Golf lovers in the UAE were given the chance to play with a bona fide legend of English football while raising money for a great cause when Teddy Sheringham visited the region in November to play in the Mike Clark Charity Golf Day at the Montgomerie, Dubai on November 3.
Clark was a well-loved figure on the local golf scene, who worked at Jumeirah Golf Estates before sadly passing away from cancer at just 30 years old, and Sixteen10, the company owned by Clark’s good friend Reza Sazegar, hosted the annual Mike Clark Charity Golf Day to raise money for Friends of Cancer Patients.
Five handicapper Sheringham, who famously scored in injury time to help Manchester United complete an unprecedented ‘Treble’ by beating Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, was among the star competitors at the event alongside World Cup winning English rugby duo Mike Tindall and Steve Thompson as well as well-known television presenter Rob McCaffrey.
As well as that sensational trio of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies, Sheringham, who played for a string of teams including Millwall, Spurs, and West Ham, won a further two league winners’ medals with Man United. He also struck up a deadly strike partnership with Alan Shearer for the England national team but, currently taking a break from the game after a spell as manager of Stevenage, the 50-year-old is currently making the most of his time off by doing what he loves best – hitting the golf course.
Worldwide Golf’s Richard Bevan caught up with the likeable Englishman to talk golf and find out why we should never play with Tony Cascarino.
Worldwide Golf: “In towards Schmeichel, it’s come for Dwight Yorke…cleared, Giggs with the shot…SHERINGHAM!” – one of my greatest feelings as a football fan and no doubt your greatest feeling as a footballer. Tell us about the moment when you’ve come closest to that on the golf course?
Teddy Sheringham: Well I haven’t managed to top that but I once played in a footballers’ golf tournament, it was English players against European players and we played at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. It was like a Ryder Cup-type situation – a three-day televised event and the atmosphere was amazing. It was all square on the day, and I was up against Andriy Shevchenko, who’s a very decent golfer, and I managed to beat which I was very pleased about! Overall it was a fantastic day of golf and I really enjoyed that one.
WWG: Would you swap your Champions League winner’s medal for a Green Jacket or a Claret Jug?
TS: No way! People still talk about the Champions League accomplishment everyday so I would never swap my Champions League medal with anything.
WWG: Who would your Fantasy Fourball of footballers comprise?
TS: Bobby Moore for obvious reasons – a legend of the English football. Diego Maradona to spice things up. Johan Cruyff who is a legend of the game and a 1974 World Cup hero.
WWG: Who is your favourite golfer and why?
TS: Justin Rose at the moment. He’s earned me a few quid over the years and has been in and around it in the Majors – winning the U.S Open – and of course now an Olympic gold medal winner too. He’s also a good lad.
WWG: Footballers at the level you played at travel the world a lot – I bet that meant you could play some decent courses when you had the chance?
TS: Yeah we tried to play the best golf courses wherever we went. Whichever country we were in we would be eager to find the best golf courses.
WWG: Did you get a good deal of time to play golf when you were travelling as a footballer?
TS: It all depends on what sort of manager you have got. When I was managed by Sir Alex Ferguson he never really liked us playing golf. He was a strict about it, but others didn’t mind. Ossie Ardiles, Glen Hoddle, Sven Goran Eriksson – they were all into their golf and didn’t mind us playing but Fergie wasn’t keen.
One time Dwight Yorke and me played golf together on a Thursday, and we played football on a Saturday, we won the game and the manager came and congratulated us for the victory but he ended up fining both of us a week’s wages because we’d played golf in the lead up to the game! It was an expensive game of golf!
WWG: What are the five favourite golf courses you’ve played?
TS: The Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda, San Lorenzo in Portugal, Doral – ‘The Blue Monster’ in Miami, Kingsbarns in Scotland and Valderrama in Spain.
WWG: Out of your football mates, who was the best player and who did you have to keep your eye on to make sure there was no skullduggery?
TS: Without a doubt the best was (former Spurs, Everton and Fulham player) Simon Davies. He is a scratch golfer and a fantastic player who hits the ball miles for a skinny little fella! The one you had to watch out for was Tony Cascarino (Millwall, Aston Villa, Chelsea) for sure. He’d start a hole with a Titleist 1 and end up with a Top-Flite 4 – and he’d still call it a par!
WWG: Which player of the Manchester United treble-winning team would you least like to have in your golf team, and why?
TS: Gary Neville. He can’t stop talking! He is a decent golfer but he would put me off my game just by talking all the time.
WWG: You said Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t like you boys playing golf when you had matches coming up but I know that he is a regular at some of the golf days. What was he like as a player on the golf course and did he manage to keep his temper when he hit a bad shot?
TS: I was with him in his later days so he was a little bit on the older side, and I remember thinking he looked a little bit stiff in the swing. But the older I’m getting the more I’m starting to empathize with that! Nowadays if I play a couple days in a row I can feel it on the next day! He was mostly calm on the course though – I think he realized that he was getting older and just got on with it!
WWG: You were well known of having one of the best football brains in the business when you were on the pitch, what is your course management like on the golf course?
TS: Not bad. I am not a big hitter, so I think my ability to feel my way around the golf course is probably my best asset and I’m definitely as competitive on the course as I was on the pitch!
WWG: To follow on from that – what would you say the main strengths and weaknesses to your game are?
TS: I think my driving is my main weakness – every now and again I get it going but on the whole I don’t think I hit it as far as I should do. The strengths come and go but when I’m on it, I’m good from 100 yards – getting it in there quite tight.
WWG: How often do you play?
TS: I am out of work at the moment so I play quite a bit – about two or three times a week!
But when I was a manager the golf went on the backburner so it just depends how much time I’ve got.
WWG: What are your thoughts about Dubai and the golf courses that you’ve played there?
TS: Top class. I haven’t played a bad one yet! I really like the golf scene in the city.
WWG: What are your thoughts on the Montgomerie, Dubai course as a venue for the Mike Clark Golf Day?
TS: I think it’s still a tough course, but is perhaps more forgiving than some of other courses in Dubai so I think that anyone coming to the day and playing it for the first time will enjoy it. It’s a really nice course.
WWG: What is your local club? Where do you play most of your golf?
TS: I play at Wisley.
WWG: Give us your thoughts on the Mike Clark Golf Day, which is raising money for Friends of Cancer Patients and how did the people enjoy it?
TS: First of all, it was a fantastic charity to be involved in, for a very good cause and it is important to spread awareness and raise funds. It was also a good chance to play with the likes of Mike Tindall, Steve Thompson, Rob McCaffrey and myself. We had a friendly game then dinner afterwards with a Q&A session for people to get to know us – so we all had a fun day.
