Sport | Golf
Female amateur golfers in the UAE: Young and old
Gulf News profiles two of the best female amateur golfers in the UAE, one who hates it at 40 and the other who is only 9 years old
- By Reyna Desai, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:23 June 26, 2009
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- 40-year-old Kyun Sook Kim plays with 9-year-old Amelia Mckee at the Montgomerie Golf Course in Dubai.
Gulf News profiles two of the best female amateur golfers in the UAE, one who hates it at 40 and the other who is only 9 years old.
Dubai: With a remarkable handicap of three, numerous victories under her belt and a reputation for being one of the best female amateur golfers in the country, Kyung Sook Kim is a highly respected figure in the local golfing community.
Watch video: Dubai's unlikely golf champs
Gallery: Famous female golfers
However, in person, her youthful exuberance and delicate stature are a welcome surprise to what is expected when you picture a golfing-Goliath. Even more unexpected, she cheerfully admits to disliking the sport that has she is famous for excelling in.
"In Dubai there is nothing else to do. I hated it when I started. It was very hard to learn. It's too boring. I like it better now but still don't really like it," said Kim.
Kim, currently in her 40s, started playing golf in 1996 when her husband recommended it, after her family moved to Dubai from Korea due to her husband's job. Since then, she hasn't looked back and has won several competitions including the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (DCG&YC) Ladies Open in 2001,2003 and 2009; the DCG&YC Ladies Club Championship from 1999- 2005 and 2009; and the Abu Dhabi Ladies Amateur Open in 2009.
Her husband, June Soo Kim, with a handicap of six was her original coach. However, the student quickly overcame her teacher.
"I usually play with my husband on the weekends. Now, every time we play together I get the money," said Kim, with a laugh.
Kim named Se Ri Pak as her golfing idol. Pak changed the face of golf when in 1998, at age 20, she became the youngest winner of the US Women's Open. Kim said, "I like her because she's Korean like me and after she won everything, a lot of girls got interested."
When asked about the cause of Korean success in the LPGA, Kim said she did not know if there was a particular reason but that the sport continues to grow in popularity, in both Korean young men and women.
Despite Kim's distaste for golf, Sandy Meyer, Kim's former coach at the DCG&YC, said, "She is mentally, as a player, very strong. Technically, she has an excellent swing, a very strong short game and is able to do very well in a tough environment."
Also an accomplished swimmer, Kim amusingly confessed that she had tried to find many other hobbies to occupy her free time in Dubai and golf was the only one that lasted. "If I could find another hobby, I wouldn't play. I tried bowling, swimming, cooking, quilting [and others] but they only lasted one or two months. Golf has a long life," said Kim.
"Sometimes [there is] too much pressure in big competitions&.I enjoy playing with friends and family. [It] uses the whole day in playing, talking and eating," said Kim. "I try many times to play with my daughter [Soo Yeun Kim, 18] but she hates it. She says it is too boring and too hot."
Kim hopes to play and teach professionally. However, in Dubai, her options are limited as they do not have a licence test here.
"When I go to Korea, I can get training. I already have a semi pro licence [in Korea]. Five years ago I tried [to get my professional licence] but I lost. I had never practiced on those courses and it was difficult to get used to the rainy weather after living in Dubai."
Kim is currently a member of the DCG&YC, the Emirates Golf Club and The Els Club. Her favourite is the Emirates Golf Club as she enjoys the courses.
David Gray, the golf executive at the DCG&YC, said: "I would have no doubt saying Kim is one of the best lady amateur golfers in the UAE and could be playing off a scratch handicap in the future."
Amelia Mckee: A force to be reckon with
Dubai: Having won 10 out of 11 tournaments she has entered, Amelia McKee is a force to be reckoned with. She has a handicap of 25, after playing for less than two years. Furthermore, she is only nine years old.
Amelia started playing at the age of seven, in March 2008, at the Hearthstone County Club in Houston, Texas. Three months later, she entered her first competition and recorded her first official win. But that was only the beginning of her rapidly growing collection of victories.
"Whenever my dad used to play I would ask to go with him. In Houston I played with my dad and his friends and with my Pops [grandfather]&.I love everything to do with golf. I really like to beat the boys," said Amelia, smiling.
When asked about whether his daughter had ever bested him, Rob McKee said, "She's beaten me on the par three course [at Montgomerie] but one time is all. I'm making sure I keep track." Amelia's father was her first coach and devotedly encourages her to excel in the sport she loves.
The McKee family moved to Dubai from Houston about six months ago because of Rob McKee's career - he works in oil - and Amelia just graduated from third grade at the Dubai American Academy. While still in Houston, she competed in seven competitions, for boys and girls aged nine and under, and placed first in the girl's category in all except one. She also placed 1st overall in four of these contests.
In Dubai, she competed in the Al Naboodah Junior Series, a competition for amateurs aged 18 and under. She was ranked 10th overall and was awarded the winner of the 18 and under girl's division in every UAE tournament.
Rhys Beecher, her coach at The Montgomerie, said, "Well, she's nine years old. She's been coming to me for most of this season and swings the club very well. She has a very, very good imagination around the green and a very good attitude. She practices very hard, different from most juniors in the UAE."
Amelia's mother, Gina McKee, said one of the reasons Amelia is so talented is because of her being the only daughter, always fighting for her place with her three brothers. Gina said, "She beats all her brothers [aged 6, 13 and 19] and it really frustrates my 13 year old who is now training harder&.She'll practise as much as we let her. She loves it. This is where she wants to be."
Amelia is also a proficient swimmer and had earned the highest number of points for her team for two years in Houston, and has over a hundred trophies and ribbons hanging in her room. "She's not bashful&she loves to dance around and sing and likes Hannah Montana," said her mother.
Amelia's favourite golfers include Tiger Woods, Natalie Gublis, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson. "She's already met Sergio Garcia, but she really wants to meet Tiger and is making me take her out of school for five days when he comes to Dubai next January when he comes here for The Desert Classic," said her father.
Amelia said her dream is to play golf in the Olympics in 2016, when it becomes a trial sport, and to eventually turn professional and play on the LPGA. Amelia said, "One day, I want to hit golf balls off the top of the Burj Al Arab like Tiger."
After being surrounded by male golfers all her life, Amelia recently had the pleasure of meeting Kyung Sook Kim, one of the best female amateur golfers in the UAE. "She always plays with boys, her dad, his friends, her brothers, so she was very excited to meet her. She's met Sergio Garcia and those guys but she's never met a great woman golfer," said her mother.
Currently, Amelia is taking a break from competition due to the hot summer and is going back to visit family and friends in America. "I'm going to Wyoming and it's cold there. I'm glad," said Amelia, who admitted that she misses her life in Houston. She is considering membership at either The Montgomerie or The Els Club in Dubai. Her advice to golf starters is that "it's really, really fun and gives you a chance to play outdoors."
Maybe in a few years we will watch this young girl grow into one of the future champions in the LPGA, or with any luck she will continue her liking of beating boys in PGA tournaments. Whatever she chooses to do, she is sure to have a bright future ahead of her.
Starter tips
1 Never break the bank with the first set of clubs you have. When you begin you are not going to be able to handily use the best clubs money can buy because you are just beginning. So buy or borrow a cheaper set until you realise which clubs would best suit you.
2 Start training with a professional so that you do not form bad habits and so that you know the right rules and technique.
3 Have fun. This may seem very basic, but it is important not to concentrate too much on the competitive aspects of golf. Not everyone can get their PGA card, so you should appreciate the fun aspects of the game. Put in the effort to improve, but also just have a good time with friends.
4 Try to play in non-peak hours so that you are not subject to the pressures of pace-of-play requirements of a busy facility.
5 Watch PGA or LPGA events on television or attend local competitions so that you can learn by imitation and enjoy the atmosphere.
6 Participate in as many competitions as your schedule allows. Competing against others is the best way to practise and enjoy the sport.
- Staff Report
Multimedia
Sport Editor's choice
-
Two alternative hearing centres planned for Asia
CAS says they could be opened in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur
-
Teenager turns attention to relay
Dubai-born Serb already going to Olympics, but now he wants 4x200m team to join him
-
Federation chief lauds new development centre
First such facility to be set up in a Dubai beach area to boost sport
