Tracey Craik admiring the view from the Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort clubhouse balcony (Cal Carson Golf Agency image copyright).Tracey Craik's golf career is behind
her but never a dull moment
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Tracey Craik's money-making days as a pro golfer are virtually behind her ... but she's still laughing all the way to the bank!
Scottish girls' match-play champion at Peebles in 1984 and a member of the Scotland team that won the women's home internationals at Barassie in 1988, the 41-year-old Oxfordshire-born daughter of Derek Craik, the long-time club pro at Frilford Heath, has been based for the past 11 years at the La Manga club in Spain’s south-east region of Murcia.
Although she and her partner John Scott, who comes from Manchester, have so many business interests, you can never be sure where they are any week of the year.
When I was over in Spain earlier this year, running the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival, Tracey was in England for the Spring Fair at the NEC. She arrived back in Spain on the day the Festival finished.
Not that Tracey would have been able to play in many of the six events which were open to female amateurs and professionals.
"My right shoulder has never been the same since I hurt it, heaving a suitcase up and golf clubs up a steep staircase at a clubhouse in Lausanne where we were playing during my Ladies European Tour days," says Tracey.
"I couldn’t move my neck for two or three days at the time and the shoulder tends to get very sore by the end of 18 holes. I've been to see a specialist about the injury but there's nothing much that can be done. I've just got to live with it.
“Can’t take too many Neurofens! I am still playing golf but this year probably the least since I started as a girl and I’ve not placed on the Ladies European Tour for four or five years now.”
Five or six years ago, John and Tracey bought a hotel – Golf Hotel Grenoble Charmeil - and golf course at Grenoble, which, if my geography serves me correctly, is on the French-Swiss border at the Alps. It’s 50min from Lyon and 90min from Geneva. Very handy.
Although they are not exactly hands-on owners, John and Tracey have taken this business venture seriously, Tracey so much so that she spent three years doing an on-line course, studying everything you need to know about grass and soil if you are going to be able to talk with any degree of authority to the men who are your greenkeeping staff.
“Sportsturf they call the course. Quite interesting, especially the soil bit, which surprised me. The reason I did the course was because we, apart from speaking appalling French (though probably still better than my Spanish), we knew virtually nothing about course maintenance. To prevent them from ‘pulling the wool over our eyes, I laboured through this course and droved John mad for three years,” she said.
“I was glad I did it. I feel I have broadened my knowledge considerably, and it does come in useful when we make periodic visits to Grenoble,” says Tracey who graduated from London University when she was 21 and turned pro soon after.
She is not claiming any of the credit but their golf course has been voted the “best kept in the Rhone Alps region.”
John and Tracey’s other businesses included supplying a cable TV system in the La Manga area which is where they met 11 or 12 years ago at a time when the Ladies European Tour had regular events there.
They also have a finger in the pie of cosmetics and toiletries in the northwest of England.
Tracey is very much a football fan – and supports Manchester City. The explanation for that is that John is a Mancunian although you would think they would support a more successful team based in Manchester, wouldn’t you? They drove up to the Nou Camp to see Barcelona beat Celtic earlier this year.
“I’ve never been so cold in my life, but I’m glad I went,” she said.
“The Celtic fans were amazing especially when they were randomly hit by the police for not really doing anything! One guy went to the toilet and got battered tour times! So I was actually surprised that it didn´t get out of hand. The security seemed to hit first and then not answer questions second! And hit them again!
“We also went over to the Bernabeu Stadium from La Manga to watch Spain v England. Spain won when there was supposedly all the trouble with the monkey chanting but we didn´t hear it at the stadium!”
As a youngster, before golf took over, Tracey was a bit of a runner – a lean and wiry distance specialist rather than a sprinter in her early teens. She has not put on much weight since then, she was glad to hear me say.
In that 1984 Scottish girls’ final at Puebles she beat Donna Jackson 3 and 2 after knocking out a certain Elaine Farquharson – who would win the title the following year – in the semi-finals.
Elaine and Tracey have remained friends ever since although the distance between Aberdeen and La Manga keeps them from meeting very often.
Tracey’s brother Derek junior succeeded their father as club professional at Frilford Heath.
Tracey Craik's money-making days as a pro golfer are virtually behind her ... but she's still laughing all the way to the bank!
Scottish girls' match-play champion at Peebles in 1984 and a member of the Scotland team that won the women's home internationals at Barassie in 1988, the 41-year-old Oxfordshire-born daughter of Derek Craik, the long-time club pro at Frilford Heath, has been based for the past 11 years at the La Manga club in Spain’s south-east region of Murcia.
Although she and her partner John Scott, who comes from Manchester, have so many business interests, you can never be sure where they are any week of the year.
When I was over in Spain earlier this year, running the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival, Tracey was in England for the Spring Fair at the NEC. She arrived back in Spain on the day the Festival finished.
Not that Tracey would have been able to play in many of the six events which were open to female amateurs and professionals.
"My right shoulder has never been the same since I hurt it, heaving a suitcase up and golf clubs up a steep staircase at a clubhouse in Lausanne where we were playing during my Ladies European Tour days," says Tracey.
"I couldn’t move my neck for two or three days at the time and the shoulder tends to get very sore by the end of 18 holes. I've been to see a specialist about the injury but there's nothing much that can be done. I've just got to live with it.
“Can’t take too many Neurofens! I am still playing golf but this year probably the least since I started as a girl and I’ve not placed on the Ladies European Tour for four or five years now.”
Five or six years ago, John and Tracey bought a hotel – Golf Hotel Grenoble Charmeil - and golf course at Grenoble, which, if my geography serves me correctly, is on the French-Swiss border at the Alps. It’s 50min from Lyon and 90min from Geneva. Very handy.
Although they are not exactly hands-on owners, John and Tracey have taken this business venture seriously, Tracey so much so that she spent three years doing an on-line course, studying everything you need to know about grass and soil if you are going to be able to talk with any degree of authority to the men who are your greenkeeping staff.
“Sportsturf they call the course. Quite interesting, especially the soil bit, which surprised me. The reason I did the course was because we, apart from speaking appalling French (though probably still better than my Spanish), we knew virtually nothing about course maintenance. To prevent them from ‘pulling the wool over our eyes, I laboured through this course and droved John mad for three years,” she said.
“I was glad I did it. I feel I have broadened my knowledge considerably, and it does come in useful when we make periodic visits to Grenoble,” says Tracey who graduated from London University when she was 21 and turned pro soon after.
She is not claiming any of the credit but their golf course has been voted the “best kept in the Rhone Alps region.”
John and Tracey’s other businesses included supplying a cable TV system in the La Manga area which is where they met 11 or 12 years ago at a time when the Ladies European Tour had regular events there.
They also have a finger in the pie of cosmetics and toiletries in the northwest of England.
Tracey is very much a football fan – and supports Manchester City. The explanation for that is that John is a Mancunian although you would think they would support a more successful team based in Manchester, wouldn’t you? They drove up to the Nou Camp to see Barcelona beat Celtic earlier this year.
“I’ve never been so cold in my life, but I’m glad I went,” she said.
“The Celtic fans were amazing especially when they were randomly hit by the police for not really doing anything! One guy went to the toilet and got battered tour times! So I was actually surprised that it didn´t get out of hand. The security seemed to hit first and then not answer questions second! And hit them again!
“We also went over to the Bernabeu Stadium from La Manga to watch Spain v England. Spain won when there was supposedly all the trouble with the monkey chanting but we didn´t hear it at the stadium!”
As a youngster, before golf took over, Tracey was a bit of a runner – a lean and wiry distance specialist rather than a sprinter in her early teens. She has not put on much weight since then, she was glad to hear me say.
In that 1984 Scottish girls’ final at Puebles she beat Donna Jackson 3 and 2 after knocking out a certain Elaine Farquharson – who would win the title the following year – in the semi-finals.
Elaine and Tracey have remained friends ever since although the distance between Aberdeen and La Manga keeps them from meeting very often.
Tracey’s brother Derek junior succeeded their father as club professional at Frilford Heath.
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