The Ladies and Mens Golf Clubs take on Turkey – Warm Weather Training

In the second week of inter-semester, eleven girls, four boys and two coaches travelled to Antalya in Turkey for a week of Warm Weather Golf Training. Despite a hideous five hour delay on the way out (resulting in embarrassing Gatwick Airport forfeits) we eventually made it to our hotel, the geographically-extraneous resort of Lykia World in Antalya. We were extremely lucky to stay in such a luxurious and well-equipped resort; we had private use of one section of the driving range, daily tee times on a challenging 18 hole course, excessive amounts of gym equipment for the coaches to bully us with, as well as an all-inclusive buffet and bar.

The idea of Warm Weather Training is that the Scottish winter climate is inappropriate for golf practice- it is too cold to play a full round, golfers wear too many layers to swing properly, and sodden courses make for poor scoring. So we travelled to Turkey full of high hopes of sunny weather, soaring temperatures and suitcases full of shorts and flip-flops. However we were shocked on our first day by single figure temperatures, freezing winds and even rain! Five days of unexpectedly cold temperatures and torrential rain melted into one final day of sunny warmth, but regardless of the outdoor conditions, all the players showed improvement in their technique, mental game, course strategy and physical fitness. Every day began with an 8am gym session where we did cardio work, strength and conditioning and brutal abs-and-squats circuits. We then did several hours of range practice, focussing on both long and short game as well as individual technique instruction from our coaches. We were lucky to train with two dedicated coaches, who pushed us with long hours and intense schedules- many thanks again to Kevin Hale and David Watt. Most afternoons were spent playing a round on the course in our resort in various types of competition- including a Team Great Britain vs. Team World match (victory to Britain!).

Post-golf, our coach led us in a Pool Recovery activity to refresh our aching muscles before we were free to have evening relaxation time. Our hotel had fantastic facilities for every type of recreation: an extensive spa, more pools than we ever discovered, games rooms, a huge sandy beach, out-door water slides, everything we could have possibly dreamt of. Nevertheless, after a full day of trudging around rainy courses, relaxation time was essentially spent in two places: the buffet and the bar. Spending every night in an all-inclusive bar inevitably led to some unforeseen behaviour, including an astonishingly high quality of dancing, and very good new friendships made. And as it turns out, one can be refused service at an all-inclusive bar…

Overall, it was fantastic week for all those involved. Great company, hard work and copious amounts of food definitely improved every player’s game, and we will hopefully see the results in some good scores this season! Thank you once again to the Athletic Union for organising such a great trip for the Ladies and Men’s Golf Clubs.

Written by Catriona Brady, grandstand writer