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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 June 2000 Issue No. 487
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Focus Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Where the grass is greener
By Tanya Goudsouzian
Knees together, feet apart; or is it feet together knees apart? To the idle observer, the essential idea behind golf seems to be that one appear as awkward as possible. Hold the club, wiggle feet about, then swing. Freeze frame. Did the club actually hit the ball, or was that a divot that just swooshed by?
This idle observer was presented with an opportunity to expand her understanding of the elusive sport when Golf in Egypt magazine, in conjunction with the Sheraton Miramar resort, organised a golf tournament at the nearly-completed Steigenberger golf course in El-Gouna from 15 to16 June. El-Gouna, located 22 kilometres north of Hurghada, is a fantasy island of buildings straight out of Disney's Aladdin, with arches, domes and mashrabiya all painted in Crayola colours. Or, perhaps it could best be described as a place where Hassan Fathy meets fun park. The Sheraton Miramar, designed by the widely-acclaimed architect Michael Graves, is a prime example.
The region has been drawing tourists from the far reaches of the globe for a variety of aquatic activities, but now it's going for the green. The new 18-hole course, spanning 6,300 metres, has been designed by American architect Gene Bates to meet PGA standards. Some 30 bankers, lawyers, businessmen and other golf aficionados, like Khaled Abu Taleb, head of the Egyptian Golf Federation, and master golfer Ahmed Heikal, flocked to El-Gouna this past weekend to take part in the event.
Sponsors of the event included such big names as EFG-Hermes, Mercedes-Benz, Click, Egyptian American Bank, Orascom Aviation and Rain Bird. Rain Bird was responsible for the irrigation of the golf course, and is the reason why the grass is greener on the other side of the beach town -- literally.
Clockwise from top: Ladies distinguished themselves in the tournament by pocketing prizes in the closing ceremony; Master golfer Ahmed Heikal swings, but where-o-where has the ball gone?; Mark Howell is inches away from the hole; participants were driving along in their (little white) automobiles... Photos courtesy of Golf in Egypt
"Golf is a gentleman's sport," explained Robert Youssef, deputy managing director of Golf in Egypt magazine. Honesty is as prized a trait as one's putting skills. So, just as polo shirt-clad participants are expected to be truthful about their handicap (proficiency level), I will not fib about my knowledge of golf. It is severely handicapped. In my mind, any mention of the sport evokes scenes from the 1980s flick Caddyshack, particularly the one in which Chevy Chase's character is instructing a cocky nouveau on how to engage in the pass-time that will allow him to hobnob with the old, established elites. Using elaborate contraptions and gadgets attached to the hapless man's arms and legs, Chase attempts to teach him grace, posture and that certain je ne sais quoi that a golfer must possess.
Golf has long been considered the rich man's sport, simply because the equipment is so costly and the rules so exclusionary. But Evelyn, the attendant at the Steigenberger leisure centre, said that golf is now more accessible to the average Joe -- well, maybe a slightly above-average Joe. The price for a single club of reasonable quality is upwards of LE300. The minimum number of clubs required for participating in the tournament was seven. One wonders if this rule was conceived to weed out those pesky undesirables, who might venture into the tournament with a single club, having mistaken the sport for a slower-paced grass-based version of hockey. He shoots, he scores? Not exactly.
Just for the record, the maximum number of clubs stipulated by golf rulebooks is 14. These clubs come in two varieties: funny-looking ones made of titanium, called "wood," and the typical ones of varying tilts, called "iron." Additionally, a golfer must be a registered member of a club and every game begs a fee. Proper attire is also required.
My impression has always been it would be sufficient to raid the vintage shops for some checkered pants and suspenders before hitting the golf course, but this is just a relic of stereotypes past, explained Evelyn. Golf first made its way onto the international stage with the Scottish, whose national costume is plaid, recounted Evelyn. Anyone who picked up a club thus followed suit. Today, the outfits have become a little more sleek. For men, it is generally a polo shirt and khakis -- sometimes bermudas. For ladies, it's pants, or bermudas, and a ban on no-sleeves. For the really fashion-savvy, golfers might add a nifty vest in brown or beige and replace the customary (and ultimately tacky) visor with a pair of designer sunglasses.
The likes of reporters and photographers -- the lot to which I belonged -- were relegated to the status of spectator, driving around the course in little white go-carts. The challenging nature of this activity, however, should not be underestimated. We, the press folk, were left to our own devices to make sure we did not come in the way of any flying golf balls, or worse yet, disrupt precious concentration with the sound of a humming motor -- and perhaps even by breathing.
"Shhh, quiet," whispered Tom Olson, Golf in Egypt's publisher. A co-participant was getting ready to swing. A little further down, Nagi Hamama, voted this year as one of CLEO magazine's 69 most eligible bachelors, was teeing away. Often spotted in Cairene karaoke joints, it seems the part-time crooner can putt too. From a distance, Mark Howell of Denton, Wilde and Sapte law firm was sighted deep in concentration. The previous night, I had bumped into Mark in the Hurghada airport, and in a very British way, he made me understand that I should not expect this two-day event to serve as a crash course in golf, when some people fail to master the sport even after 15 years.
There were, however, enough incentives -- prizes, that is -- to spur even the weakest players to vie for the best scores. Each sponsor had prepared a little something for whatever category they were enlisted to award. Among others, there was a prize for coming closest to the pin, for best individual round, for putting, for most birdies and for longest drives. But there was one prize that would elude even the undisputed "masters." In the sweltering heat, gleaming high above the rolling green mounds of the golf course, a few strategically-placed Mercedes cars taunted the players. A rumour was "fermented," jested one of the organisers, that these vehicles were up for grabs to any participant who should get a hole-in-one. The odds of achieving a hole-in-one are so unlikely that I did consider signing up to cash in on my beginners' luck.
Instead I opted for a quick bus-ride back to the Sheraton Miramar and some time on the beach. I found my way through the maze of domes and columns to the cluster of rooms where mine was located. The Miramar complex, rather than being shelved in a single multi-storied structure, is spread out over the property, with every room boasting a view of the sea. Upon my arrival at the beach, it was not long before I discovered why little boys and single men lay with smug smiles plastered on their faces. Teeny-weeny-bikini-clad ladies were romping about without any inhibitions! Was I in Egypt or in St-Tropez?
The two-day tournament ended with a lunch ceremony during which the awards were given out. Remarkably, despite the majority of male participants, two women did pocket prizes. Khaled Abu Taleb gallantly ceded his prize to a younger player, as a gesture of encouragement for having played "by the book."
For my part, I decided that this "gentleman's sport" may be worth giving a whirl after all. If wearing plaid is not mandatory, the prospect of physical injuries is nil and it offers the (slim) chance of driving away in a luxury car, I suspect that the next tournament will have an even larger female constituency partaking. In which case, may I suggest Golf magazine solicit De Beers' for co-sponsorship?
