‘When was the last time you did something for the first time?’ asked the front cover of the January 2014 issue of What’s On magazine. It got me thinking, could I become a ‘yes’ woman? Would I jump at the chance to skydive? Probably. Eat a deep fried grasshopper? Sure. I should probably start somewhere slightly less daunting, though.

And so it was that when the opportunity to try golf came into range, I was first to put my hand up. The closest I’d been to the sport in the past decade were some overly competitive ‘crazy golf’ games on a family trip to Florida, or overhearing ramblings from my colleagues on the Golf Digest desk. Driving range? Would I need my car?

Nevertheless, arriving to Emirates Golf Club a week before the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – now, I’ve heard of them, but not necessarily because to their sporting prowess –  I was genuinely excited to try out the latest products for Nike, who open their new standalone Nike Golf store in Dubai Mall this week.

The first surprise was the clothing; a magenta polo shirt and white golf skirt were far more stylish than I thought they would be. Even paired with my loafers I felt one step closer to fitting in with the crowd around me.

High tailing it to my lesson on a golf buggy, we were greeted by one of the club’s coaches and handed our bat/racquet/stick. Then it was time to get swinging.

Under the guidance of the coaches I went from putting the ball into the bushes to a full swing, sound effects and all, in the space of a couple of hours. And that’s golf, the spectrum of emotions – a great stress reliever when you make a clean connection, or a little rage-inducing when you don’t hit it.

With the help of the professionals and their solid guidance I felt I did pretty well. Not amazing with the ball rocketing down the driving range, but well enough that my pride would allow me to play again. Here’s to doing something different.

Nike Golf opens at Dubai Mall on Monday January 27.

By Alexandra Venison, Junior Fashion Editor for Emirates Woman