Members Newsletter June 2012 (PDF)

June Edition

MESSSAGE FROM THE GM
Dear Members,
Sincere thanks to those members that joined and supported
us at the End of Season Texas Scramble and Prize Giving
dinner – a few fun and a few more serious awards were given
in recognition for members support of the club over the past
season.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Members Medal
Friday, 4th May 2012
Best Gross – Adrian Creed (77)
Best Net – Agnes Letier-Lacaze (64)
2nd Place – Alex Barclay (69)
3rd Place – Sharon Hall (70)
2 Club Winner – Brian McClure
Members Stableford
Saturday, 5th May 2012
1st Place – John Thompson (40)
nd
2 Place – Ron Herman (37) BB3
rd
3 Place – Abdullah Al Marzooqi (37)

Mid Week Roll Up Stableford
Wednesday, 9th May 2012
1st Place – Sharon Hall (39)

We launched our summer passport on the 1st of June and
though a loyalty program designed to bring summer business
to the club there are a number of very attractive offers for
members and your guests - hoping that you choose Yas Links
as your preferred place to dine or entertain friends this
summer.
Managing a club is in my opinion all about doing our best to meet the needs of our
membership and guests. Yas Links recognises that business levels do drop off during
the summer months but equally so we have put together a healthy and active summer
calendar with the support of various sponsors. Whether it’s the Summer Open, Etihad
Open Stableford, Cadillac Medal, Ecco Challenge or Viceroy Ramadan Series we hope
to see your active participation.
As a member of the club it is equally important that both you and your guests conduct
your selves in a manner be-fitting of the club and membership. At the time of joining
all members receive our Club By Laws book which with 21 Sections clearly presents the
do’s and don’ts and expectations of the Club – if for some reason you don’t have the By
Laws book or there are points you would like to discuss please let me personally know.
The schools break up towards the end of the month (whilst those who have completed
exams may already be on leave) either way I am sure many people are travelling at
some point and I personally’ on behalf of the whole team here at Yas, would like to
wish you safe and enjoyable travels.

Phillips Cup
Friday,
& Saturday 12th May
Day 1
America & Asia – 11 ½
Rest of the World – 6 ½
11th

Day 2
America & Asia – 8 ½
Rest of the World – 11 ½

Best Wishes,

Chris White - APGA
General Manager
Aldar Golf

Final Result
America & Asia – 20
Rest of the World - 18
Etihad Open Stableford
Friday, 18th May 2012
Division A (Handicap 0 – 18)
1st Place – Emanuel Ostojic (39)
2nd Place – Philip Morris (38) BB6
3rd Place Roman Hawczak (38)
Division B (Handicap 19-36)
1st Place – Peter Thomas (40)
2nd Place – Dave Harvey (36)
rd
3 Place – Steve Paul Burnell (33)
Saturday Stableford
Saturday, 19th May 2012
1st Place – William Royce (37)
2nd Place – Emanuel Ostojic (36)
End of Season Finale
Friday, 25th May 2012
1st Place – Joe Howell, Kim Howell, Kris
Howell, David Fox (54.8)
nd
2 Place – Emanuel Ostojic, Sami Hajri, Sean
Tierney, David Bonn (56.9)
3rd Place – Yvette Heywood, Neil Heywood,
Tejinder Sandhu, Stephen Green (57.6)

GOLF NEWS
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GOLF
With the 2011/12 season coming to a close I am delighted with what we have all
achieved this season. When I joined Yas Links in November 2010 members
tournaments were regularly cancelled due to lack of entries and at most 10 members
would compete. Last month (May) we held the Phillips Cup which was over two days.
36 holes on day one and 18 holes on day two, which I understand is a massive
commitment as well as braving the 40+ degree temperatures for 54 holes. In total we
had 40 players playing in each match and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the format and
to compete against other members which on many occasions they had previously never
played with. The 40 members were split into two teams and team captains were
carefully chosen. Captaining Americas & Asia was Emanuel Ostojic and captaining the
Rest of the World was Joe Howell. The overall score was Rest of the World 18 and
America’s and Asia 20.
Congratulations to the scratch team for reaching the scratch league final.
Unfortunately Arabian Ranches produced a breathtaking performance to win the
match 6-2. That said it was still a great achievement to reach the final and best of luck
for next season. The season finale event took place on the 25th May and this year the
committee selected a member and guest Texas scramble. Each team must have at
least one lady or one junior golfer. The winning team scored an incredible nett 54.8
lead by Joe Howell, Kris Howell, Kim Howell and David Fox, congratulations! The
prize giving was followed by a quiz and a fun end of season awards presentation.
I would like to remind all members that bottles of water are only issued complimentary
when playing the Links Course. When practicing on the range or playing the par 3
course the water coolers are available and bottled water is available to purchase from
Hickory’s or the Academy Pavilion.
The summer event calendar is posted on the new member’s notice board. Please look
out for the Summer Open, Ramadan Open, Etihad Airways Open Stableford, Ecco
Challenge and Cadillac Medal events. Even though the season is over there is still lots
to play for.

TOURNAMENT
SCHEDULES
AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Etihad Open Stableford
Friday, 8th June
Saturday Stableford
Saturday, 9th June
Rotana Series
Wednesday, 13th June

Enjoy your summer holidays and if you are out on the Links during the hot summer
months please remember to regularly apply suntan lotion, wear a hat and most
importantly to drink lots of water.
I am away on leave for the month of June and I look forward to seeing you at Yas Links
in July.
Best regards,

Tom Rourke

Roll Up Stableford
Wednesday, 13th June
ECCO Challenge – Pairs Betterball
Friday, 15th June
Summer Open
Saturday, 16th June
Rotana Series
Wednesday, 20th June
Saturday Stableford
Saturday, 23rd June
Rotana Series
Wednesday, 27th June

FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Dear Members,
Finally our amazing Summer Passport has arrived and included are some fantastic
F&B offerings. If you have not picked up your copy yet, please feel free to approach
any of my team members.
Our Executive Chef Jay will use the more quieter summer months to create a new
menu for Hickory`s with his team. There will be some exciting new dishes to be seen
soon. If you have any suggestions please let us know.
Together with our Partner GMP we created some amazing Member Night`s which will
start in with a Members Ramadan Iftar Night in July and continue in September with
a British Night.
I would like to use this chance and wish all of you a great summer holiday and a safe
trip, if you are going away.
We will also be running our regular promotions throughout the month of June which are shown
below:

Ladies Breakfast
MONDAY

Pizza Night
(available from 18:00 –
22:30)

Enjoy all Pizzas for AED 49 plus 10%
service charge.

TUESDAY

Curry Night
(available from 18:00 –
22:30)

Choose between 2 curries including one
house beverage for AED 59 plus10% service
charge. Charge.

WEDNESDAY

Steak Night
(available from 18:00 –
22:30)

Enjoy Tenderloin 120 gms. at AED 69 plus
10% service charge and Rib Eye 200 gms.
at AED 79 plus 10% service charge served
with salad and fries and a choice of pepper
or mushroom sauce.

THURSDAY

Happy Hour
(available from 17:00 –
19:00)

• Let your working week end with a couple
of drinks and enjoy the start of your
weekend at Hickory’s.
• Buy one house beverage and get one (1)
FREE (bottled beer, house wine, house
spirits).
• Snack platter, enough to share with four
(4) at AED 99 plus 10% service charge.

FRIDAY

Family Buffet
(available from 12:00 –
15:00)

Enjoy a tasty Buffet lunch with your family
for only AED 75 plus 10% service charge.

SATURDAY

Pasta Night
(available from 18:00 –
22:30)

Spaghetti / Fettuccini / Penne with choice
of Bolognese, Carbonara or Putanesca
sauces for AED 49 plus 10% service charge.

Wine and Champagne
Night
(available from 18:00 –
23:00)

Enjoy 20% discount on all bottled wines
and Champagnes.

AGRONOMY REPORT
We are well into the Summer renovation
program having heavily scarified and top
dressed the greens once. The next
temporary closure of nine holes on
18,19th June(front nine ) and
24,25th
June (back nine ) will be to hollow tine
the greens combined with a top dressing.
All tee surfaces have been hollow tined ,
scarified and top dressed.
We are
presently carrying out the same
procedure to the fairways and have
completed six fairways on the front nine
holes. This work will be ongoing through
the summer months in preparation for
the playing season and is carried out to
ensure a consistent playing surface and
overall healthy turf conditions.
We appreciate your patience during this
period and we will always try to minimize
any disruption to
your playing
experience where ever possible.
Best regards,

Mike Clarke

One Bucks Fizz, one a la carte breakfast
item from the menu including tea or coffee
for AED 65 plus 10% service charge.

SUNDAY

Kind Regards,

Stefan Lehmann

Chilled Golden Summer Soup
Makes 2 ½ lt.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
8-10 yellow tomatoes; roughly chopped
2 medium white onions (or other sweet
onions)
15 oz. chicken stock
1 yellow pepper; diced
¾ cups diced dried bread
3 ears white sweet corn
2 golden zucchini or yellow squash; diced
fine
½ pt. Yellow tomatoes; cut in half
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. hot sauce
¼ tsp. spice powder
1 tsp. lemon zest
¼ bn. Chives; chopped
¼ cup Cilantro; roughly chopped
½ cup Diced tomatoes
In a large pot heat the olive oil and toss in
the garlic. Allow to lightly brown and
quickly add the tomatoes, onions, chicken
stock, ½ of the yellow pepper and the
bread. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to
a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes or until
tender. Puree, pass through a fine
strainer and chill. Once cold add the
remaining pepper, corn, Zucchini,
tomatoes, herbs and seasoning. Adjust
flavor to taste.

MEMBERSHIP
Dear Members,
I am currently away from the club on annual leave, hence my short letter.
I will be back to the club on the 12th June and will happily be in touch with you should
you need my assistance though I am sure Aileen and the Reception team have assisted
with members requests to date.
When planning summer travels do please remember the number of reciprocal
agreements Yas Links has with other first class golf courses around the world – again if
you need my assistance in introductions please let me know.
Finally and sadly we bid farewell to two founding members this month, John and Jane
Lee are re-locating to Indonesia and Yas Links would like to wish them continued
success and happiness in their new role.
Warm regards to everyone!

Gina Cruz

Culinary regards,

Chef Jay Shetye

MESSAGE FROM
THE PROS
How to make those Meaningful Putts
As the saying goes “You drive for show and putt for dough” and no matter what level
you play to, we are all very aware of how true this is.

Message from the
Head Professional

At the Golf Academy at Yas Links we believe the key ingredient to good scores is
consistent putting. We have all experienced at least once in our golfing lives the day
where everything clicks and the putts drop from everywhere. However more often than
not it’s a lack of consistency on the greens each week that holds you back.
It is worth reminding ourselves that more than 50% of the game is played on the green
with our putters and so what we all must start to do is reflect this in our practice
routines. We commonly see golfers heading on to the range and smashing balls for
hours on end with no real focus. What we should be doing is spending at least half of
our available time on the putting green working on key drills to help gain that much
needed consistency. There are a number of ways to work towards a more consistent
stroke and so I have chosen three easy drills for you to start with. If you commit time to
the below drills I can honestly guarantee your putting will improve and the lower scores
will follow.

The hot summer has finally arrived and I
am sure you are all getting ready to head
off to cooler pastures. For those of you
that are still around there is no better
time to beat the heat and work on your
game in the air conditioned studio’s down
at the Golf Academy. What’s more we
are excited to offer unique indoor putting
lessons, making use of the latest up to
date SAM Putt Lab technology which is
guaranteed to improve your game. For
further information or to book your
lesson please contact the professional
shop.

Improve your Tempo
A number of golfers out there are hitting the putt rather than stroking the putt. It is
essential to understand that a smooth, sound putting stroke comes from using your
shoulders and not your hands. Try this palm grip drill to get the feel for the correct
tempo. You will also realise in this drill that you are gripping the putter grip very
lightly and this should also be adopted in your normal grip as well to encourage
rhythm.

Best Wishes,

Sweet Spot
Steven Morgan

As with irons and woods, putters also have a sweet spot (middle of the putter face ).
Falling to find the middle of the putter will cause problems with the direction and also
distance control. When a ball is hit off centre the club head can very slightly twist
which causes the face to open ( if hit from the toe ) and close ( if hit from the heel ).
This small variation can often lead to the ball missing your intended target by up to 3
feet depending on the length of the putt. Failing to find the middle of the putter will
also affect distance control and you will find many putts will come up short of the hole.
Try this tee drill to find the middle of the putter, you will soon realise how much better
the strike is and thus how much better the ball will roll.

Lower Body Stability

Golf Academy
2012 Instruction
Junior Coaching
Roll Up Every Monday 4pm – 5pm
AED 30 per session just roll up
Discover Golf AED200 for a five (5) week
course
Develop Golf AED 400 for an eight(8)
week course

A common fault we see in amateur golfers is too much lower body movement especially
with longer putts. In order to roll the ball consistently we need feel the lower body
remaining very still throughout the stroke and as mentioned before using the shoulders
to swing the putter. A fantastic feel drill is to try rolling a few putts standing on one
leg. This will give maximum feedback to feeling the lower body remaining still and the
pendulum motion coming from the shoulders.

Adult Private Session
1 Hour Private Session
Fixed rate for up to 2 people
Member - AED 300, EGF - AED 325,
Guest – AED 350
Adult 6 Lesson Package
6 one hour private sessions
Fixed rate for up to 2 people
Includes all swing technology and video
equipment
3 month academy range pass
Member – AED 1800, EGF – AED 1950,
Guest – AED 2100
Group Coaching
1 hour private group sessions
Fixed group rate – Minimum of 3 people,
Maximum of 6 people
Member – AED 500, EGF – AED 550,
Guest – AED 600

For further information about any of these articles or to enquire about Golf Lessons at
the Yas Links Golf Academy please contact smorgan@yaslinks.com or call 028107710.
Best Wishes,

Steven Morgan

Discover Group Sessions
A course of 10 x 1 hour group lessons (one
per week)
Minimum of 3 people – Maximum 8
people
Complimentary 10 week Academy range
pass
Two(2) Complimentary Par 3 Greenfees
Guest – AED 1000, EGF – AED 925,
Member – AED 850 per guest
Ladies Group Coaching
With PGA Professional Victoria Hassett
Ladies Beginner Group Sessions
A course of 8 x 1 hour group lessons (one
per week)
Minimum 3 people, Maximum 8 people
Member – AED 650, EGF – AED 750,
Guest – AED 850
Complimentary 8 week Academy range
pass
Two (2) complimentary Par 3 greenfees
Yas Links Ladies Roll Up
Every Monday from 8am to 9am
Member – AED 50, Guest – AED 95 per
session
All aspects of the game covered in each
session
Includes morning coffee

Golf Summer Passport
Weekday Residents Replay Rate Offer
AED 249, AED 199, AED 249, AED 199,
AED 249, AED 199
Ultimate Practice
Buy One Bucket of Balls and get a second bucket
FREE
Early Bird Par 3 Incentives
(Valid for Tee Times before 4pm)
Four Ball on the Par 3 Course for AED 200
*Green Fee only (Excluding Practice Balls and
Equipment / Trolley Rental)
Pro Shop Discount
Get up to 20% off purchases of AED 300 and
above

Floodlit Par 3 Incentives
(Valid for Tee Times after 7:30pm)
Three Ball on the Par 3 Course for AED 300
including Three Buckets of Practice Balls
Residents Saturday Sizzler
(Tee times valid from 10 am)
AED 299
Golf Academy Incentives
30 Minute Lesson followed by a 1 Hour playing
lesson on the Par 3 Course for only AED 350
Yas Links Ultimate Weekday Golf
Lesson Incentive
30 Minute Golf Lesson AED 175, AED 150,
AED 125, AED 100, AED 75, AED 50
Yas Links Saturday Golf Lesson
Incentive
1 Hour Lesson AED 250

Dining Summer Passport
Hickory’s Breakfast Reducer
AED 55, AED 45, AED 40, AED 35, AED
30, AED 25
Hickory’s Daily Special
10%, 15% 20%, 25%, 30%, 50% Discounts
Hickory’s Pizza Special
Pizza, salad and house beverage AED 49
Hickory’s Curry Special
Curry and a soft drink
AED 59, AED 49, AED 39, AED 29, AED
19, AED 9
Hickory’s Discounts
Spend AED 400 and receive a complimentary
bottle of house wine
Kids Under 12 Eat Free in Hickory’s
Order a main course over AED 60 and receive a
free meal from the kids menu
Hickory’s Steak ‘n’ Grape
AED 99, AED 89, AED 79, AED 69, AED
59, AED 49
Hickory’s Promos
Check out our Daily Promos
Ramadan and Iftar Offers
Between 6am and Midnight

Lady Captain’s Message
As the season slows down and the weather gets warmer many of us are now thinking
about the summer holidays.
However life certainly goes on at Yas Links and the Club has created some very special
summer events for those who will be in Abu Dhabi over the coming months. Details of
these events can be found on the large Noticeboard at the entrance of the Club.
Congratulations to Suzanne Haurum for winning the first Ladies Matchplay title at Yas
Links after defeating Agnes Letier-Lacaze in the Final.
The end of season tournament was a massive success and I would like to congratulate
Grace Groves for winning the most improved golfer of the season and Best dressed
golfer of the Year. Grace only started playing less than a year ago and has made rapid
strides in the game in a very short period.
Ladies mornings during the summer will now take place from 8:00am to 8:30am every
Wednesday. During Ladies mornings we now have a tournament and the winner is
awarded a prize.
Sadly Jane and John Lee are leaving the Club shortly and they will be greatly missed.
We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
I hope that those who are going on vacation in the near future have a wonderful time
and we look forward to meeting again after the Summer.
Best regards,

Sharon Hall

Survey Monkey Results

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Please fill it!!!

Please rake it!!!

Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Yas Island
P.O. Box 128008, Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

* Best Sports Club
* Best Bar