Emirates Golf Club (Dubai; 2011) ball markers

Before watching at the 18th-hole bleachers the final round leaders of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, my wife and I first headed to the clubhouse to purchase some ball markers.  I found six different ones which were apparently just released around last month or so: black, aqua blue, dark blue, orange, red, and white.

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (2011) ball marker

My wife and I went to Emirates Golf Club earlier today to watch the final round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters which was eventually won by Alexis Thompson. Whereas there were no tournament-specific ball markers available last year, I was able to purchase one from the Golf House booth.  I'm guessing Golf House would sell excess Omega Dubai Ladies Masters merchandise (clothes, hats, balls, ball markers, etc.) in one or more of its branches--most likely in Dubai Outlet Mall, followed by Mushrif Mall (Abu Dhabi) and/or Dubai Mall.

Yas Links (Abu Dhabi) ball markers

On Wednesday (14 December), my wife Lilibeth joined the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club (AESGC) team in playing at Yas Links for the Ladies Interclub Challenge participated in by AESGC, Yas Links, Al Badia (Dubai), and Montgomerie (Dubai).  My wife's team was one person short and came in last on the Stableford system (10 points behind the 3rd placer and 27 points behind the winner).  Had my wife's team been complete, they may have had a chance to improve their standing (their best player had scored 28 points; their worst, 12).   

I'm quite proud of Lilibeth in that even if she is a beginning golfer still without a handicap, she was able to complete the course with 13 points, having made par once.  Her game at Yas Links was actually only the fourth 18-hole game that she had scored and entered in the system. Anyway, when I purchased ball markers from Yas Links months ago, I learned that they gave away a ball marker for those who finish 18 holes at their club.  They have since stopped the practice, but because of her PR (public relations) skills, my wife was able to get one for me:  it's a gold marker (in the picture below at left) that came together with a pitch fork and a tag for the golf bag.  As far as I remember, the only one available for sale is the silver variety (in the picture below at right)

Another type that I bought a long time ago includes these two varieties: one that says I Survived and another that reads I Broke 90:

Still another type came in 5 different colors (brown, black, beige, cream, and white):

And here's another type, which is of irregular shape:

Dubai World Championship (2011) ball markers

It is the third year that the Dubai World Championship (Race to Dubai) has been held at Jumeirah Golf Estates, and my wife and I have watched for the second consecutive year as we went there earlier today.  I did not find any new ball marker design in the merchandise area.  (The picture above shows the silver and gold medallions--with matching ball markers--that I also bought last year.)  I guess it's good news in that it's likely the ball marker designs were also the same in 2009 when my wife and I were unable to attend and purchase ball markers....My main consolation today is that I was able to purchase a money clip in a different color, black.

My wife and I are also planning to see the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters which will be held next week at Emirates Golf Club. When we went last year, there were no official ball markers for sale or giveaway, so I'm hoping that this time there will be at least one ball marker designed for the tournament.  And, of course, I will be happy to again see Michelle Wie play in person.

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club ball marker

I received yesterday this stemmed ball marker that I won in eBay.  It's just like the one that I already own, but it just has the extra phrase Golf & Yacht Club.  I had bid the minimum bid price with the intention of later increasing my bid amount.  However, I completely forgot about the ending time of the auction and never got to bid again.  Fortunately, no other person bid on the item, so I won it--and it's the first time I've ever won an item while bidding the absolute minimum bid price!!!

Dubai World Championship (2010) ball markers

Last year, my wife and I went to what was apparently the 2nd Dubai World Championship (Race to Dubai) which was held at Jumeirah Golf Estates.  I was able to purchase the five different ball markers shown above: those in the first two rows had gold- and silver-rimmed varieties; the last one came with a golf glove.  I also purchased a leather-bound, magnetic money clip which has what appears to be a larger ball marker that is permanently affixed.  (I didn't have the heart to destroy the leather casing to see if it does contain a ball marker.)

I have some free General Admission tickets to the championship this year, and I hope to go either on 9 or 10 December. I'll be disappointed if there are no new ball marker designs.

Dubai Golf & Racing Club ball marker

Nad Al Sheba Golf Club (formerly known as Dubai Golf & Racing Club) should be re-opened soon as the Medyan Golf Course.  The above stem-type markers have been in my collection for some time.

Briefe der Nationen: Thailand

The other type of coin covers I collect has a strip of flags in the reverse side of the envelope, and they are apparently issued by Geophila.  So far, I have encountered three different varieties with differing stamps on the front of the envelope and differing designs on the reverse:

1. The first one has, on the front of the envelope, a 2-baht stamp featuring the Thailand Cultural Centre, and it contains a 1990 1-baht coin commemorating the Queen Mother's Birthday (y232); the reverse of the envelope has no country description and no additional stamp.

2. The second one has, on the front of the envelope, a 1.25-baht stamp commemorating the 1983 International Stamp Exhibition in Bangkok, and it contains a 1983 1-baht coin (y159.1); the reverse of the envelope has a description of the country and a printed flag of Thailand in lieu of another stamp.

 

3. The third one has, on the front of the envelope, a 1.25-baht stamp depicting "Buddha Image - Chiang Saen Style", and it contains a 1983 1-baht coin (y159.1); the reverse of the envelope has a description of the country and a 20-cent United Nations stamp depicting Thailand's flag.

Dubai Creek ball marker

Since I have some free time for now, I thought I'd share about my other ball markers from Dubai Creek.  I have owned the above stemmed marker for a while.

The three markers above have also been in my collection for a while.  The white and blue markers have magnets, and the word AURIGA is etched on their reverse sides.

My wife and I went to Dubai Creek yesterday to buy a new putter for her and to also look for ball markers.  The three markers above came together with golf gloves.  The gray one was included in my purchases yesterday, while the two slightly different red ones have been in my collection for a while. My wife was not able to decide on a putter in Dubai Creek's shops, but she eventually bought a pink Odyssey Divine mini T from the Golf House outlet in Dubai Mall.

The markers on the first row of the image above came from my purchases yesterday; the rest have been in my collection for a while. The newer red marker depicts thicker sails and boat hull compared to those found in the older red marker below it...The markers on the last row have differing shades of red--moreover, in the marker on the left, the ship's hull are colored black and green; on the right, red similar to that of the sails.

Dubai Creek ball marker

I also won this ball marker from eBay, and I likewise received it 2 weeks ago.  It is the stemmed type, and one thing special about it is that the face has a transluscent surface.

Dubai Desert Classic ball marker

I won this 1992 Dubai Desert Classic ball marker from eBay, and I received it 2 weeks ago. The championship was apparently held at Emirates Golf Club and co-sponsored by Dubal (Dubai Aluminum)....I would consider this ball marker one of my best finds as it was issued during an event that was held way before I arrived in the UAE.

Thailand Münz-Briefe

Eid break! We have a 9-day hiatus from work, so this should help me catch up on things....

One type of coin covers I collect is issued by Philswiss, and they come with information cards written in German.  In the beginning, I concentrated on countries found in both the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia.  Since I am collecting Dutch coins, I also recently decided to collect coin covers from Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, and Suriname.

The image above shows the third kind of stamp for Thailand, and so far I have only encountered one type of mint mark.

Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club (2011) ball markers

Earlier this evening, my wife and I went to the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club (formerly the Palm Sports Resort) to buy their newest ball markers.  One side of the marker has a white field; the other side, black.  As is the case with ball markers from other golf clubs, these Al Ain markers have two varieties: 1) gold typeset and rim; and 2) silver typeset and rim.

Thailand Münz-Briefe

I just received yesterday this Thailand Münz-Briefe (coin cover) I had won from an eBay auction.  It’s the variety that shows 13 in the postmark; the other variety which shows 35 is already in my collection.

The Thailand Münz-Briefe below also has varieties showing either 13 or 35 in the postmark, and I’ve had a copy of both varieties for some time now.

Nad Al Sheba Golf Club (Dubai) ball marker

Two days ago, another Nad Al Sheba Golf Club ball marker I won from an eBay auction arrived. Its design is similar to that of the other two I wrote about a few days ago, but it comes with a white relief on a red field.

1975 UAE 1 fil

I have several copies of the 1975 UAE 1 fil included in my 30+ Franklin Mint's Coin Sets of All Nations for the United Arab Emirates.  Whatever single copies I have, though, are either with fingerprints or of low quality.

Last week, I received this coin I won from an eBay auction.  I'd grade it AU, so I'm still on the lookout for another coin in UNC grade.

Nad Al Sheba Golf Club (Dubai) ball marker

Last week, the red Nad Al Sheba Golf Club ball marker I won from an eBay auction arrived.  It joins a similarly-designed ball marker that came in dark blue.

The Nad Al Sheba Golf Club is currently closed for renovations.  It should be reopened as the Meydan Golf Club within the next few months.  (I can't wait to buy ball markers under the new name!)

Hello, World!

I've been collecting coins and stamps, albeit on-and-off, since I was a little kid. I branched off into coin covers in 2008; into golf ball markers, 2009. [My wife wanted to learn to how to play golf, but I'm not really interested in it. When we visited the golf shop at the then Al Ain Palm Sports Resort back in late 2009, I noticed that ball markers could make for a good collection. I bought two different ball markers on that day, and I've been acquiring more ball markers from the UAE ever since.]

I'd like to share my new acquisitions (and perhaps old items, too) as I try to build my coin, stamp, coin cover, and golf ball marker collections.