About four hours into the round of golf, Simon Mees found that his usually firm grip on the club slipping ever so slightly. The sweat that was threatening to break the crest of his eyebrows was another distraction.
The knees that had stood rock steady on many a green for the past two decades betrayed a barely imperceptible tremble. Looking up from the ball near his feet and squinting at the hole in the distance, Simon, 36, general manager of Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah, was finding it difficult to concentrate.
The reason: he and his team of three - Al Hama Golf Club’s PGA professionals Andrew Pilfold, Ross McArthur and Karl Rowe - had completed 12 holes within four hours, something they had never done before. But then they had never attempted a dawn-to-dusk game before either.
By the end of the 12 hours of golf the Fantastic Four (as they had dubbed themselves) played, Simon and his team were dehydrated, with stiff swollen fingers and rapidly swelling feet and legs. But did they mind? “Not at all,” smiles Simon. “We were so very happy that we’d been able to push ourselves for a good cause that all our discomforts seemed immaterial.”
The cause: raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Simon and his friends and colleagues at the Al Hamra Golf Club first came to know of the UK-based charity when one of the founding members, Greg Smith, was first diagnosed with cancer. “Greg was one of the clubs founder members and supported the club greatly during its infancy, he was a very kind gent who was extremely popular with the club membership at that time,” says Simon.
“I was fortunate enough to meet him when I first took on my role here. He had already been diagnosed with cancer and was traveling between here and the UK where he was receiving treatment and support from Macmillan Cancer Support. With their support and guidance he then made the decision to come back to his property at Al Hamra where he had so many great memories and friends, in order to spend his remaining time in a place close to his heart.”
Although in the later stages Greg was unable to play himself he often managed to summon the energy to be a passenger in the golf cart while his friends played. “It was quite surprising for a man in his early 40s to accept his situation, and try and remain happy,” reminisces Simon. “During the six months I had the privilege of knowing him he had already given up work due to the illness.”
His friends at Al Hamra were most impressed with the way Greg remained strong throughout his ordeal and wanted very much to enjoy his remaining time as much as possible with his closest friends and family. “He truly was an inspiration to us all on how we should always be positive no matter what we have to face,” says Simon.
One of Greg’s wishes was for his friends and colleagues at the Al Hamra Golf Club to organize an event in his memory. “He wanted that any funds we were able to raise to be presented to the Macmillan Cancer Support fund which had provided him care and support during his fight,” says Simon.
