Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Last week I was reflecting on a great golfing year gone by in 2008, and as many people do at this time of the year, as well as reflecting on good times past we should also look to the future to see what the next 12 months have in store.
There are many great events in store, new stars will emerge and I'm sure some of the more familiar names will have a big influence on the destination of golf's biggest prizes over the next 12 months.
The first Race to Dubai will be a keenly contested affair culminating in the first ever Dubai World Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course in November.
This will be a big year for such young stars as Rory McIlroy. He has just broken into the world's top 50 which gives him exemptions for all of the majors and world events in 2009, but a breakthrough win will be the first priority for the young Irish hope. He is arguably the best talent to come through since Sergio Garcia, another player I would tip for great things in the next year.
The injury to the greatest player to have graced this game was at least a blow to the 2008 season. We all missed him, well maybe with the exception of Padraig! How Tiger won the US Open given the severity of the injury will be a mystery to many for years to come.
The game missed his wonderful talent and his undoubted presence, with the PGA Tour the biggest losers. My wish is that Tiger comes back stronger than ever and plays the type of golf that has thrilled us all over the past decade. We are very fortunate to have him at the head of our sport. He is all but the perfect role model for the next generation.
The coming year is a big one for golf here in Bahrain with the Royal Golf Club fully opening its doors to the kingdom's golfing public and giving the country's golfing community the chance to experience the Colin Montgomerie course first hand and watch it mature into an unrivalled venue for golf in the region.
For many, we hope 2009 is the year that you decide to give this wonderful game a try or if you already play to work on your game, take some lessons and watch you scores improve.
Who better to know what will happen in the world of professional golf over the next 12 months than our very own PGA Professional team?
So as a little insight into what might be on the cards for the coming season I have canvassed the opinions of our six resident PGA Pros - we'll come back to this as the year unfolds and see how we all do! A happy New Year to everyone and here's to a great golfing year in 2009.
