Amber Ratcliffe and Billy Sim, director of golf at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort, pictured at one of the prizegiving presentations at last year's February Festival.

It's Green for Go for Amber (13) as she

bids to make 2009 another season of improvement

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Festival Organiser

Norfolk lass Amber Ratcliffe, who did not have her 13th birthday until October, brought her handicap down by something like 12 strokes during the 2008 season - and her dad Byron says that her participation in the inaugural Hacienda del Alamo February Festival had much to do with that commendable improvement.

"Since we saw you in February, Amber has improved her handicap from 18.3 to 6.7 and is now training with the England Midland Super Birdie Squad," says Byron in an E-mail note.

"So I would like to enter my daughter into the HDA Festival again as she enjoyed and learned so much from it last year.

"I would like to thank you too the effort you put in to organise what I feel is the perfect pre-season warm-up and which helped Amber to enjoy a great season's golf."

Amber, a member of Royal Cromer Golf Club, has entered both the Under-16 girls' stroke-play events and her brother Ryan (age 16, handicap 4.9) will partner her in the Costa Calida Pairs on the Sunday.

One of the reasons Billy Sim, the Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort director of golf, and I brought the Festival into being was to give youngsters such as Amber the opportunity to practise and play competitively at a time of the year when neither was possible at home.

So it warms the cockles of our hearts to hear that Amber went on to have a great 2008 season after coming to the first Festival. At the rate she is improving, she will probably be playing off scratch at this time next year.

Entries from lady professionals are very slow in coming forward. Apparently, some possible entrants are waiting to see how they fare at the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School over the next two weeks at La Manga (which is not all that far away from Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort).

One or two have asked me what will be the level of prize money available for the lady pros at the Festival?

My answer is: That depends solely on how many lady pros enter. I would like the first cash prize in each of the four Festival events to be at least 1,000 Euros, scaled down to fourth or fifth place (first prize in the Roehampton Gold Cup is £1,000).

But, for that, we need an entry of at least 20 lady pros per event and we are lagging some way short of that requirement. If we did get say entries from 40 lady professionals, then we would be in a position to aim for first cash prizes of at least 2,000 Euros.

So it is up to the lady professionals themselves. The more who enter, the more money they will have to play for in their prizefunds.

I should add that the Festival was never designed to develop into an extension of the Ladies European Tour in prizemoney but it does offer lady pros and amateurs alike the opportunity to combine sustained practice at excellent facilities with competitive play over testing Dave Thomas-designed course in the month of February.

To the best of our knowledge, it is the ONLY women's golf festival in Europe at that time of the year.

+The Hacienda del Alamo February Festival is a non-profitmaking enterprise supported by Glenmuir, Stewart Spence (owner of The Marcliffe Spa & Hotel, Aberdeen), Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort, John Green (Hacienda Golf Properties) and an oil company who prefer to remain nameless.

FESTIVAL ENTRIES SO FAR
MURCIA LADIES OPEN
Two rounds stroke-play
Thursday-Friday, February 12-13

Professional entries

Jacqueline Pecoitz (Argentina)

Lien Willems (Belgium)

Amateur entries
Mary McKenna (Donabate) Senior
Patricia Morris (Donabate) Senior

Pamela Morgan (La Cala) Senior
Fionnuala Forde (Donabate)
Margo Habets (Rinkven, Belgium)
Caroline Harper (Limburg, Belgium)
Natalia Zvezdina (Rinkven, Belgium)
Sandra Hendrickx (Rinkven, Belgium)
Louise Church (Hendon)
Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park)
Shula McCarthy (Clonmel)
Michele McCarthy (Clonmel).

MURCIA UNDER-16 GIRLS’ OPEN

Two rounds stroke-play

Thursday-Friday, February 12-13.
Gemma McCarthy (Clonmel). Age 11.
Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer). Age 13.

ST VALENTINE'S DAY PRO-AM
One round: Lady pro with three amateurs (male or female)
Saturday, February 14

Professional entries

Lien Willems (Belgium)

Jacqueline Pecoitz (Argentina)

Amateur teams:
Mary McKenna (4), Patricia Morris (11) & Fionnuala Forde (12) (all Donabate).
Mary MacLaren (4), Meghan MacLaren (4) & Rebecca Gee (4) (all Wellingborough).
Margo Habets (7), Caroline Harper (15) & Natalia Zvezdina (20) or Sandra Henrickx (20)) + pro Lien Willems (Belgium).

Natalia Zvezdina (20) or Sandra Henrickx (20) + two other amateurs.

Pamela Morgan (10) & Brian Harrold (10) (both La Cala) + one other amateur

Shula McCarthy (19), Gemma McCarthy (20), Michelle McCarthy (8) (all Clonmel).
Amateur individuals:
Louise Church (Hendon) (9).

Charlotte Humphries (Burnham & Berrow) (17)

Amy Boulden (Llandudno Maesdhu) (1.5) (to be confirmed).
Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) (2)

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
Professional entries

Jacqueline Pecoitz (Argentina)

Lien Willems (Belgium)

Amateur pairings:
Mary MacLaren (4) & David MacLaren.
Meghan MacLaren (4) & Rebecca Gee (4).
Holly Clyburn (+1) & India Clyburn (13).

Pamela Morgan (10) & Brian Harrold (10).

Charlotte Humphries (17) & Rob Humphries (6).

Charlotte Dalton (2) & Lisa Barton (to be confirmed).

Jessica Wilcox (Blankney) (2) & Robert Wilcox.
Amber Ratcliffe (7) & Ryan Ratcliffe (5).
Amateur individuals (need partner)

Louise Church (Hendon) (9)
Amy Boulden (1.5) (to be confirmed)

HACIENDA DEL ALAMO LADIES OPEN
Two rounds stroke-play
Monday-Tuesday, February 16-17.

Professional entries

Jacqueline Pecoitz (Argentina)

Lien Willems (Belgium).

Amateur entries:
Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa).
Mary MacLaren (4)
Rebecca Gee (4).
Louise Church (9)
Charlotte Dalton (2)
Jessica Wilcox (Blankney) (2)

HACIENDA DEL ALAMO UNDER-16 GIRLS’ OPEN

Two rounds stroke play

Monday-Tuesday, February 16-17

Charlotte Humphries Age 14.

India Clyburn Age 12.

Meghan MacLaren. Age 14.

Amy Boulden (Llandudno Maesdu). Age 15
Alice Hewison (Berkhamsted & Moor Park). Age 11
Amber Ratcliffe. Age 13.

HACIENDA DEL ALAMO GOLF RESORT
VILLA RENTAL ACCOMMODATION
John Green of Hacienda Golf Properties is the Festival's "preferred partner" for the rental of villas/accommodation at the five-star resort.
That means if you are going to the Hacienda del Alamo February Festival, you should do one of two things, or maybe both.
1 E-mail John Green at mailto:minfo@hdagolfproperties.com to find out what he can offer you and at what price.
2 Log on to John Green's website - http://www.hdagolfproperties.com/ - and see for yourself what he has to offer.