Golf, yoga and five-star Spain: why we created Par & Pamper

There is a strange contradiction in golf.

We can spend hundreds of pounds on a new driver because it promises a few more yards, while largely ignoring the piece of equipment responsible for making every swing.

Our body.

That thought is part of what makes our Par & Pamper retreat at La Manga so interesting.

In April 2027, Hellen and I will be hosting a small group of women golfers at the Grand Hyatt La Manga Club in Spain.

There will be golf.

There will be coaching.

There will also be Golf Yoga, mobility work, spa time and, importantly, time to relax.

Because this is not a training camp.

It is a golf holiday designed around the idea that your golf and your body might benefit from being looked after at the same time.

Why La Manga?

There are certain names in European golf that require very little introduction, and La Manga is one of them.

Located in Murcia in south-east Spain, La Manga Club has three 18-hole golf courses, giving golfers three genuinely different experiences within the same resort.

The South Course was originally designed by Robert Dean Putman in 1971 and remodelled by Arnold Palmer in 2005. It has hosted Spanish Opens and PGA qualifying events and, from the back tees, stretches to around 6,500 metres.

The North Course is somewhat more accessible, with palm trees, lakes and natural gullies shaping the challenge, while the Dave Thomas-designed West Course moves through pine woodland with more pronounced changes in elevation.

For a coaching retreat, that variety is extremely useful.

Different courses expose different parts of your game.

A generous driving hole can tell us something about your full swing.

A tighter course asks more questions about strategy.

Changes in elevation test club selection.

And difficult approaches quickly tell us whether the short game is as reliable as we would like it to be.

What has yoga got to do with golf?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

I have spent more than 40 years coaching golfers, and one thing becomes increasingly obvious with experience.

A golf swing does not exist independently of the person making it.

Two golfers can understand exactly the same movement, yet one may physically find it straightforward while the other struggles.

Mobility matters.

Balance matters.

Rotation matters.

Stability matters.

And as golfers get older, maintaining the ability to move comfortably becomes increasingly important if we want to continue enjoying the game.

That is where Hellen's specialist Golf Yoga sessions complement the golf coaching.

This is not about asking golfers to become yoga experts.

It is about using golf-specific movement to help the body prepare for golf, move more comfortably and recover afterwards.

For many recreational golfers, that may prove rather more useful than another 50 balls on the range.

Why a women's retreat?

One of the things we wanted from Par & Pamper was to create an environment in which women could arrive on their own and immediately feel that they belonged.

Golf travel can sometimes appear to be built around established groups.

Four friends book together. Eight members of a club go away together. Everybody already knows everybody.

That works perfectly well if you already have the group.

But what if you do not?

Perhaps your partner does not play golf.

Perhaps your golfing friends cannot travel on those dates.

Or perhaps you simply like the idea of going somewhere new and meeting people.

Par & Pamper has been deliberately designed as a small women's group, with a maximum of 14 guests.

That gives us enough people to create a sociable retreat but keeps the group small enough for the coaching and movement sessions to remain personal.

Come with a friend if you want to.

Come on your own if you want to.

Either works.

Serious about golf without taking ourselves too seriously

That sentence probably sums up my philosophy rather well.

I am very serious about helping people play better golf.

But I do not think enjoying yourself and improving your game are opposites.

Quite the reverse.

A golfer who is relaxed, confident and enjoying the surroundings is often in a much better position to learn.

At La Manga, we have the advantage of everything being around us.

The Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa is a five-star hotel, with the golf, accommodation, restaurants and resort facilities all together.

So the rhythm of the retreat can be very different from an intensive coaching break.

Play golf.

Work on something useful.

Spend time with Hellen.

Relax.

Have dinner.

Have a laugh.

Then wake up the next day and do it all again.

That sounds considerably more appealing to me than standing on a range until your hands hurt.

Perhaps this is what a modern golf retreat should look like

Golf is changing.

The people who play it are changing.

And I think golf holidays can change too.

There will always be a place for the traditional trip where the principal objectives are 36 holes, a competitive fourball and a lively evening afterwards.

But there is room for something different as well.

Par & Pamper is our version of that.

Good golf in a world-class resort.

Professional coaching.

Golf-specific movement and mobility.

A small group.

Some sunshine.

Some spa time.

And enough space in the programme to remember that you are actually on holiday.

If you love your golf but think your body deserves a little attention too, we would be delighted to have you join us.

Par & Pamper Golf & Yoga Retreat

14 to 18 April 2027

Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa, Spain

A four-night women's golf and wellbeing retreat hosted by PGA Professional Simon Buckley and Golf Yoga specialist Hellen.

Discover Par & Pamper and reserve your place.