Name: Martin Duff
Title: Directorof Golf & PGA Golf Professional
Nationality: British
DOB: 09-07-1975

Former Clubs/attachments:
Beauchief Golf Club (Sheffield),  Welcombe Hotel and Golf Course (Stratford Upon Avon),  UAE Golf Association (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club)

Notable Achievements:
Member of 6 Dubai Golf Trophy teams
Winner of the 2003 UFE Pro-Am
3 times achieving top 10 placing on the UAE PGA Order of Merit

After studying Business, Finance and Administration at college Martin chose to apply his background to the management side of the profession. Martin’s professional background has exposed him extensively to the corporate, amateur and professional sectors of the game of golf with work on such events as the European Seniors Tour, The Dubai Desert Classic and the Emirates Golf Federation for whom he was the UAE National coach for over 5 years. Martin also has extensive experience in running international events such as the G.C.C. Golf Championship the Pan Arab Golf Championship and UAE National Championships. Martin took on the role as Director of Golf at SGSC in May 2006 and played a key role in the facilities set up, operation and development which lead to the club being voted the best new golf development project in the Middle East in 2009. An accomplished coach and player Martin competes regularly on the UAE PGA tour and Pro-Am circuit.

Favorite golfer: Nick Faldo
Favorite golf course: Red Mountain (Phuket - Thailand)
Best coaching tip: Practice to play. Don’t be static hitting ball after ball on the range. Move in and out of the shot as you would on the golf course and change clubs regularly.
Equipment used: Mizuno
Favorite coach: Pete Cowen

Name: Ben Derbyshire
Title: Head PGA Golf Professional
Nationality: British
DOB: 20-04-1985

Former Clubs/attachments:
Rhuddlan Golf Club & Abergele Golf Club (North Wales)

Notable Achievements:
Ben has represented North Wales at all levels of golf including school, club, county and region. He was also part of the Birmingham University side who won the BUSA Championships in 2004 and 2005. Ben also gained the Applied Golf Management Studies Degree held at Birmingham University, which gives all students a much more in-depth account of the golf industry and its different aspects.

Ben’s main role as Head Golf Professional is to coach all standards of golfers at SGSC. He has attended many seminars to gain new qualifications to further his education; these include being a fully qualified TPI Golf Instructor plus also being a recognized Fitness Instructor. These qualifications allow Ben to have a greater understanding of the golf swing and deliver a very knowledgeable lesson to all levels of golfer.

Favorite golfer: Tiger Woods
Favorite course: Majlis, Emirates Golf Club. Dubai
Best swing tip:  To improve you need to build the four fundamentals of golf technique. Grip, Posture, Ball Position & Alignment.
Equipment used: Mizuno & Callaway
Favorite coach: David Leadbetter

Name: Steve Chambers
Title: PGA Golf Professional
Nationality: British
DOB: 24-06-1969

Former Clubs/attachments:
Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)
Al Gazhal Golf Club (Abu Dhabi)
UAE Golf Association (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club)
Promo Sports (Dubai)

Notable Achievements:
Represented Liverpool University as Captain and had a successful amateur career.

Steve turned professional in 2005 and has since played regularly on the UAE PGA tour .  Steve made the transition from amateur to professional with alarming ease winning prize money in 6 of his first 7 events. Steve has also represented both sides (amateur & professional) of the Dubai Golf Trophy.

Steve Studied Performance Psychology to Masters level and had placements under the Olympic committee and at various PGA organizations. Steve as also worked on European, Asian and Japanese professional golf tours as a performance enhancer and has contributed significantly to the Junior Golf Development programme operated by the Emirates Golf Federation.

Favorite golfer: Seve Ballesteros
Favorite golf course: Royal County Down Links
Best coaching tip: Swing to Finish
Equipment used: Yes!
Favorite coach: Harold Swash

Name: Purna Sharma
Title: Golf Professional
Nationality: Nepalese
DOB: 13-11-1976

Former Clubs/attachments:
Royal Nepal Golf Club (Nepal)
Kelab Golf Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Malaysia)

Notable Achievements:
After turning professional in 2000 Purna has played in many competitions throughout Asia and the UAE. After returning from Malaysia to Nepal in 2008 he competed in the NPGA Tour event at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort where Purna achieved his best finish in a professional competition, an outright second spot. Purna is a member of the UAE PGA, attends regular Professional Development Programme seminars and helps teach juniors and group classes. Purna also carries a sound fundamental knowledge of coaching, scoring and all the basic operations of a golf club.

Favorite golfer: Greg Norman
Favorite golf course: Gokarna Forest Resort - Nepal
Best coaching tip: Become a good putter - become a good golfer
Equipment used: Callaway
Favorite coach: Butch Harmon

Name: Dong Lee
Title: PGA Teaching Professional
Nationality: Korean
DOB: 02-12-1980

Former Clubs/attachments:
Leatherhead Golf Club
World of Golf Driving Range, New Malden, Surrey
Notable Achievements:
Winner of a Surrey PGA Event and numerous top 10’s. Top 5 in UAE PGA Order of Merit 2011

Favorite golfer: Ernie Els & Nick Faldo
Favorite golf course: St Andrews Old Course & Hankley Common, Surrey
Best coaching tip: Go back to the basics
Equipment used: Mizuno & Callaway
Favorite coach: David Leadbetter

Name: Joe Marshall
Position: PGA Teaching Professional
Nationality: British
DOB: 1985-08-10

Former Clubs/attachments:

Branshaw Golf Club, Keighley Golf Club (Yorkshire, England) and Jason Floyd Golf Academy (Madrid and Sotogrande, Spain)

Notable Achievements:

Joe graduated the Foundation Degree in Professional Golf Diploma in May 2011 from the University of Birmingham. Prior to becoming a Golf Professional Joe studied Sports Psychology for one year at Glamorgan University where he represented the golf team that reached the BUSA Championships Final in 2006. His other playing achievements lay mainly within the Bradford Golf Union with wins in the Yorshire Inter Districts League Championship on 2 occasions being the highlights. As a junior, Joe won the prestigious Royal Birkdale Junior Open in 2003 which was retained in the family by his brother in 2004.

Joe’s main role as PGA Teaching Professional is to coach all ages and abilities at SGSC. He attended Titleist Performance Institute Seminars at Level 1 and Junior Coach Level 2 in July 2010 to help enhance his coaching knowledge. Professional Development is of the utmost importance to Joe and he plans to attend further educational coaching seminars in the future (to ensure his coaching skills are kept fresh, innovative and, most of all, effective.

Favorite golfer: Lee Westwood
Favorite course: Royal Birkdale, England
Best swing tip:  To have the most efficient golfing techniques a player most learn to produce a sound posture, grip and body motion. Flaws in these 3 areas will lead to compensatory movements and an inefficient technique.
Equipment used: Mizuno & Callaway
Favorite coach: Dave Phillips (Titleist Performance Institute)