Dear Students , Parents , Partners and Friends of Bishops Gate Golf Academy ,
This year got off to a very busy start with students returning in mid-January , and overlapping for a week or two with our Winter Camp guests , who come to enjoy our great year-round weather and wonderful facilities . At our peak , we had our students plus more than 75 players and their coaches from the national golf programs of Germany , Austria and Denmark . With over 150 outstanding junior golfers on our campus , it was a very exciting time , with a tremendous buzz and energy .
We are flattered that the national teams choose our facilities over any other in the world , because of how perfectly the combination of accommodation and golf training options work for them . The national programs bring their own coaching staff and therefore do not impact the high-level golf training program of our students . We had hosted the Scottish national team in early December and we look forward to the arrival of the Finnish national team and a Swiss Canton team in February , before a few US College teams come down for Spring training in March .
We added new students this Spring semester , which we are able to absorb into our coaching program and housing facilities . New housing parents have been added who have settled in well and have been well received by our students .
The usual start of semester golf and fitness assessments have been completed , and the Spring tournament season kicks off for some students in the IJGT at Oldfield , Bluffton , South Carolina . For the leading boys and girls in the IJGT Race to Scotland , there is a lot to play for over the next five weeks , as the top six will get the reward of a trip to Scotland during Spring break in early March , playing championship links courses and ending with golf at St . Andrew ’ s .
We do have a couple of exceptional successes to report , firstly with the amazing performance of Julian Perico from Peru , who was the youngest competitor in the Latin America Amateur Championship , who had a fast start in scoring a tournament record low 64 in the opening round and then finished tantalizingly one shot off the lead ! The other was our 2016 alumni Marcos Montenegro who also had a wonderful performance in the South American Amateur Championship , leading after two rounds and ending in fifth place . We are immensely proud of them and they inspire our students .
The other start of semester program was our PATH character and leadership event , which we hosted at the wonderful five star Bella Collina Golf Club , and was themed “ Looking Inward , Acting Outward ”. Students considered their “ core values ”, which ended up written on golf balls in a jar that they keep in a prominent place , also considered their “ personality ” types , and ended with students deciding on what “ community programs ” they would like to engage in .
As you can see , we ’ re back into full swing with the various golf , education and character development programs that make us unique amongst golf academies and which we believe gives our students the very best experience and opportunity to succeed . This past fall we placed 20 of our post-graduates and seniors in college , and there is much excitement when they achieve a place at one of the top colleges of their dreams , which is what we endeavor to accomplish .
All of our committed and extraordinary staff wish you well for 2017 .
Sincerely , Andrew Summers , CEO