After three days of golf in Bahrain Derbyshire professional John Oates swapped driving for flying after winning a three-hour training experience on a Boeing 767 simulator.
Gulf Air put up the prize as part of their sponsorship of the International Pro-Captain Challenge Grand Final 2007, supported by BMW.
Competitors from the PGA's seven regions of the UK, plus one pair from the local Riffa Golf Club and another international qualifier from Dubai, all took part in the 36-hole tournament in the Middle East.
During the five-day stay all the professionals had a nearest-the-pin shoot-out on Bahrain's first golf simulator, located in the Riffa Views Golf & Leisure retail outlet.
All nine pros teed it up at Pebble Beach's famous par-three seventh hole with Oates coming out on top with an effort which finished 15 feet from the pin.
After his pre-flight briefing at Gulf Air's Muharraq training centre Oates 'flew' the plane from Bahrain to Dubai to get a feel of what it is like to be a pilot.
The 40-year-old, who with amateur partner John Nolan finished seventh in the two-day tournament held on the King of Bahrain's private course in Safriya, said the experience capped a superb trip to the Middle East.
"It was fantastic. It is not very often you get the chance to do that," said Oates, of Hallowes Golf Club in Dronfield near Sheffield.
"You definitely felt you were in the cockpit - you could feel every movement. I obviously didn't want to crash it even though I knew I wasn't going to die!
"It is very realistic. When auto pilot was on you don't feel a thing but when they took it off it was so sensitive and you realise how skilled they
(pilots) are.
"I took off twice and landed twice, although one of the landings was on autopilot, but I wasn't quite as scared as I could have been as I knew the instructor was in the background.
"I don't know if it makes you more wary of flying though!
"It was a fantastic experience and it was a nice bonus added on to the week."
All the British and Irish qualifiers were flown to Bahrain courtesy of Gulf Air and treated to a luxury stay in the Middle East for the duration of the better ball tournament.
During the trip the teams took part in a number of activities, which included an off-road Hummer experience at the Bahrain International Grand Prix circuit.