Letter from Spain

Alasdair fills us in on his golfing experience in Spain - sounds fantastic !! 

He is at  Alhaurin, near Mijas, just north of the Costa del Sol 

Spain is really good and I’m loving being out here. The weather is amazing and for the majority of the three months I have been playing in shorts and t-shirt! The golf course itself is a tough test especially when the wind blows. Very tough! Any bad shot WILL be punished. There is also a 9 hole par 3 course which is a great way to sharpen up your wedge play and short game in general.

An average day from my timetable would be......golf programme 9-12am (range for 1.5 hours, chipping and putting for 45 mins each), then a1 hour lunch break and then two laps round the par 3 course. After about 3 o’clock you can do what you want, e.g. play holes on the course, but I’m timetabled to go to the gym for a couple of hours three times a week for strength and conditioning and aerobic fitness.

Wednesday is a skills day when your short game is tested and a course challenge will be set, e.g. only hit irons off the tees, or miss greens on purpose. There is also a weekly medal each Friday, which goes towards a scratch and net order of merit.

I receive weekly coaching from the club pro and also get specialist coaching a couple times a month from coaches on the European tour. There are also lectures from a sports psychologist every now and again who explores the mental side of the game, which is very interesting and beneficial.

Last wee, Matteo Manaserro's caddy came for a couple of days and walked the course with us to give us the ‘professional’s view’, e.g. reading greens, paying attention to the wind, best places to hit to, bad places to miss greens, lay up shots on par 5s, and generally just giving us the chance to ask him questions about Matteo."

Overall, I am really enjoying myself and for any junior who has aspirations of being a professional golfer in the future, this is the place to come!

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