FINALISTS
Congratulations to the England Golf Awards 2023 finalists. We are looking forward to celebrating with you and revealing the winners on the evening of 2 March at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate.
In keeping with tradition, there is no shortlist for the Lifetime Service Award which will be presented to one worthy recipient on the night.
CLUB OF THE YEAR
Brailsford Golf Course
This community-centred club are introducing primary school children to golf and setting up a brand-new youth team. Open days are organised for existing members to volunteer to show visitors around the course and grow the membership. Biodiversity is key to the club’s future with bamboo tees, bird boxes and bug hotels playing a crucial role in their sustainability project.
Letchworth Golf Club
Progressive and forward-thinking, the club offers monthly gender neutral, mixed, and single sex competitions to cater for members’ demands. They work alongside the Jewish Golf Initiative to introduce local people to the game. The club's Mike Amos Golf Foundation raise sufficient funds each year to support juniors right through from our pilot scholarship program into elite golf. The club also have strong links to work with Variety Golf to raise funds for a local Special Educational Needs school to purchase a new minibus .
Lancaster Golf Club
Home to a thriving women’s section with over 150 members, the club has also formed a new committee to represent their junior section. Enjoyed a membership retention rate of 93% in 2022 and implemented a complete club rebrand. Recently, the club partnered with the Lancaster and District Chamber of Commerce to increase their growing and modernising profile.
Seckford Golf Club
Membership has grown from 400 to over 1,000 in just three years and participation in the club’s junior programme is up by 60%. The female section continues to grow at an impressive rate while a third of the non-executive directors are female. New solar panels are being installed to help the club move to a sustainable future.
Bedfordshire
Unification has brought many benefits to the county including the inception of a dedicated girls’ academy, attracting young females to take up the game and potentially go on to become county players. Gender equality is vital with a minimum 30% representation of either gender on the county board.
Hampshire Ladies Golf
First organisation in the county to become a Women in Golf Charter signatory and driving a positive future for women’s golf in Hampshire. Home to over 5,500 female golfers, they support clubs to run Girls Golf Rocks and Women on Par events and invest in their Junior Talent Pathway to help female players of the future.
Yorkshire Ladies Association
Introduced grant schemes to enable clubs to have financial support for initiatives which encourage new players and regularly hold feedback sessions to improve their offering. Organise competitive matches for golfers of all ages and work with the YUGC to support all clubs and members. Area representatives hold briefings at clubs in their areas to gain knowledge of local needs.
COUNTY OF THE YEAR
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHAMPION
Bring It On Brum! Holiday, Activity and Food Programme
319 youngsters aged between four and 15 experienced golf through the programme, 70% of which were from an ethnically diverse background. At the end of an entertaining and engaging programme, 63% of the young people said they would like to play more golf in the future.
Get Glowing Golf
A programme introduced to enthuse more girls into golf, UV lighting and glowsticks are included to make a fun and creative golf session. This project inspired youngsters, particularly girls, within North Lincolnshire to try golf in an innovative way and 73% of the youngsters said they thoroughly enjoyed the activity.
Brent Valley Golf Academy
Launched their ‘Parakeets’ project and to date have recruited 36 children and engaged 10 volunteers in the programme. Eleven of the first group became club members and five obtained official handicaps. The Academy aims to overcome entry barriers, bring through new talent and seed a love of golf for years to come.
Muslim Golf Association
The Muslim Golf Association have done ground-breaking work to ensure Muslim women have a smooth entry to golf and, in summer 2022, launched its Women's Taster series which saw over 1,200 Muslim women register and show interest in taking up the game. The demand for more female, male and junior sessions with the Muslim Golf Association is at an all-time high.
Aaron Lansberry
Aaron coaches over 200 juniors every week and has created over 350 videos to entertain and engage young players. His innovative and creative ways of promoting golf to youngsters is changing the face of the game in the county and his recently developed junior pathway is helping hundreds of junior golfers move forwards in the game.
Amy Taylor
Amy’s Hotshots Academy now has over 80 members with packages tailored to encourage and engage young golfers and secured an indoor venue to ensure participation would stay stroke in the winter. She also provides taster sessions and follow-up courses for females wanting to take up the game in Leicestershire.
Kevin Flynn
County coach for Hampshire’s men’s, boys’ and girls’ squads, Kevin provides a supportive environment which allows players of all abilities to flourish. A well-respected coach across the county circuit, he has initiated his own fitness programme which allows players to perform to their best both on and off the course.
Mike Dodd
A professional coach of over 40 years, Mike’s dedication and commitment to the game is unrivalled. He has helped players such as Georgia Hall progress in the game and continues to inspire youngsters of all abilities to get involved. A much-loved and well-known figure, Mike’s fun and creative coaching style keeps players encouraged and engaged.
PARTICIPATION AND DEVELOPMENT COACH OF THE YEAR
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Dylan Shaw-Radford
1st Scottish Boys, 1st Carris Trophy, member of European Boys Team (silver medal), 2nd Fairhaven Trophy, 1st Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters, member of HI winning teams, member of GBI Boys Team for Jacques Leglise Trophy.
England Women’s Team
European Ladies Team Champions 2022 (4th time in 6 Championships).
Lottie Woad
1st Sunningdale Foursomes, 1st British Girls, member of European Team Championship winning team, member of Men/Women’s HI winning team, 1 x college win in US, 1st Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters, 4th European Ladies Individual.
John Gough
Lytham Trophy, 1st Spanish Amateur, 2nd Scottish Open Stroke Play, semi final Amateur Championship, member of GBI St Andrewws Trophy winning team, member of HI winning team.
Bigbury Golf Club
Having embarked on a positive environmental campaign, the club has reduced its chemical consumption by 55% and aims to be self-sufficient on energy by 2025. Planted more than 900 new trees around the course and have recently put a ban on plastic tees at the club.
Mendip Golf Club
Home to 240 plant and 52 bird species, the club only uses LED lighting in the clubhouse and is installing solar panels at the driving range. A five-year environmental improvement plan is now underway and increased woodland management has now led to the return of hares and deer to the course.
The Drift Golf Club
Over 50% of the club’s energy supply has been created by solar panels and a reservoir built behind the driving range now provides 9000m³ of additional water storage. As an environmentally conscious facility, the club is leading the way with electric vehicle charging points and LED lighting installed throughout.
Woburn Golf Club
A staff member is dedicated to embedding sustainability into the club’s operation and their industry-leading approach is inspirational. Single use water bottles have been removed, a purpose-built reservoir has been installed and irrigation systems have been updated to ensure the environment is at the forefront of the club’s performance.
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR
TOURNAMENT VENUE OF THE YEAR
Saunton Golf Club
Hosted the Brabazon Trophy and provided a welcoming experience to the international players as well as presenting a course in outstanding condition.
Silloth on Solway Golf Club
Hosted numerous championships for England Golf and last year’s Carris Trophy. Excellent golf course prepared by an enthusiastic greenkeeping team.
Lincoln Golf Club
Hosted the Reid Trophy and the club fully embraced the hosting of the championship providing many volunteers. Attracted local media attention as host of such a prestigious tournament.
Sherwood Forest Golf Club
Another long-standing supporter and host of the McGregor Trophy. The course was presented superbly despite the summer drought conditions, providing an excellent test for the international field.
Carole Todd (Ashton and Lea GC)
Showing leadership and determination to set it up, Carole’s ‘get ladies into golf’ programme is thriving and is allowing new female players to enjoy the game and make new friendships. She has also established a team of 20 volunteers to allow players of all abilities to feel welcomed and supported.
Roger Stamp (Longridge GC)
A long-time member of Longridge, Roger’s passion for the club has seen him ensure it has progressed in multiple ways. He was responsible for the club becoming SafeGolf accredited, running Girls Golf Rocks sessions and secured funding from the Golf Foundation to support their junior programme.
Ruth Goodwin (Yorkshire LCGA)
Ruth dealt with over 2,000 queries last year and has been involved with rules, refereeing and WHS for over 13 years. A great team player within the Yorkshire County executive, she is always willing to contribute to discussion and problem solving and willing to give time to support her colleagues.
Sonia McCarthy & Kirsty Joly (Sandown Park Golf Centre)
New to the game themselves at the start of 2022, Sonia and Kirsty have grown the club’s female participation numbers from two to over 100. Their warmth and friendship have created an environment where female players can thrive and they have integrated superbly alongside the club’s well-respected and supportive men’s membership.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
YOUNG VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Abi Frodsham (Wallasey GC)
Innovative and approachable, Abi organises Girls Golf Rocks sessions at Wallasey and works within the Wirral Golf Academy. Through social media she promotes development of the game and a positive image of females in golf and is helping change the perception of the game in her local area.
Abigail Scott (Kenwick Park GC)
A previous winner of England Golf Hero’s Handshake award, Abigail is a junior ambassador at her club and her modest and humble approach to playing and coaching is inspiring her fellow youngsters. An impressive county player herself, Abigail is consistently challenging the stereotypes around females in golf.
Alexandra Bonfield (Fulford GC)
Alex has used a strong voice to push for nationwide change in the sport and this included proactively promoting tees being rated for all genders at her club. She supports the Golf Foundation Local Schools Programme in primary schools in York and has also acted as a leader on the Girls Leadership Panel.
Emily Horsted (Woodhall Spa GC)
Emily has given her time voluntarily on endless occasions, helping to coach juniors at Belton Park and supporting disabled youngsters from Little Miracles charity to try golf at Peterborough Milton. She always selflessly prioritises her volunteering and leadership over her own golf and is always trying to find ways to improve the game.
Anita Higginson
Involved in golf in Leicestershire for over 30 years, Anita is fantastically creative and her infectious positivity has inspired hundreds of female golfers in the county. She is involved in The Foxes Pathway Tour and GolfSixes league and is fully committed to helping girls enjoy the game and make new friendships.
Nicky Lawrenson, Founder of ‘Women in Golf & Business’
Founder of Women in Golf & Business, Nicky has already enjoyed over 20 years as a PGA Professional and now works tirelessly to empower women involved in the game. She is also passionate about supporting young girls on their golfing journey and coaches the Wiltshire Elite Girls squad.
Kelly Bridges
Kelly has worked hard to develop the Broadstone Ladies Academy and her relaxed coaching style makes learning golf a fun experience for all. She also heads up the junior academy coaching which has seen an increased numbers of young girls taking up lessons and the future of female golf at Broadstone is brighter because of Kelly’s endeavours.
Girl Guiding Project
Hertfordshire Golf has developed an exciting initiative by introducing a golf proficiency badge with Girlguiding Hertfordshire, the first county to do so. There are currently over 300 girls and 27 leaders involved in the programme and it uses golf to encourage fair play, creativity, health and exercise.