Image of Mary and Meghan MacLaren, first published in UK Golfer Magazine.

WELLINGBOROUGH TRIO ARE FIRST
ENGLISH ENTRANTS FOR HACIENDA
DEL ALAMO WOMENT'S FESTIVAL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Tournament Controller (colin@scottishgolfview.com)
The first three entrants from England for the Hacienda del Alamo Women’s Winter Golf Festival from February 10 to 23 are members of the same Northamptonshire Golf Club – Wellingborough.
They are:
* Mary MacLaren (handicap 4).
*Mary’s 13-year-old daughter Meghan (handicap 7).
*Rebecca Gee, aged 16 (handicap 5).

Rebecca is the ladies’ club champion at Wellingborough and Meghan has been making the headlines in the UK Golfer Magazine which recently published the following article:

“Aged 13, Meghan MacLaren is a golfer of great promise. She has represented Northamptonshire for two years and has seen her handicap drop from 12 to seven in the last few months alone.
“Twice a winner of the net club championship at Wellingborough, the youngster clinched the club junior crown this year, beating several boys and girls her senior. But then, defeating players older than her is nothing new, although her mum Mary is determined to make sure it’s a little while before her daughter starts beating her on a regular basis.
“You see Mary MacLaren (she’s from Portrush but as her husband’s name suggests, the MacLarens have their roots in Scotland) is a pretty good player too. A county first-team regular for many years, Mary was a member of the Northants side that made the national country team finals for the first time two years ago.
“Meghan’s mum also runs a golf holidays company, while dad David is the chief executive of PGA European Tour Courses, who look after a selection of the top venues across Europe. So you could say golf is in the family.
“And, as Meghan’s results on a local and national scale are beginning to show, she’s got the golfing talent to go with the family know-how.
“Mum Mary says: ‘Meghan loves playing golf and she’s getting better each month. She was very consistent whilst finishing a respectable sixth in this year’s English girls under-13s championship at Brickendon Grange Golf Club. Then she went on to win the runners-up prize in the prestigious Luke Donald Salver at Beaconsfield Golf Club.’ ”

FESTIVAL FOOTNOTES

*Six competitions - open to Lady professionals, who will receive cash prizes, and lady or girl amateurs with single-figure handicaps (voucher prizes) - make up the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival from February 10 to February 23. Sunday, February 10 is a practice day over the 18-hole Dave Thomas-designed course.

*You can go for both weeks, you can go for one week, the first or the second, or you can straddle both weeks if you can get cheaper budget airline flights by going out on Tuesday or Wednesday of the first week and flying home on the Wednesday or Thursday of the second week. That way you will still be able to play in three competitions.

*Although there are various options for booking accommodation, competitors must register their entry by E-mailing it to colin@scottishgolfview.com

*If you click on the words "HDA WOMEN'S FESTIVAL" in the left-hand column of your screen, you will be able to read all the details. Failing that, ask me to E-mail them to you.

*There is no deadline for entries. It's first come, first served for the first 60 to 70 entries received. We will not have enough hours of daylight in mid-February to cope with bigger fields than that. So, be warned. Enter as quickly as you can to avoid being left out in the cold while the rest of us are down in the winter warmth of south-east Spain.