The 2015 Al Dana Memorial Trophy, held at the Royal Golf Club in remembrance of all the people who died in the Al Dana Dhow tragedy on March 30, 2006, was won by club ambassador Daniel Owen with a score of 36 points. Tony Meakin was runner-up with 34 points and Rob Lane came third with 32.

The annual tournament has raised BD100. The money will be used by the Christian Community Cemetery Committee to support the upkeep of a memorial headstone in the old Christian Cemetery in Manama.

The event was organised by The Royalists Golf Society and the money was raised by donations from the competition’s participants.

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A new six-week Junior Golf Programme is set to get underway at the Royal Golf Club starting the weekend of April 17 and 18.

There will be starter classes for new players who can learn together and advanced classes for children with previous experience who will spend an increasing amount of time working on their playing skills on and around the Mini Monty par 3 golf course.
 
Non-members are welcome and the course costs BD60 per child for one hour of tuition per week for six weeks, inclusive of equipment. To sign your child up, call 17750777.

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The Royal Golf Club’s new teaching professional Juan Fuentes took up his toughest challenge to date, assessing Stan Szecowka’s game and offering some helpful tips on how GulfWeekly’s Editor can improve on the course.

I only play the game once-a-month, courtesy of my credit card which allows me a free go at the Royal Golf Club.

My easiest excuse for playing so badly is that I don’t get enough game time and despite having some excellent lessons from some very patient and experienced professionals I soon fall into my bad habits and return to rounds of pure frustration.

I’ve almost come to think it’s genetic and place the blame squarely on the shoulders of my later father, Stanislav. This very old given name of Slavic origin, meaning someone who achieves glory or fame, obviously doesn’t relate to the game of golf.

Take Pawel Japol, a 42-year-old Polish professional, for example, who suffered a day of golfing shame as he failed to break 100 in a Challenge Tour event in 2013.

Stumbling from one disaster to another in the opening round of the Kharkov Superior Cup, Japol signed for an embarrassing 37-over-par 109.

His card included a 13 at the par-5 13th and a six-over-par 10 at the fifth, as he finished the day a massive 45 shots behind the leader.

It was a shocking effort by Japol, but also the second time that season that a Polish player had been out of his depth in a professional event. Jan Lubieniecki slumped to rounds of 89 and 83 at Royal Birkdale to finish 32-over in the Senior Open Championship.

Fuentes has seen how bad the Poles play first hand having spent a spell at the Sobienie Krolewskie Golf Club in Warsaw, although he reckons he uncovered a jewel in the shape of Alejandro Pedryc, 13, who he first started coaching at the age of five when the boy’s family was on a holiday in Spain.

The child now plays off a handicap of 2 and often beats adult professionals in competition, which is not too surprising, I suppose.

I have no illusions of becoming a professional but if I could just get round the course without losing my ball or picking it up in despair, I would be happy.

Fuentes believes in the importance of a neat posture and grip for a successful swing. Instead of grabbing hold of the club for dear life he told me to treat it gently, like I was holding a tube of toothpaste and not wishing to squirt the contents all over the bathroom mirror.

He showed me. I felt the difference. The easy swing and the flexible wrists ensured the height, accuracy and distance achieved was incredible.

It’s all about horses for courses and understanding the student’s spirit, he explained, you wouldn’t teach an artist the same way as you would teach an engineer. It sort of made sense, angles and the science of the game just goes over my head.

I get it. It worked. I just need a little more practice.