Dateline:	5th March 2015
	Source:	Desert Springs Golf Club
	Subject:	Scottish Golf Union
	Title:	The Best Young Golfers From Scotland Are Next For Pre-Season Training At Desert Springs

Between Sunday 15th – Sunday 22nd February 2015, nine (9) boys and twelve (12) girls representing the Scottish Golf Union Boys & Girls International Squad and seven (7) officials were at Desert Springs Resort for a seven-day intensive training programme, followed between Sunday 22ndFebruary – Sunday 1st March by a further tranche of eighteen (18) boys representing the Scottish Golf Union Boys International squad and five (5) officials, to develop their individual golfing skills in warm weather while experiencing a golf course which offers a challenge to players at all levels.

The training camp utilized the excellent practice facilities at the Desert Springs Golf Academy where the PGA Instructors were able provide one-to-one tuition and take advantage of the use of the Desert Springs short game academy prior to the students embarking on their rounds on The Indiana course.

16-year-old Matthew McCulloch with a Handicap of +2 remarked: -

“The facilities on offer are phenomenal and you definitely have to take advantage of the pure greens on offer.

The course is nothing like I have experienced before, a great test of golf!"

17-year-old Joanne Free with a Handicap of 2 remarked of her first visit to Desert Springs:

“This is my first time at Desert Springs with the Scottish Golf Academy and the camp has been definitely one to remember.

We have enjoyed the different experiences and have really found the facilities to be of an extremely high standard which is perfect for preparing for our forthcoming 2015 season."

15-year-old Jillian Farrell with a Handicap of 5 commented of his experience:

“This experience has provided so many benefits to our squad’s golf, with first class greens and tight fairways to sharpen our games.

I would like to thank, on behalf of the girls, all of the support staff and sponsors who have helped us throughout the camp.”

Scottish Golf Union Regional Performance Coach Ian Muir said:

“This was my first time at Desert Springs and I had a fantastic time.

The facilities are great and perfect for Winter Training and the players had a ball.

We all very much look forward to returning soon.”

The students and officials were accommodated in some of the privately owned Apartments and Pueblo Villas normally reserved for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs and the resort’s executive chef was on hand to cater for the special dietary requirements of individual players dining each evening in ‘El Torrente’ Restaurant.

For further information on the Scottish Golf Union visit their official website.

For further information contact: Alfonso Castiñeira
Tel. +34 670 613 900
E-mail: acm@almanzora.com

The Scottish Golf Union Boys & Girls International Squad at Desert Springs Resort for Winter Training

The Scottish Golf Union Boys International Squad at Desert Springs Resort for Winter Training

(Left to Right) Kevin Cademy-Taylor, Scottish Golf Union Performance Development Manager and Scottish Golf Union Regional Performance Coaches George Boswell, Kevin Craggs and Ian Muir

Scottish Golf Union Boys International squad players working on their putting technique at the Desert Springs Short Game Academy

Scottish Golf Union Boys International player plays their approach to Hole 15 ‘Abyss’ on The Indiana Course

Scottish Golf Union Boys International player plays their Tee shot to Hole 2 ‘Gulch’ on The Indiana Course

	Dateline:	12th February 2015
	Source:	Desert Springs Golf Club
	Subject:	Scottish Golf Union
	Title:	The Best Young Golfers From Scotland Are Next For Pre-Season Training At Desert Springs

We are pleased to announce that the best young amateur golfers from Scotland will be the next group of elite golfers that are scheduled to return to Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club to undertake their annual winter training camp.

Based at the Home of Golf in St Andrews, The Scottish Golf Union (SGU) is the governing body for amateur golf in Scotland, incorporating 578 golf clubs across the country representing a total membership of approximately 230,000 golf club members.

Between Sunday 15th – Sunday 22nd February 2015, six (6) boys and twelve (12) girls representing the Scottish Golf Union Boys and Girls International Squad and seven (7) officials will visit the resort for a seven-day intensive training programme to develop their individual golfing skills in warm weather while experiencing a golf course which offers a challenge to players at all levels.

Between Sunday 22nd February – Sunday 1st March 2015, a further tranche of eighteen (18) boys representing the Scottish Golf Union Boys International Squad will arrive to the resort to join five (5) officials for their seven-day training programme.

During their time at the resort the players will utilise the excellent practice facilities at the Golf Academy and play the Championship Indiana course.

The players and officials will be accommodated in some of the privately owned Pueblo Villas and Apartments normally reserved for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs and the resort’s executive chef will be on hand to cater for the special dietary requirements of individual players dining in the award-winning El Torrente Restaurant.

For further information on the Scottish Golf Union visit their official website.

For further information contact: Alfonso Castiñeira
Tel. +34 670 613 900
E-mail: acm@almanzora.com

	Dateline:	26th February 2014
	Source:	The Almanzora Goup Ltd
	Subject:	Scottish Golf Union Boys & Girls International  Squad Members
	Title:	Scottish Golf Union Boys & Girls International Squad Members Complete Their Annual Winter Training Camp At Desert Springs Resort

Five officials from the Scottish Golf Union accompanied eight boys and nine girls for their annual 5 days of warm weather winter training at the Desert Springs Resort between Monday 10th – Friday 14th February.

“Great facilities that were in excellent condition.

Desert Springs Resort is a great venue to practice your golf all year round!”

That is the verdict of 14-year-old Hazel MacGarvie, one of the Scottish Girls International Squad members.

The training camp utilised the excellent practice facilities at the Desert Springs Golf Academy where the Scottish Golf Union Coaches were able provide one-to-one tuition and take advantage of the use of the Desert Springs short game academy.

Kevin Craggs, Scottish Golf Union Ladies National Coach commented:

“The SLGA National Coaching Programme is aimed at providing a supporting role that contributes towards the development of team and individual skills, deemed necessary to boost performance standards. This can only be achieved when the learning environment facilitates players and support staff needs. The Desert Springs facility is of high professional and commercial standards, giving players the ideal opportunity and environment to develop their skills.”

Murray Naysmith, 16-year-old Scottish Golf Union Boys Squad member remarked of his experience at Desert Springs:

“I really enjoyed playing the Indiana course and using the golf academy practice facilities at Desert Springs because they were both in excellent condition!”

Kevin Cademy Taylor – Scottish Golf Union Performance Development Manager remarked:

“Our Scottish Golf Performance Camp at Desert Springs provided us with access to a top class golf course and facilities we required for an effective delivery of all aspects of Performance Golf. All facilities were in super condition with professional staff on hand at all times with no request being a problem. Their support during the camp really enhanced our experience. I would defiantly return back to Desert Springs, many thanks again for everything.”

• For details of Golf & Sports Training Camps, Corporate Golf Events and Meetings at Desert Springs call 01242 680 116.
• To find out more about the Scottish Golf Union visit the website website.

Additional background Information

Warm weather winter training camps at Desert Springs

Desert Springs, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course, is proving to be one of the most popular destinations for warm weather winter training camps among the growing number of schools with their own golf academies and teams, currently estimated at around 90 in the UK. In addition to Darren Clarke Golf School students, visiting groups have included golfing pupils from, Lee Westwood Golf School, Millfield School, Reading Blue Coat School at Sonning-on-Thames, King Edward’s School in Bath and Loretto School at Musselburgh near Edinburgh.

All school golf trips to Desert Springs are bespoke. If desired, the programme can include time away from the golf course for some local sightseeing in what many regard as ‘the real Spain.’

During their stay pupils have opportunities to swim, play tennis, football and use the gymnasium, trim trail, jogging tracks, paddle tennis and beach volley ball courts.

Desert Springs is easy to reach from the UK, thanks to three international airports. They are: Almeria Airport, around 40 minutes away by road; Murcia Airport, 80 minutes by car, and Alicante Airport which is a drive of less than two hours. Airlines currently flying to the region from the UK include easyJet, Monarch, Ryanair, Jet2, Jetair Fly and Thomas Cook.

Already well known as a resort specialising in family holidays, Desert Springs is gaining popularity as a centre for warm-weather training for cricketers and footballers, as well as golfers.

Accommodation is provided in the apartments and villas available for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs. Meals are served in the resort’s Croc Restaurant, part of the family-friendly Crocodile Club that is geared up for a wide variety of leisure activities and the award winning El Torrente Restaurant at the Club House.

A spokesman for Desert Springs said that, depending on the size of the group and its requirements, the total cost of a four-day trip for warm weather training, including flights, would work out at between £350 and £400 per person.

The Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club

Facilities already completed and in use at Desert Springs include:

• a par 72 -18-hole USGA Indiana golf course designed by former Great Britain and Ireland
  Golf Team Captain Peter McEvoy who was inspired by the desert courses of Arizona and California.
• a golf academy whose PGA qualified teaching professionals cater for several international
  teams, for the women’s elite squads of the Golf Union of Wales and for many of the English County Union’s elite squads; PGA European Tour and LET players.
• two hard tennis courts, two paddle courts, beach volley ball and two football pitches - one is a
  full-size grass pitch; the other is designed for five-a-side games;
• a Cricket Academy with facilities that comprise; a six bay grass wicket and run up with nets, a
  two bay artificial wicket with nets, a full length artificial grass wicket, a Professional Bola Bowling Machine with 28 ball feeder, a slip catch cradle and a specific hard standing area, which provides outside space for facilities such as a free weights gym, stretching mats and a medical area
• a Spanish colonial style Golf Club House with a lounge, bar, restaurant, locker rooms, TV and
  reading rooms, and a Ralph Lauren Golf Boutique;
• The Crocodile Club which provides family fun at the heart of the resort with pools, equipped
  sand play areas, a kid’s battery powered John Deere Gator circuit and a games room as well as a Jacuzzi, sun lawns and a pool bar;
• a health and fitness club and spa.

Awards

In 2005 Desert Springs won the Daily Mail Best Almeria Award and the Bentley International Property Awards for the Best Spain Development and Best Architecture. In 2006, it was awarded the Spanish National Madera Verde Prize for Environmentally Sensitive Development. In 2007, the El Torrente Restaurant received the New Millennium International Gastronomy Award for the Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry. This award was created by the Trade Leaders Club with the aim of distinguishing companies from all countries, for the outstanding quality of their products or services.

The climate of the Almanzora coastal region

Desert Springs takes it name from the region’s desert microclimate, which is unique in Europe. It has the warmest winter weather on the continent with an annual average of more than nine hours of daily sunshine and maximum daily temperatures of between 16°C (60°F) and 30°C (86°F) throughout the year. Annual rainfall is less than 200 mm. The Almanzora’s coastal waters are among the cleanest and warmest in Europe, attracting both fish and diving enthusiasts.

Reader enquiries:
NOTE: High Resolution Images available upon request.
Simon Coaker
The Almanzora Group Ltd
The Manor, Boddington, Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire GL51 0TJ
Tel: +44 (0) 1242 680116
Email: tag@almanzora.com

	Dateline:	13th January 2009
	Source:	The Almanzora Group
	Subject:	Lady Golfers at Desert Springs
	Title:	'The best lady Golfers from Scotland' are next for pre-season training at Spain's desert Springs

Lady golfers from Scotland are the latest to select Desert Springs, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course in the Almanzora region of Almeria in south-east Spain, as the venue for their winter training.

The success of the first training weekend at Desert Springs arranged for seven members and four coaches from the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association (SLGA) has prompted them to return in February.

The decision to train at Desert Springs followed a visit by the SLGA’s national coach Kevin Craggs who used the golf facilities to make training films for players. He was so impressed by the resort and its staff that he decided it should be used for training by what he describes as ‘the best lady players in Scotland.’

By opting for Desert Springs, the SLGA follows the Ladies Golf Union and the Golf Union of Wales which have selected the resort as their base for pre-season training.

Commenting on her group’s initial visit, the SLGA’s chairman of training Betty Patterson said: “The mild climate was conducive to productive practice at a time when the climate at home is cold.”

Betty was enthusiastic about the range of resort facilities within easy walking distance of the golf clubhouse. Those which the group used included the gymnasium and private film screening room. Others available include a spa, sports and fitness club, and pools.

Simon Coaker, director of golf at Desert Springs, said: "Desert Springs has become very well known as a destination for the warm weather winter training of the Elite players of both the English Counties and a host of National Squads.
“The squads of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association represent the very best women's amateur golfers in Scotland and we are obviously delighted to be host to such an elite group of young players and feel that this further underlines our commitment to the world of women’s golf.
“Desert Springs can be presented to test the skills of the best players and I am delighted that as prestigious a body as the SLGA have selected the Indiana course and its Golf Academy as its winter training base and we very much look forward to welcoming them back this year.”

For more information about properties available, or golf at Desert Springs, contact The Almanzora Group on telephone +44 (0) 1242 680 116 or visit the website, www.almanzora.com

Background information about the Indiana golf course at Desert Springs

The resort

Desert Springs is Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course in the Almanzora region of Almeria in south-east Spain.

The resort occupies more than 300 hectares (750 acres) on an elevated plateau over the Rio Almanzora, near the coast of the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora.

The first phase of the resort – already up and running – includes the Indiana Desert Golf Course and Club House and its international award-winning El Torrente Restaurant, as well as the Crocodile Club family restaurant and bar, with its pools, sun lawns and sand play bunkers.

Also open is the Sierra Sports and Fitness Club which has facilities for tennis, paddle, gymnasium and football.

The golf

At the heart of Desert Springs is its 72 par 18-hole USGA Indiana golf course designed by former Great Britain and Ireland Golf Team Captain Peter McEvoy. He was inspired by the desert courses of Arizona and California.

The dramatic nature of the Desert Springs fairways, set in a landscape of cactus, rock and flowering desert, is said to have taken golf in Spain to a new level of excellence.

Golf Club joining fees for Non-resident Membership, for a family of up to four, are waived in the case of Almanzora Bay Group’s own property purchasers.

The club runs a year-round calendar of tournaments for members as well as open tournaments including The Indiana Masters, The Desert Classic and The Professional Challenge Cup. In 2004 and 2007 it hosted Europe’s most prestigious amateur tournament, the King’s Cup - the Copa Del Rey - which is the Spanish International Amateur Open.

From October 30 to November 1, 2008, the Sir Ian Botham Charity Golf Classic was held at Desert Springs, raising more than €70,000 for Leukaemia Research. Sir ‘Beefy’ Botham was joined by celebrities and professional sportsmen captaining their amateur teams.

The climate

The resort takes it name from the region’s desert microclimate which is unique in Europe. It has the warmest winter weather on the continent with an annual average of more than nine hours of daily sunshine and maximum daily temperatures of between 16°C (60°F) and 30°C (86°F) throughout the year. Annual rainfall is less than 200 mm. The Almanzora’s coastal waters are among the cleanest and warmest in Europe, attracting both fish and diving enthusiasts.

Getting there

The Almanzora region is easy to reach, thanks to three international airports. The current journey time from Almeria International Airport to Desert Springs is around 50 minutes by road. Other international airports are at Murcia - 70 minutes by car on the new toll motorway direct to the Almanzora Valley (the toll is €11.5) - and Alicante which is less than two hours by road.

For further information contact: The Almanzora Group
Email: tag@almanzora.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 680 299