Hacienda del Alamo February Festival

European Tour director David will
play with wife Mary in Costa
Calida Pairs on the Sunday

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The European Tour will be represented at the 2nd Hacienda del Alamo Women's February Festival for the second year in row - in an unofficial capacity in the person of David MacLaren.
David is the European Tour's Director of Property & Venue Development.
Last year David held a watching and relaxing brief as his wife Mary, daughter Meghan and family friend Rebecca Gee - all members of Wellingborough Golf Club, Northamptonshire - played in Festival events.
This time round, because we have widened the scope of the entries to allow males to enter the weekend events - the St Valentine's Day pro-am (Saturday, February 14) and the Costa Calida Pairs (Sunday, February 15) - David can and will team up with Mary in the pairs' competition.
Mary, Meghan and Rebecca all play off four of a handicap and are county team golf standard.
All three will make up one of the teams in the pro-am while Meghan and Rebecca will play together in the Costa Calida Pairs.
And Mary, Meghan and Rebecca will play as individuals in the 36-hole Hacienda del Alamo Ladies Open on Monday and Tuesday, February 16 and 17.

The majority of the entries for the inaugural Hacienda del Alamo Festival last February came from the Emerald Isle and a repeat could be on the cards. Orla Barry and Jane Whiriskey, both from Galway Golf Club, are both making a return trip and bringing a friend with them.
No entries from any professionals yet although Lien Willems from Belgium, who played in the inaugural Festival, says she is definitely coming again and bringing two amateur golfing friends with her this time.
Curtis Cup player and Scottish women's champion Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) and Jocelyn Carthew (Ladybank), the player she beat in the championship final at Lossiemouth last May, say they would love to play at the February Festival but cannot finalise their plans until they see how they fare at the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School at La Manga Golf Resort, which is less than half-an-hour away from Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort.
Two international golfers among the early entries - the legendary Mary McKenna from Ireland and England girl cap Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. Mary is now in the senior class as a competitor and we will have senior category prizes.

Competitors chasing places in the 2009 GB&I Vagliano Trophy team can rest assured that all the Festival scores will be brought to the attention of the Ladies Golf Union's international selection committee.
Here's how the entries are shaping for the 2009 Hacienda del Alamo February Festival

MURCIA LADIES OPEN
Two rounds stroke-play
Thursday-Friday, February 12-13
Amateur entries
Mary McKenna (Donabate)
Patricia Morris (Donabate)
Fionnuala Forde (Donabate)

ST VALENTINE'S DAY PRO-AM
One round: Lady pro with three amateurs (male or female)
Saturday, February 14
Amateur teams:
Mary McKenna, Patricia Morris & Fionnuala Forde (all Donabate).
Mary MacLaren, Meghan MacLaren & Rebecca Gee (all Wellingborough).

COSTA CALIDA PAIRS
One round: First nine holes greensomes; Second nine holes better-ball.
Any combination of lady pros, female & male amateurs.
Sunday, February 15
Amateur pairings:
Mary & David MacLaren.
Meghan MacLaren & Rebecca Gee.

HACIENDA DEL ALAMO LADIES OPEN
Two rounds stroke-play
Monday-Tuesday, February 16-17.
Amateur entries:
Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa).
Mary MacLaren
Meghan MacLaren
Rebecca Gee

+Take advantage of the cheaper midweek flights to Spain by booking now. The prices will have risen if you leave it until January (January 15 is the deadline for entries, by the way).
+To find out details of how much it will cost you to rent accommodation at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort (the more who share, the cheaper it gets per head), here are some E-mail and website addresses:
info@stvmanagement.com
info@resortmanagementhda.com
info@home-kare.co.uk

http://www.hdagolfproperties.com/
http://www.spaingolfrentals.com/
http://www.clubmurcia.com/

+Entry forms for the Hacienda del Alamo February Festival can be downloaded by clicking on the words at the top of the left-hand column on the Home Page of this website.