English professional Connor Bell has made Dubai his permanent base as he sets his sights on climbing the ranks of the game. The MENA Golf Tour regular sat down with Worldwide Golf’s Rick Bevan to talk about his new life in the UAE, the influence of his brother, and why he believes the region’s flagship development tour has a very bright future indeed.
You’ve recently made the full-time move to Dubai. What prompted the decision and how do you see it benefiting your game?
I’ve been coming to Dubai for about five years now, for around three months at a time, but moving full-time just made complete sense. The people around you here are incredible – at The Els Club there are always good tour pros. We play games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the Lions Den, and that’s massive preparation for me. The practice facilities are world-class and obviously the weather is perfect for year-round golf. It gets a bit hot in the summer, but through the winter season, it couldn’t be better.
Your brother is based in Dubai, and not many people will know he was a fine player who has since become a highly regarded caddie. What’s the best advice he has given you – and where does he think you need to pull your socks up?
My brother was a very good player and now he’s a great caddie – he’s been doing it for about four or five years now. The main piece of advice he’s given me is an old saying, but it holds true: stick to the process and make sure your process is clear. We always talk about game plans – where you’re hitting the ball in the fairway, whether you’re hitting past a bunker or laying up short of one. That’s the foundation of his advice: commit to your game plan and do not deviate, no matter what the circumstances. As for where he’d pull me up – more discipline in the gym. That’s something my whole family is big on, and I’m getting there, slowly but surely.
You’ve been competing on the MENA Golf Tour. How have you found it and do you believe it has a strong future?
The MENA Golf Tour is great – probably the best tour I’ve played on. It’s really well run, the player meetings are excellent and it’s perfectly organised. The future is bright. They’ve started well with 12 events this season, and hopefully that grows to 14 or 16 next year. In three or four years’ time, I’d love to see it become a full-season tour – one of the biggest up-and-coming tours there is, competing just below the HotelPlanner Tour. It has a massive future, I genuinely believe that.
What would you do to improve things on tour?
It’s a hard one because they’re still building. Everything has been amazing so far. Getting rules officials and support staff in place will only get better with time – that’s natural for any developing tour. The main thing is to keep pushing, keep improving. It’s already run really well. If I’m being honest? Maybe get some Titleist Pro V1s on the range – but that’s about it.
The MENA Golf Tour season concludes in Al Ain. What are your plans once it wraps up?
The MENA Golf Tour is very much a winter tour at this stage, so once the season ends, I head back to the Clutch Pro Tour, which I played last year. The first few events are actually here in the UAE, and then I’ll return to the UK for the rest of the Clutch schedule. So, it’s a fairly seamless transition.
Dubai is full of temptations. Are you living the life of a disciplined tour pro, or has brunch culture got its hooks into you?
I wish I’d gone the brunch route, but you’ve got to be disciplined! Dubai can go one of two ways – it can be brilliant for your career or it can completely derail you. I’ve stuck to a good process: gym in the morning, golf every day, surround yourself with good people, and stay disciplined. That’s what I’ve done and I have no regrets.
Best Dubai discovery so far – food, gym, beach, or hidden hangout?
My getaway – not so secret, but it’s mine – is Kite Beach. My partner and I go every Sunday without fail. We walk the whole stretch up and down, which takes three or four hours and covers around 15km. It’s peaceful, there’s not much going on, and there are some great breakfast spots along the way. I really love it out there.
If you could pick one MENA Golf Tour player to share a villa with for a month, who would it be and why?
I already share with Luke Kidd and Silvester Tan, so either of those two would be ideal. Silvester is a really chilled, easy-going guy – just a nice person to be around. Luke is exactly the same. Either one works for me.
Be honest. What does success look like for you this season?
Last year was my first year as a professional, so this year is all about progression. Of course a win is what everyone wants – that’s always the goal – but for me, a top-10 in the Order of Merit, securing some starts, and playing consistently good golf would be a very satisfying place to be heading into the Clutch Pro Tour. I’m building something here, and I can feel it coming together.
