First Leadbetter Academy on mainland Spain unveiled

La Manga Club one of Spain’s foremost golf, sports and leisure destinations, has been chosen to open a Leadbetter Golf Academy in January 2014 – the only such facility in mainland Spain.

With nearly 30 academies worldwide at selected premium destinations, The Leadbetter Golf Academy offers the very finest learning and practice facilities. And the selection of the Murcia resort as its newest base is the latest fillip to a resurgent La Manga Club which is burgeoning once again under the leadership of director of golf Gary Silcock.

Silcock, who has previously worked at some of the sport’s most prestigious venues, including St Andrews’ Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, PGA National Ireland, and The Belfry, believes the choice of La Manga Club as home to The Leadbetter Golf Academy’s only mainland Spanish base is further recognition of the outstanding golf facilities on offer there.

He said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the new home for The Leadbetter Golf Academy’s only venue in mainland Spain. Such patronage confirms that, as well as having the best offering for holiday golfers in Spain, La Manga Club is also, undisputedly, the top choice for golf coaching and tuition – enhancing its overall reputation as the destination of choice for top amateurs and professionals in many sports.”

As one of  the world’s leading golf instructors and coach to countless PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour and Champions Tour players, David Leadbetter – and the academy he founded – is known across the globe for innovative and creative teaching techniques.

His coaching has spanned three decades and he has often been recognised as the “man who invented the golf instruction industry”. During the past 30 years, The Leadbetter Golf Academy tour players have amassed more than a dozen major championship titles and in excess of 100 individual worldwide tournament victories.

Silcock added: “The impending opening of The Leadbetter Golf Academy heralds further significant investment into state-of-the-art practice facilities here at La Manga Club and ensures the resort is truly in a class of its own in terms of sports coaching facilities, with world-class amenities, not just in golf, but also in tennis, football, rugby, cricket and many other sports.”

La Manga Club’s golf facilities already includes three 18-hole championship courses – host to the Spanish Open five times from 1973-77 – and a nine-hole academy course. Its reputation as a major golf destination was enhanced earlier this year when the PGAs of Europe announced the 1st La Manga Club International Pro-Am would be played at the resort from March 7-11, 2014.

This event which is being supported by GOLF RETAILING is the second major international event that La Manga Club will stage early next year, with the resort also hosting the 2014 Spanish Seniors Amateur Championship in February.

Having celebrated its 40th birthday last year, La Manga Club – set in an area three times the size of Monaco – continues to set the benchmark for sports and leisure destinations across Europe. Widely recognised as Spain’s flagship venue, its recent golfing highlights include hosting the 2013 Spanish International Amateur Championship and being voted as the best golf resort in Spain by UK readers of Today’s Golfer magazine for the last two years.

As well as golf, the resort boasts unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including a 28-court tennis centre, eight full-size professional sports pitches – suitable for football, rugby and cricket – and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. Dozens of top professional sports teams use the resort every year and it also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.

For further details about La Manga Club, please visit www.lamangaclub.com.