Golf glory

At the annual Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club championship on March 16-17, 2012, Bayhaan Lakdawala emerged the winner in the men’s category and Nasha Sarkari in the women’s category. Around 90 men, 35 women and 15 juniors participated in the event this year. Whilst 24-year-old Lakdawala lifted this trophy for the first time, for 21-year-old Sarkari, this was her fourth win, having won the event in 2008, 2010 and 2011, conveyed her father Rumi, a keen golfer himself.

Lakdawala who was inspired by his father Farad, has been playing since the age of 10. Sarkari has been playing the game since the age of six, seeing her elder brother Okhshan (who now resides in Vancouver) enjoy the game. Both the youngsters practice at least thrice a week at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and play a round or two on the weekends. To improve their game they take lessons from professionals at the Club. "Both are mulling their chances to be allowed to compete as a wild card entry in the main events that are scheduled in Dubai like the Omega Men’s and Ladies Open where international players of top leagues participate. Since both are in the top end of the Order of Merit (OOM), chances of them being invited are good,” reports Rumi.

Nasha who currently plays off 5 handicap was the junior overall champion, OOM — girls UAE from 2002-06. In 2009 she was declared the ladies overall champion (OOM) in gross and net division, UAE. She has participated in events at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi as well. Handicap, in golf, is a measure of a golfer’s average score above par. On a golf course with a par (allowable strokes) of 72, a golfer who regularly shoots around 72 is a par or scratch golfer with a zero handicap, as explained on the website, golflink. The maximum handicap permissible to a player is 28 for men and 36 for women, a lower handicap implying better the quality of the player, clarified Rumi.

Golf champions of Dubai Bayhaan Lakdawala (left) and Nasha Sarkari

Bayhaan who plays off 3 handicap enjoyed junior golf from 1996 to 2000 and was on the UAE national team and junior squad for the next four years. For two years he played high school golf in Florida and from 2006-10 university golf in California where he had earned a scholarship.

The duo are part of the Junior Development Program initiated by the UAE Gulf Association (since renamed Emirates Golf Federation) 15 years ago teaching young children to excel in this game. Golf being an expensive game, to play a round can cost a person between AED 375-600 depending on the season. A 30-minute intensive lesson with a professional can cost between AED 180-250 whilst the cost of participating in a tournament ranges from AED 350-700, Rumi gives the estimates.

Working as a consultant and advisor for Moore Stephens, an international accounting and advisory firm where his father is a partner, Bayhaan got married in January this year. His mother Shernaz works for Citi Bank. Nasha is in her last year of Aviation College studying for her Bachelor of Business Administration. Rumi is a partner in JRS Logistics LLC, a logistics provider and freight forwarding company, and wife Shirrin works for Dubai Duty Free as deputy manager, purchasing.