I think it is fair to say that every golfer hates putting on greens that are full of pitch marks. Seeing these pitch marks often infuriates golfers no end and with it come complaints to the directors of golf and course superintendents alike.

A pitch mark is caused by a golf ball hitting a green following an approach shot from a fair distance.

The shorter the approach shot, the more damage likely to be caused as the ball is generally coming in from a steeper angle.

As the summer heat kicked in and, according to the old song “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”, I took to the air myself and headed for the Mediterranean.

Yes, it’s that time of year when the majority of the UAE’s professional golfers pick up their sticks and either head home or seek out a cooler sun-soaked adventure after a long season baking on the range.

July is a great time personally to get away; my eldest daughter has finished school and it’s an opportunity to spend some quality time with my family, relax and recharge the batteries.

Fame, fortune, bright lights and caviar, who wouldn’t like to be a Tour Pro? It is a career choice that looks appealing to the average golfer and it is a question that I have been asked and, indeed, have mulled over myself on more than one occasion.

In my eyes, playing and qualifying for a major tour has similarities akin to breaking into Hollywood; the aspirations of thousands of hopeful wannabes are quashed each year as no more than a couple of dozen talented individuals gain entry to the glitzy world of flash cars and designer clothes.

The European Tour has already passed the halfway stage of its season and searching questions will have already started to roll around the heads of many of the players languishing in the lower ranks.

One of the most frustrating times of the year for golf course superintendents is the period at the start and end of summer.

It’s a time when essential course maintenance programmes kick in as the vast swing of temperature affects the playing condition of the golf course.

I am by no means an expert, however I am privileged to have learnt a thing or two from a couple of the most experienced agronomists in the region – Rob Gradishar (Dubai Creek) and Craig Haldane (Emirates Golf Club).