PGA Instructor Jack Murgatroyd fourth from left with 8 transition students from the Darren Clarke Golf School during their third visit to the Desert Springs Resort for a 7-day intensive winter training camp.
“Desert Springs is a super Resort; this is my second visit and I love it!
The golf course was in fabulous condition, the greens were very fast and the practice facilities were great; we were constantly serviced with range balls at the golf academy and training in this great weather is not comparable with home, so I will definitely come back!”
That is the verdict of 16-year old Caroline Hewitt, one of 8 transition students from the Darren Clarke Golf School based at Greenmount Campus, Northern Ireland, who have returned from their third visit to the Desert Springs Resort for a 7-day intensive winter training programme to develop their individual golfing skills.
One of the Darren Clarke Golf School students tees off on Hole 3 ‘Crazy Horse’ on The Indiana course at 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.
Darren Clarke Golf School PGA Instructor Jack Murgatroyd accompanied five boys and three girls aged from 15 to 18 years for 7 days of warm weather winter training at the resort between 22nd & 29th January, while experiencing a golf course, which offers a challenge to players at all levels.
The training camp utilised the excellent practice facilities at the Desert Springs Golf Academy where Jack Murgatroyd was able provide one-to-one tuition for the students.
The Desert Springs Golf Academy Short Game facilities utilized by the attendees of the Darren Clarke Golf School Winter Training Camp.
Student Jamie Byrne, 15 years of age, remarked of the Golf Academy:
“I was pleased that the practice greens are of the same speed as the greens on the course, which is very important. At the golf academy there were always plenty of range balls and the staff throughout our stay were perfect, they couldn´t be any better.”
Accommodation for the Darren Clarke Golf School students and coaches was provided in the apartments available at Desert Springs.
16-year old Caroline Hewitt commented:
“The Accommodation was excellent, very spacious and the beds are very comfortable, which is fantastic after a hard days work!”
Jack Murgatroyd, Darren Clarke Golf Instructor said;
““I couldn´t fault Desert Springs at all; this is my third visit and it´s always great to be here.
The golf facilities are brilliant; I could say they´re the best I´ve ever seen!
The Caddy Master, bar attendants, they know you and give you a personal touch which makes you feel welcome and very comfortable whilst at the Resort.”
The Desert Springs Golf Academy Short Game facilities utilized by the attendees of the Darren Clarke Golf School Winter Training Camp.
- For details of Golf & Sports Training Camps, Corporate Golf Events and Meetings at Desert Springs call 01242 680 116 or visit the website, www.almanzora.com
- To find out more about the Darren Clarke Golf School visit the website www.darrenclarkegolfschool.com
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 pupils, 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 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 72 par 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 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.
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Simon Coaker The Almanzora Group Ltd The Manor, Boddington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0TJ Tel: +44 (0) 1242 680116 e: tag@almanzora.co.uk www.almanzora.com |
