Sleep pods, gaming stations, ice baths… the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is really pushing the boat for its golfers and their teams this week.
Play begins on Thursday and the tournament's chief executive, Simon Corkill, believes its innovations are not just gimmicks but can help improve player wellbeing.
The tournament provided a zone of recovery and mental fitness last year and this time we are looking to improve on that.
Corkill said: “From the Hero Dubai Desert Classic point of view, we are part of the Rolex Series, the premium level of the DP Tour, our team worked here: “How can we improve our event?”
'We feel like we are an elite event, we pride ourselves on being an elite event and we feel like we need to provide elite services to elite players.
'We worked a lot with the DP World Tour and have done so over the years with nutrition, incredible practice facilities and locker rooms, so what was the next step?
Players can use the mental conditioning zone for a variety of relaxing activities, including art.
Hero Dubai Desert Classic tournament director Simon Corkill believes the event should provide the best services to its participants.
From my point of view and that of the team, we wanted elite services and we have all seen the difficulties of professional sports around the world and I felt that as an event we should try to do our bit to help.
“Players will use it in certain areas, I think to perfect their game, but we also provide the service to the caddies and entourage, who travel with the players, from place to place and make sure they are taken care of as best as possible.” . Well.
'People see golf as an individual game, but it is very much a team game. You have a team behind the players. Especially for top golfers, caddies are vital to their success.
“But also their managers, coaches, wives, girlfriends, all of them are vital to the success that the players see.
'When they win, they thank half a dozen people. They are the reason they are successful, so it is important that we spread it to everyone.
“As an event, we would like to see this implemented across the DP World Tour. We are lucky to have been able to invest in it, to make sure it happens, but I would like to see it as common as the practice.” field balls in each event. Hopefully we can contribute our grain of sand and that others take advantage of it.
'We work very closely with the DP World Tour medical team and there are other events that are starting to do more things.
“Hopefully we have started something, but we are not saying that we are the ones who have done it, but we are one of the first to do it.”
Following the death of American golfer Grayson Murray last May, Corkill believes the importance of facilities such as those on offer this week should prevail throughout the game.
Corkill hopes players and his team members will use the area to unwind and improve their mindset.
“(It was) the tragic circumstances with Grayson Murray and his situation that brought everything to a head,” he added.
'Yes, it's a different Tour (the PGA), but there are a lot of people who have challenges in everyday life everywhere.
'A golfer is a golfer; Ultimately, it's a job for these people, the caddies. We, as an event, feel it is our duty to provide services to help.
'If there are like-minded events like us, that can only get better. We, as an event, can only do it one week a year, but we feel like we have to do it.
“From our point of view, we are not at the end of the year where people are fighting to get their circuit cards, but it is an emotional time for the players, if they get it, or simply lose it, it is life-changing for some.” of them.
'So if you can get into that frame of mind at the beginning of the year and these services are provided at other events then it can help everyone.
'It's for everyone. We have talked about caddies, but the same goes for managers, physios; Many of them travel a lot, far from their families. So when they come to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, just after Christmas, they will be able to almost have a mental health check-up.
“They've all been spending a lot of time at home with friends and family, they've been on the road for four, five, six weeks and they've had a lot of time to think about things and re-evaluate them. So we're giving them the opportunity to do that.”