By Will Pearson, europeantour.com
in Dubai
Ahead of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, europeantour.com explores ever-present host venue, Jumeirah Golf Estates, and its well-regarded Earth Course, as Henrik Stenson’s bag-man Gareth Lord reveals all.
Opened in 2009 ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament, the Earth Course measures a significant 7,675 yards from the championship tees and plays to a par of 72.
Designed by two-time Major winner Greg Norman, and inspired by the great parkland courses of Europe and North Africa, Jumeirah Golf Estates is set against a backdrop of barren desert but with its rolling fairways, vast and undulating greens, and abundance of trees, shrubs and wildlife it presents an oasis of verdant green for a world-class field each and every year.
Englishman Lord has caddied for Swede Stenson for nearly three years, in which time the pair have together won events all over the world, made it as high as second in the Official World Golf Ranking, topped the Race to Dubai in 2013 and, fittingly, won the DP World Tour Championship in each of the last two years.
Indeed, having been part of a winning team on this layout on three occasions – with Stenson in 2013 and 2014 and his compatriot Robert Karlsson in 2009 – Lord is better positioned than almost anyone else to evaluate the Earth Course and its various challenges.
“The Earth Course always fitted Robert's eye and it certainly suits Henrik’s too,” says Coventry native Lord. “They play a similar game. They are long; they are good putters, good chippers. So you can attack a bit more. They are not scared when they are up there, either, and that really helps.”
Overview
“It’s is wide off the tee but you've got to be on the fairways because the greens are so sectional,” he explains. “Yet, if you're in the right section it generally will feed to a good birdie chance. But if you're not, you can three-putt very easily.
“Although it looks generous off the tee, you always get the sense of how important it is to find the short stuff. From the rough, that's not that easy. It's hard to stop it.
“And as for the iron shots, the approaches, you just have to get it in the right section to give yourself those opportunities.”
Timing can be key
In the first round of the DP World Tour Championship, the draw is made in order of position in the Race to Dubai, before a re-draw based on scores for the rest of the tournament.
“Teeing off after ten o'clock can play to your advantage because it's cold before then and that makes a big difference. The ball doesn't travel as far - simple as that,” Lord suggests.
“If you're teeing off at 8.00 or 12.00, it's a big difference. You can shoot a good score in the morning, of course you can, but it definitely plays shorter in the afternoon which on a course of this length helps.”
Green thoughts
“The condition of them is perfect here – it always is. In short? They’re massive, undulating; put it this way – I wouldn’t want to have to cut one!”
Key Holes
“16 is a key hole,” he continues. “You need to hit the fairway there - especially when the pin is on the right. You've got to cross the water and then not go too far in the other water. That's a key hole.
“But you’ve got to birdie the par fives. If you look at previous results, on average 18 or 20 under seems to be the winning number. You don't get there just by birdieing the threes and fours. You have to take advantage of the fives, which, again, is where the length comes in.
“You might not hit the green every time but at least you will be chipping it. Where if you've got to lay up, if you're 30 yards away or 120 yards over the course of a week.
We've both got the same sense of humour, which it's massive.
Gareth Lord
A day in the life…
Lord is known on Tour as both a character and a caddie of great dedication. Earlier in the year, after breaking his wrist in a fall in the US Open at Chambers Bay, he worked through the pain to carry Stenson’s bag all week regardless. But what does his average day look like?
He tells us: “Tournament day, I would be at the locker two hours before, making sure we have all the bars, his protein powders, you check the weather forecast making sure what gear we need in the bag.
“I would then meet him an hour and 30 minutes before we tee off on the putting green where we try at least 30 minutes of putting. We have found over the years the more he seems to putt before he goes out, the better results we have on the greens.
“And then about 50 minutes of hitting: warm up, chipping, pitching and the full shots and off we go.
“We do that no matter what time we tee off, 6.30, midday, whatever.”
The player/caddie bond
“I think I probably see him more than his wife!” he jests. “No, it's cool. We get on off the course and we've both got the same sense of humour, which it's massive. There's lots of guys that are good caddies, but whether you'd get on with Henrik or whoever or whether I would, you don't know until you try it. But we do get on. We've had some success and hopefully we can keep going.
“We started out with half a chance because he played Ryder Cups and World Cups with Robert Karlsson, who I used to work with for eight years, so we've kind of been in it together anyway and he had seen what I did with Robert and luckily enough, we generally got it right, if not all the time.
“So when I started with him, I think in Abu Dhabi almost three years ago, and it felt like we had done it before. And it has not really changed. I’ve known him for 12 or 13 years and I know what he does. It wasn't like you’ve just met in the car park and ‘let's see what happens’.
“There’s trust there. Saying that, he'll overrule me sometimes despite what I think. ‘I just want to hit it this way,’ he says. And for me, as long as he knows what trouble is out there, I’ll usually reply: ‘Mate, you're the boss’.”
Thatthree wood
Two years ago, Stenson’s stunning approach to the par five 18th hole capped a phenomenal season as the Swede topped the Race to Dubai in style with a brilliant eagle – a shot that won the 2013 European Tour Shot of the Year.
But did he pull it?!
“No, it's exactly where he aimed!” he laughs. “I actually watched it this morning, like, really. I can't believe it doesn't go in actually! We discussed it but we were always going to get it up there – playing as well as he was.
“No, we were trying to hit it a bit further and a bit further right, which is the thing to do. He hit it well but he pulled it and I wasn't convinced halfway. He was four clear, so even if it goes in the water, he was still going to win.
“But the year he had had it was one of those weird things – it was always going to be alright. If that was to keep your card, I guarantee you that goes in the water - you can bet on it.”
