Centre of Excellence
WGU Regional Centre of Excellence
"A World Class Facility"
The Machynys Academy can boast some of the finest facilities on offer in Wales. The 300m Driving Range has an Astroturf hitting area with top quality range balls along with artificial target greens for pitching & distance control. Couple this with a large chipping green, greenside bunkers and a practice putting green, we are confident that our Centre of Excellence has all the facilities to develop and improve your game of golf.
If you think that's impressive, we now have a 21 Bay covered Public Range with Custom Fitting suite and Indoor Putting Green "yes that's right indoor". We have no intention of allowing our somewhat inclement weather conditions to hinder our plans for the most comprehensive and holistic approach to coaching and practice. "The Machynys Approach". This makes our Academy the perfect environment for players of all levels to begin, develop and enhance their golf game throughout the whole year.
Mark Reed (General Manager) inspects progress with Tom Anderson (Project Manager) from Machynys Construction
£3/4 million Public Driving Range and Golf Academy on programme for September opening
“The £3/4 million state of the art ‘Golf Union of Wales Regional Centre of Excellence’ Driving Range at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club and Spa is on programme and looking great”, said Tom Anderson, Project Manager from local construction group Machynys Construction.
“Despite the continual rain in July we have managed to pull back lost time and are 100% confident we will be finished on programme and in time for the grand opening on the 30th September 2009”.
Chairman Phil Carling from Sports Council for Wales will be joining Ryder Cup Wales Chief Executive Rob Holt and Nigel Edwards, Golf Union of Wales Director of Player Development and Coaching, to see ex Ryder Cup Captain, Brian Huggett MBE give a putting demonstration on the 100m2 indoor putting arena, a feature at the golf academy. Following on the celebrities and tour professionals will tee off together to mark the opening of the 21 bay floodlit driving range.
Mark Reed the club’s General Manager said, “We are very excited by what the extensive range facilities can offer all golfers. The 21 bay floodlit driving range will be open to all members of the public from the 1st October and will give golfers access to the three 350-500m2, real grass USGA spec, target greens which have been constructed in the driving range outfield at 50, 75 and 100 yard intervals, great for short game practice”.
Within the 21 bays are two custom fit bays with the very latest state of the art custom fitting equipment supplied by leading club manufacturers and include a high-tech launch monitor system. “Golf clubs are made to measure for the golfers’ individual height and swing dynamics thus ensuring the golfer is walking away with clubs tailor-made just for them” said John Peters, Head Teaching Professional and a Wales International Coach. John is also looking forward to the prospect of using the high tech video analysis equipment in the specialised teaching bays. He will lead a team of six PGA golf professionals who are proud to boast a junior academy already consisting of two hundred local children who participate in structured weekly coaching from the ages of 4-18 at all levels of ability. The club has ten local schools that now have golf at Machynys on their curriculum. As the range is recognised as a ‘GUW Regional Centre of Excellence’ the International Junior and Senior squads will also be utilising these wonderful practice facilities as well as selected county squads.
The team of golf professionals will soon be announcing a full free week of golf coaching, for group and individual lessons. PGA Qualified Director of Golf, Andrew Minty, stressed that although the new facility is probably the most technically advanced facility in Wales, it is very accessible, open and available to everyone, including the rank beginner who has never hit a golf ball before. “We really hope that all local people and people from further a field will take full advantage and embrace this excellent facility which is why we are offering free golf for a week. If you have ever thought about taking up this wonderful game, whether you are 4 or 84, now’s your chance”. More information on the free golf week will follow shortly.
The Golf Range at Machynys Peninsula will be open to the public from the 1st October 2009.
“Welsh Teenage Sensation to Fly the Flag of Machynys on
Ladies European Tour”
Welsh teenager Lydia Hall hit the headlines in October with a superb display of golf at Ladies European Tour qualifying school that belied her years. Finishing 20 under par for seven rounds, the 19-year-old was runner up, comfortably securing her playing privileges for next year.
Lydia has formed a new partnership with Machynys Peninsula and will be representing the golf resort on the ladies European Circuit for 2008.
Long-time coach John Peters, head teaching pro at Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club and coach to Wales' U14s and 16s, first coached Hall as an 11-year-old at St Mary's Golf Club.
It's been a rollercoaster ride for the pair but culminated in success following a 14-month program targeted at tour school qualification.
Part of that training involved swing changes and a solo trip to New Zealand to toughen her mentally for life as a professional.
As Hall looks forward to a life on tour, a proud Peters reflects on working with one of Welsh golf's brightest hopes.
"Lydia was a complete beginner but within a couple of months she showed great talent and skill at just being able to hit the ball," recalls Peters.
"She was strong and aggressive and improved so quickly in the first year or two and by 13 was playing for Wales.
"She was blessed with a winning mentality, her father was a Welsh international rugby player, but also had a massive desire for information.
"I would teach her shots and she just started to absorb things. She didn't like to see things she couldn't do.
"If you set her a task she would go away and work on it until she could do it.
"It's when she started doing this that the alarm bells starting ringing and that I thought I could have a potentially very good player on my hands."
General Manager Mark Reed said “these are exciting times for Lydia and we are thrilled to be associated with such a magnificent talent here in Wales. Machynys has built a reputation in a very short time for Quality and professionalism during our first three years of opening, exactly the qualities that we saw when John first introduced us to his star pupil Lydia Hall. We were left in no doubt after our meeting that Lydia was the sort of player and ambassador we wanted to be associated with to represent the name of Machynys around the golfing world .
Lydia has already got her season off to a flying start down under in Australia, by finishing in fourth place in the New South Wales Open giving the eventual winner no less than Laura Davies arguably one of the greatest lady professionals ever to play the game a real run for her money during the final round.
On the back of this early performance from the talented youngster she has been selected to represent Wales in the VCI European Ladies Gold Cup in April at the La Sella Golf Resort in Spain.
The future looks bright for both Lydia Hall and Machynys Peninsula and we look forward to watching their progress during 2008.
