Leisurecorp shows that Dubai cares

Quite literally, Dubai is spreading the feel-good factor on the European Tour.

The $10 million (Dh36.7m) Dubai World Championship, the richest golf tournament in the world which will bring the curtains down on the 2009 season, and the Race to Dubai, which culminates into a $10 million bonus pool, are much appreciated aspects of Leisurecorp's wide ranging sponsorship agreement with the European Tour.

But the players are thanking the Dubai-based company almost on a daily basis for something that cost them one-twentieth of the total prize fund – the sparkling new Physio Van.

At a tour event, you just cannot escape the van, which boldly proclaims 'The Race to Dubai is Coming'. It occupies pride of place on a golf course, somewhere near the Players' Lounge. The van is brightly painted in the red, green, black and white combination of the UAE national flag, and has a backdrop of iconic images of various host cities, including The Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab.

The Physio Van packs more high-tech medical and physiotherapy equipment per square metre than the best hospitals in the world. And its experienced staff are playing a key role in ensuring quality fields in tournaments by keeping players fit to stay on the road. Already, they have helped numerous players, on the verge of pulling out of events due to injuries, complete four rounds and post surprising results.

Legendary Australian Greg Norman, whose Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates will host the inaugural Dubai World Championship, is someone who knows the importance of good medical back-up for players, having gone through several injuries himself.

At this year's British Open at Royal Birkdale, Norman said: "I think to see the number of players in there this week just shows that golf is a sport that is tough on your body. Everybody thinks that it's not, just because it's not cardiovascular. But you do take a lot of wear and tear on your body and it's important that they have the capability to be looked after and be prepared for the next day.

"Since the unit's inception, the players have really applauded the fact that it is there. For any sport this is a fantastic thing to have. I guarantee you that 60 years ago, the players wish they had this – the ability to have someone to work on them. It's been a huge plus for the game of golf having this at tournaments."

Just how vital the role of the Physio Van is, can be gauged by what Padraig Harrington, who almost pulled out of the Open Championship this year with a wrist injury before winning the tournament, had to say about its importance.

The Irishman, who also added the PGA Championship title earlier this month, said at the Open: "I don't think in this day and age, you would go to any tournament, seriously, without having physios, gym and the Tour bus available. It's a big thing when you come to a tournament.

"As professional golfers, we probably put the most time into our sport of any sport in the world. Most of us are at it 12 hours a day, six, seven days a week, so there are a lot of repetitive stress injuries in the game. There's a lot of injuries out there, and yeah, you really do need all the facilities you can get."

And European Tour star Jeev Milkha Singh added: "I would say the Physio Van is like the Medicine Man of our Tour. It has often made a vital difference between someone playing, and not playing a tournament.

"Having had my fair share of injuries, I know and appreciate how critical their role is. If I have been able to play and do well after the ankle injury I sustained before the French Open, a large part of the credit also goes to the guys in the van. Something like this is a crying need for every sport in this planet."

Not only does the van have a new appearance, but the support of Leisurecorp, and a few other organisations, has also ensured an enhanced team of personnel, increased tournament working hours and a wide range of improved services and equipment.

Rob Hillman, Director and Senior Sports Physiotherapist, said: "We generally see about 60-80 players a day. We have 17 practitioners this year, and we cover 35 events on the European Tour, 18 on the Challenge Tour and 12 on the Seniors Tour. Any given week there will be six of us at the event, and we are a disciplined team of chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and sports masseurs."

One equipment that takes pride of place in Hillman's unit is the Diagnostic Ultrasound from GE, which they use in conjunction with sport medics. This remote-operator system was developed by NASA for space exploration.

Hillman said: "We are not experts. But what we can do is take real time pictures and send them via the internet to a players' physician and help him make an online diagnosis. "So, if you have your doctor in Boston, we can transmit pictures, videos or real time images. He can see it via the internet, and then ask us to move the probe, or send him still images from exactly the angle he would want.

"Many hospitals have a static unit, but the beauty of this is that it is portable, and the quality you get is second to none. There are not too many other sports medicine practices who would have this kind of equipment available with them. It's a real extra strength to our bone."

David Spencer, Chief Executive Officer – Golf, Leisurecorp, says the Physio Van must rank as the best million-dollar investment made by his company in the sport of golf.

Spencer said: "We have done many exciting things with the European Tour since our sponsorship announcement last November, but the Tour itself is owned by the players, and it is the players who provide the colour and vibrancy to the European Tour.

"One of the things we wanted to demonstrate to the players was that, as part of the Race to Dubai, we, as a company, need them to be fit and on the road.

"I think the reception we have had from the players for the Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship is fantastic, if you look at it from just the money point of view. But the fact that the same company also thought of providing them with a facility and service that is absolutely world class, means a lot to these players.

"From what we have gathered, the general feeling among the players is that they appreciate our efforts. They realise we could have spent another million dollars in advertising, but instead, chose to invest that amount into the health and livelihood of all the players on the European Tour."

The Physio Van also has a Pulse Short Wave machine for deep heating body tissues through a magnetic field, updated electrotherapy equipment, and are also getting custom-made beds from Enraf Nonius, which will be fitted by the end of August.

Hillman said: "It may not really make our jobs easier, but it does increase the scope of what we are able to do. And obviously, to provide a state-of-the-art service like this on the road is not always an easy thing.

"It used to be frustrating in the past because the technology was not this advanced.

"For us, it is a very interesting challenge. We are not only treating injuries, but also trying to improve their performance and their fitness. And a unit like this, certainly helps."