David Leadbetter Golf Academy opens at La Manga Club

One of the most important tourist businesses in the Murcia Region extends its facilities

The superb golf facilities at La Manga Club have just got even better as a result of the opening of new world-class tuition facilities in the David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

Most golf fans won’t need reminding that David Leadbetter is the man who famously rebuilt Sir Nick Faldo’s swing in the 1980s, enabling him to win six Major tournaments. Following that success he also worked with such giants of the game as Nick Price, Greg Norman and Ernie Els, and his knowledge of the mechanics of a golf swing is practically unparalleled.

Golf swings, according to Leadbetter, are like fingerprints: no two are exactly the same, and in his approachable, friendly way he has invested his time and passion into teaching golfers for the last thirty years or more. Such is his eye for detail that a quick word of friendly advice can bring about immediate results even in good golfers: extra yardage and straighter hitting can often be achieved by a small adjustment to the hip, shoulder or feet, and David Leadbetter’s vast wealth of experience enables him to spot such details immediately.

This was brought home in no uncertain terms during the inauguration of the new premises, as a few minor adjustments in posture brought about immediate results as Leadbetter worked for just a few minutes with local golfers attending the event, this uncanny ability to detect minor variations the difference between a major title and a second place.

There are now 28 Leadbetter Golf Academies throughout the world, and of course the man himself will not be at La Manga full time, but having seen the three championship courses in Murcia and the rest of the facilities at La Manga Club he rates this as one of the best locations in his portfolio.His staff are fully trained to his own incredibly high level of expertise and professionalism, and are ready and willing to help golfers of all levels to improve their game.

The redevelopment of the teaching and practice facilities at La Manga Club has required a total investment of a million euros, with the Leadbetter Golf Academy building being the centrepiece of the new complex. It includes two tuition studios, both equipped with the latest technology, including Trackman, SAM PuttLab and K-VEST.

Next door to the remodelled range, it also features two 36-metre Huxley grass tees, three extra mat teeing areas and a 150-metre wide, 35-metre deep grass tee area. The range itself has been lengthened to 300 metres and extra target greens, trees and bunkers have been added.

The new practice area at La Manga Club also has four short-game areas for bunkers and chipping, three expansive putting greens and four teaching classrooms.

La Manga Club has been voted Spain’s best golf resort by the readers of Today’s Golfer magazine for the last three years, and is one of Europe’s most popular winter break destinations for professional sportsmen and teams from all over the continent. In terms of golf it has hosted five Spanish opens in the past, and among those whose names are inextricably linked with the club are Gary Player, who was the first director of golf, and Severiano Ballesteros, who was la Manga Club’s touring professional from 1980 to 1985.

Top facilities are also provided for football , tennis, cricket, rugby and athletics, and numerous children’s academies are run here throughout the year.The resort is a successful holiday destination in its own right, but on top of that has become one of the best-equipped sports complexes in the whole of Europe, and is served by a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and over 20 on-site bars and restaurants, making it one of the most important tourist tools in the armoury available within the Region of Murcia.

If you’d like more information about the latest offers, go to the dedicated La Manga Club section to see all the latest news and offers from the complex.