Scotland’s most talented young female golfers have been honing their skills on Gleneagles’ three championship courses, in preparation for the European Amateur Team Championship in Norway next month.

Working in partnership with Scottish Golf, Gleneagles hosted the six-strong Scottish Girls’ squad on a special training camp – giving the players access to optimum practice conditions and facilities before they compete at the Oslo Golf Club from 5 – 9 July.

With the team line-up announced last week, the players – Jasmine Mackintosh, Hazel MacGarvie, Kirsty Brodie, Jillian Farrell, Louise Duncan and Joanne Free – arrived at Gleneagles on 14 June to spend three days refining their game at Scotland’s PGA National Academy.

Andrew Jowett, Head Professional Golfer at Gleneagles said: “The Academy is one of the foremost practice facilities in Scotland and the perfect base for these young golfers to refine all the different aspects of their game.

“They’ve been utilising the putting greens to work on speed control, technique, and green reading; using the short game area to improve pitching and bunker play; perfecting technique in the long game area; and taking advantage of the tournament-spec grass tee for more realistic on-course style lies.

"Playing on all three courses is providing the squad with a range of challenges. The King’s, The Queen’s and The PGA Centenary have tested the skills of the world’s most experienced golfers and will give the girls the chance to perfect the different types of shots they’ll be facing on Norway’s oldest course in July.”

David Patrick, Scottish Golf Girls’ National Coach said: “As the host venue of the 2014 Ryder Cup and the 2019 Solheim Cup, Gleneagles ticks all the boxes and offers some of the best golfing facilities in the UK – so this is a fantastic opportunity for the girls to come and take their game up a level.

“The course in Norway has quite a bit of undulation and really fast, sloping greens, so there’s no better location than Gleneagles to match those kinds of conditions.

“Getting to play on three world-class courses in the space of three days is also giving the girls tremendous experience and exposure to different challenges.

“As a governing body, it’s really important to Scottish Golf that these young girls have all the support they need to help them fulfil their potential and succeed as golfers – and that’s what this experience is all about.”

One of the young golfers, Troon Ladies’ Hazel MacGarvie (16) first picked up a club when she was three and is a pupil at Marr College.

She said: “I’ve just finished my Highers and getting back into my golf after an intense study period.

“School work is my priority, so golf had to take a back seat during April and May, but now exams are out of the way I’m getting back in the swing and playing a lot more golf.

“The Gleneagles facilities are absolutely amazing and the greens are the best I’ve played on in a long time. My game’s in good shape but this experience will give me the time I need to work on my putting, to bring that up to speed with everything else.”

Fellow team member Jillian Farrell (16), a Dumbarton Academy pupil and a member of Cardross Golf Club, has ambitions to play college golf in America before turning professional.

She said: “it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to train here as a team – we all get on so well and are a great source of motivation for each other.

“The facilities at Gleneagles are superb and present a fantastic opportunity to help us prepare us for the Europeans.”