MENA Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic Earned first 248 USD to Swiss Albertini - Read his Blog

My first experience in the UAE Davide Albertini, Swiss PGA Tour Player

"Recommended by CaddiePlayer Founder, Stéphane Barras, on April 7th, I flew to the UAE for the first time and I really had no idea about what I would find. The only thing that I knew was the weather was going to be hot and that I would see many skyscrapers. The night I arrived, I must admit it, I felt kind of lost. I was driving my rental car and it was night. I could see all the lights of the huge buildings around me and it was quite impressive. I was there, in a small Nissan Tida, driving on a six lanes highway (six!!!) and at the same time I was trying to pay attention to my gps. I was about 20 minutes from the center in an area called Dubai Sports City, which is still under construction . The name says it all. You have got everything you need for sports. Golf course (The Els Dubai), football fields, cricket fields, gyms, etc. Close by you can also find Dubai Motor City with its race track.

I mostly stayed home at night during those days, but one night Stéphane Barras took me to Dubai Marina and it was very nice. The heat of the day was gone and we could eat dinner outside. I spent some time looking around the area- the tall buildings were majestic and there were a few still under construction, with busy workers 24/7. The first few days out in the sun were a big challenge. The temperature was near 40°C and training was a difficult. After a while, it was easy to lose focus and you had to keep hydrating all the time.

Stéphane Barras arranged to spent my time training at the Butch Harmon Golf School at the Els Club. It is a great training facility, where I had the chance to really focus on my game and work on some improvements with instructors Joe Marchall and Allistair Parlane. They helped me a lot with my biomechanics and swing, and all the staff was very kind and helpful. I was impressed in seeing so many young kids training almost every day. I spent a lot of hours between the driving range, the short game area and the gym. Time flied by, because I was having a lot of fun going around the different training areas. I only went to the course a few times, in order to see if I could bring the “driving range” swing on the course. A  lot of positives came out of that. Finally, the Mena Tour tournament in Ras Al Khaimah was getting closer, and I wanted to go and play.

On April 20th, I drove north to Ras Al Khaimah. The temperature was a couple of degrees lower than in Dubai and the place was completely different. The big groups of tall buildings were no longer to be seen. It was more like a traditional city. I stayed in a hotel just outside of the town center and it was the perfect location for me. It was just five minutes away from the golf club and in a quiet place. The tournament went well as I made the cut and got my first Mena Tour purse. I felt confident on and off of the course thanks to the good work we put in during the two previous weeks. I am really grateful for the help and the tips that they all gave me. Now it is just a question of working hard. I feel that these three weeks were very good. I am really pleased with everything that I did and how I did it. I met a lot of great guys, and I am sure that I will be meeting up with them again soon. Once you get used to the heat, I personally think that it is one of the best places to go, train and play. It was a nice first experience and I am sure that I will go back."