The rules of golf and their interpretation, is probably the single most contentious issue in golf.

During my 20 years of playing, working and being involved in the game, I have seen and heard a host of crackers from both amateurs and professionals alike.

It’s quite amazing how when the chips are down some people interpret the rules to some quite ridiculous degrees.

For those of you that read my recent article, you will be privy to the upcoming season finale – The Dubai Golf Trophy, where the top 16 amateurs take on the top 16 professionals in the UAE.

Following the UAE PGA’s recent UAE PGA Championship (our last order of merit event) the final placings are now in, the team players are decided and we are gearing up to what will undoubtedly be a very close battle indeed.

Alan Mackenzie (Director of Golf at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club), is the captain of our team this year and he is busy formulating the pairings, along with Elliot Gray (vice-captain), which make up the first-day matches.

I think by now all golfers in the UAE have discovered the disappointing news of Nad Al Sheba Golf Club closing down at the end of this month and the realisation that floodlit golf in Dubai is now a thing of the past –
or is it?

Why was floodlit golf so popular you may ask? Why don’t we look at the facts and face the truth – floodlit golf is not traditional and it’s certainly not easier, with golfers having to combat shadows, depth perception issues, lost balls, all of which generally add up to a slow game of golf. So why was it so popular?

The last couple of weeks has seen the local men’s, ladies and junior order of merits come to a close. Each order of merit consisted of a number of high profile strokeplay “opens” held at clubs up and down the country, with amateurs of all levels competing off scratch for the coveted title of “Champion Amateur Golfer in the UAE”.

Now the rankings have been decided, the top 16 players from each order of merit and the top eight juniors will compete in a knockout tournament at the weekend for the crown of “2007 UAE Amateur Matchplay Champion” in their respective categories.

Over the years, high profile established events such as the HSBC World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth in England, The World of Golf Matchplay Championship and even The Ryder Cup, have frequently produced underdog winners and major upsets.

This week, I couldn’t resist writing about a sudden moment of inspiration, based around a comment slipped into my subconscious a couple of months ago by Jamie Wood, one of my Golf professional team.

That’s right – not a couple of days ago but a couple of months ago.

I wrote recently that I had made a concerted effort to resurrect my golf game and get serious about swing improvements and regular practice – everything I used to tell my pupils!