The Swiss Junior National Team isn’t used to being able to break out their shorts and short sleeves this time of year.
Central Switzerland is beloved by many. The country is well known as one of most scenic areas in all of Europe but it’s treacherous winters don’t exactly supply the ideal environment for training the Swiss’ elite junior golfers.
With an average temperature of 35 degrees in Central Switzerland during this time of year, it comes as no surprise that the elite squad of the Switzerland National Junior Team made their way to sunny Orlando, FL to spend a month of training at Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy and Mission Inn Resort & Club.
“We are loving it here” Campos said. “Especially the obvious things like the weather and the perfect organization. The GGGA team is always making sure the kids have everything they need from drinks, tees, and balls. It’s the whole atmosphere. We feel comfortable here.”
Marc Campos is the head coach of the elite team, which recently restructured its coach and player development process. Under the new setup, Campos will coach his group of players from amateur to the Olympic level to their professional careers. Campos’ coed squad consists of 19 dedicated golfers ranging from Boys U11 to Amateurs U21 whom are all aiming to attend a US college.
“The reason why I like everything about the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy is all of these players will be going to a US college,” Campos said. “That’s the aim with our students. And also I must confess, I’d love a partnership with GGGA because this way we will get them there.”
Campos and his elite squad have been making the most of their month long stay at GGGA with their structured training program, focusing on what Campos calls “transferring.”
“Our goal is to coach the players on transferring what they learn on the driving range into course play,” Campos said. “We want them to train what they are going to play so that they play what they’ve trained”.
The team’s main focus while visiting Orlando, is getting playing time in. They are not able to practice in Switzerland due to weather, so this practice time is crucial to helping them stay ahead of the competition. They’ve not only been getting driving range time in, but also course play. Mission Inn offers them two championship golf courses, and they have also been visiting Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club a couple days a week.
Aside from their elite training program, their downtime is spent relaxing by the pool and visiting Universal Studios and the Premier Outlets.
