Date of Release: 20th March 2017
DESERT SPRINGS RESORT TO HOST 2017
EUROPEAN TOUR QUALIFYING SECOND STAGE
The Desert Springs Resort, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course in the Almeria region of Andalucía, south-east Spain, has been selected to host this years European Tour Qualifying School Second Stage for the first time between Friday 3rd – Monday 6th November, 2017.
Desert Springs Director of Golf, Simon Coaker &
Mike Stewart, European Tour Qualifying School Director
Since 1976, The European Tour Qualifying School has been held at the end of each season to establish which players, not otherwise exempt, will gain their playing privileges on the Tour for the following season through a qualifying competition.
It’s a tough school for one of golf’s most coveted prizes, namely Membership of The European Tour and a place among the golfing elite. Along the way, dreams are made and hopes dashed in equal measure. The Qualifying School is held in three stages – dependent on the individual’s status – at a series of venues in the UK and Continental Europe. In the region of 1,000 competitors enter the Qualifying School each year, all aiming for a European Tour card, awarded to the top 25 and ties following the Final Stage. A player progressing through all three stages will have to play 252 holes under the most intense pressure.
The leading 25 players (plus those tied for 25th place) will earn Category 15 Membership of The European Tour for the following season.
Arial view of the 3rd Green of the Championship Indiana course
Desert Springs Director of Golf, Simon Coaker commented:
“Desert Springs Resort is both delighted and honored to have been invited to be host to the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School.
The Indiana course is a stimulating test of golf, it’s a thinking man’s course, not easy to overpower, offering a variety of shot making challenges to test the skill level of every player and one that requires excellent course management skills.
For Desert Springs Resort and the Indiana course to be part of the journey that the best players in Europe travel, is a factor of both benefit and prestige to all at the Resort.
We very much look forward to welcoming the class of 2017 to Desert Springs Resort and to providing them with a wonderful experience.”
Mike Stewart, European Tour Qualifying School Director said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Desert Springs to the Qualifying School network.
After doing such a phenomenal job when hosting the PGA EuroPro Tour Grand Final for the past two years it was an easy decision to ask Desert Springs to join our schedule.
We are delighted that they have confirmed, and we must thank everyone at Desert Springs Golf, particularly Group Sales and Marketing Manager & Director of Golf, Simon Coaker.
He and his team have made an exceptional effort over the years to develop this beautiful resort, and I am sure our players will enjoy the fruits of their labours during the Second Stage Qualifier in November.”
Below is the schedule for the 2017 European Tour Qualifying Second Stage.
Wednesday 1st November Official Practice Day
Thursday 2nd November Official Practice Day
Friday 3rd November Tournament Round 1
Saturday 4th November Tournament Round 2
Sunday 5th November Tournament Round 3
Monday 6th November Tournament Round 4
Tuesday 7th November Reserved in case of bad weather
NOTE TO EDITORS
About Desert Springs Resort
Opened in 2001, Desert Springs Resort quickly established an international reputation for outstanding quality, attracting discerning golfers, international elite amateur teams and professionals, as well as major international events, including two Spanish Amateur Opens and most latterly the 2015 & 2016 PGA Europro Tour Championships.
Resort accommodation is provided in the apartments, townhouses and villas available for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs Resort. 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.
Spacious fairway frontage villas that allow for an unforgettable stay at Desert Springs Resort
Visiting golfers benefit from resort gated security and full management and services that ensure all aspects of a golfer’s stay are taken care of. These include airport transfers, food hamper deliveries, babysitting and both resort and off-resort restaurant reservations.
Desert Springs Resort rental apartments that overlook the championship Indiana course
Desert Springs Resort is easy to reach from all parts of the UK and Europe, thanks to three international airports: Almeria Airport, 40 minutes transfer; Murcia Airport, 80 minutes transfer, and Alicante Airport 1hr 50 minutes transfer.
Already well known as a resort specialising in golf and family holidays, Desert Springs Resort is gaining popularity as a centre for warm-weather training for cricketers and footballers.
For more information on Desert Springs Resort: www.desertspringsresort.es Tel: – +34 950 091 518
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; twenty-four (24) grass wickets and run up with nets, one 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
Desert Springs Resort was awarded Best Golf Resort for Groups in Europe by the 2016 European Group Travel Awards (EGTA). The Indiana Course at Desert Springs Resort has also been recognised as the 6th Best Golf Course in Spain, based on the reviews of players who rated the course on the Leading Courses website. Out of the 345 courses present on this ranking the Indiana Course at Desert Springs occupies 6th place with a score of 8,8/10, and awards Desert Springs Golf Club with the “Outstanding” badge. This distinction is only given to the best 10 courses in the country.
Desert Springs Resort has been awarded the Daily Mail Best Almeria Award and the Bentley International Property Awards for the Best Spain Development and Best Architecture, as well as the Spanish National Madera Verde Prize for Environmentally Sensitive Development & SICTED award for the distinction of “Commitment to Tourism Quality”. El Torrente Restaurant has 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 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.
| Reader enquiries: |
| Simon Coaker
The Almanzora Group Ltd Sales & Marketing Manager The Manor, Boddington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0TJ Tel: +44 (0) 1242 680116 Email: scc@almanzora.com www.desertspringsresort.es |
