SPOTLIGHT ON A SPECIALIST GOLF ACADEMY BASED IN MALAGA
Jess Wilcox in action at Royal Troon in last year's Helen Holm Scottish stroke-play championship. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
I like to think there's not much going on in golf that I don't know about - that's my business - but I have to admit that when I heard that English girl prospect Jess Wilcox, a member of Blankney GC, Lincolnshire, had been attending a sports academy in Spain - "TSA" - it was completely new to me.
I like to think there's not much going on in golf that I don't know about - that's my business - but I have to admit that when I heard that English girl prospect Jess Wilcox, a member of Blankney GC, Lincolnshire, had been attending a sports academy in Spain - "TSA" - it was completely new to me.
So I asked Jess to tell me (and you) all about it.
The TSA Golf Academy, Malaga
By JESS WILCOX
Well, TSA stands for 'The Sports Academy.' It is a winter training programme establishment based in Malaga, southern Spain. Its website calls it the TSA Golf Academy.
At the academy there is a mixture of English, Scottish and a lot of Irish golfers. All play off 5 and below, +3 being the lowest handicap. It is also open to professional golfers.
The man who runs TSA Golf Academy is called Stuart Fomes. He comes from Essex.
The TSA Golf Academy set-up is good because, unlike going to a college in America, you can play fall time. However, everyone gets the chance to do a degree if over the age of 18 and everyone under the age of 16 has to do their GCSEs.
I do a modern language degree. And I'm in my second year, so I study English and Spanish.
You may have heard of Gabriella Cowley. She is a student at TSA and last summer won English girls' U15 championship. Gabriella started TSA in October 2010, and since then her handicap has come down from five to scratch.
Gabriella is over there at the moment and is playing with me at next month's Hacienda del Alamo women's/girls' Festival.
The academy only runs from October until March. However, you can come and go as you please. If you stay for a month, it costs you 1,500 Euros; two months cost 2,750 Euros and the six-month programme fee is 5,750 Euros.
So I choose to go October until December.
A few pros only come for a week, then return to England for a while then come back. So TSA is for both amateurs and professionals.
We have top coaches come over from England, like Phil Kenyon for putting, Gary Pike and Stuart Morgan, who are swing coaches, also come.
The academy also works alongside Chris Sells, a golf statistical analyst, who runs strokeaverage.com. He works with big names like Lee Westwood.
Looking forward to the 2012 season and especially playing Carnoustie in the British women's open amateur championship towards the end of June.
JESS WILCOX
At the academy there is a mixture of English, Scottish and a lot of Irish golfers. All play off 5 and below, +3 being the lowest handicap. It is also open to professional golfers.
The man who runs TSA Golf Academy is called Stuart Fomes. He comes from Essex.
The TSA Golf Academy set-up is good because, unlike going to a college in America, you can play fall time. However, everyone gets the chance to do a degree if over the age of 18 and everyone under the age of 16 has to do their GCSEs.
I do a modern language degree. And I'm in my second year, so I study English and Spanish.
You may have heard of Gabriella Cowley. She is a student at TSA and last summer won English girls' U15 championship. Gabriella started TSA in October 2010, and since then her handicap has come down from five to scratch.
Gabriella is over there at the moment and is playing with me at next month's Hacienda del Alamo women's/girls' Festival.
The academy only runs from October until March. However, you can come and go as you please. If you stay for a month, it costs you 1,500 Euros; two months cost 2,750 Euros and the six-month programme fee is 5,750 Euros.
So I choose to go October until December.
A few pros only come for a week, then return to England for a while then come back. So TSA is for both amateurs and professionals.
We have top coaches come over from England, like Phil Kenyon for putting, Gary Pike and Stuart Morgan, who are swing coaches, also come.
The academy also works alongside Chris Sells, a golf statistical analyst, who runs strokeaverage.com. He works with big names like Lee Westwood.
Looking forward to the 2012 season and especially playing Carnoustie in the British women's open amateur championship towards the end of June.
JESS WILCOX
+TO READ MORE ABOUT TSA GOLF ACADEMY, SPAIN, YOU CAN ACCESS ITS WEBSITE
Labels: Amateur Ladies
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 8:30:00 pm
<< Home