at Dubai Sports City, Mr. Khalid Al Zarooni. It’s wonderful to see the club thriving. The course we built there in 2007 is world class, as is the clubhouse, the service and the food. Everyone is doing such a great job.
After that, it was just a short hop across the border for the Saudi International. As in Dubai, it was frustrating not to play better, but hats off to everyone involved for what they’ve achieved there. I mean, the success of the two women’s events last year, along with the stellar field gathered for last week’s tournament, has really put Saudi Arabia on the world’s golfing map. The course is a 10 out of 10 in terms of conditioning and the hospitality is very special. I know all the players enjoy it there and it’s easy to imagine golf in the Kingdom going from strength to strength in the coming years.
Next up, my schedule takes me to Tucson for the Cologuard Classic at the end of this month. Beyond that, we’ll be sure to update you soon.
Before we sign off, there are a couple of other items of news. One of my sponsors, Srixon, has launched some great new products this year including the new improved Z-STAR XV golf ball, which majors on enhanced spin for control around the greens and more speed off the clubface for greater distance. That’s the kind of combination I’m very happy to play with…in yellow for me (pictured below) although white is obviously available, too. The company also launched its updated ZX irons. We’ve had them in the bag for a few months now. Performance and feel off the clubface are impressive. I think we’re going to get along just fine!
Finally, it’s great to share the news that the Ernie Els Winery is re-open for business. Click here for more information about wine tastings, dining at the winery’s wonderful restaurant (pictured below) and of course online and onsite wine sales, which we’re happy to say have been resumed in South Africa. Visit the website for more information or to arrange a visit: https://ernieelswines.com/.
Okay, that’s it for now. Follow me on social media if you don’t already.
