News

England’s top golf volunteers were recognised this week with awards for their inspiring work which encourages people to take up and enjoy the sport.

The 2012 Volunteer of the Year awards, made by the England Golf Partnership (EGP), were presented during the annual County Golf Development Conference dinner at the National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire (21-22 February, 2012).

Bedfordshire’s champion golf volunteers have been honoured for their work to grow the game in the county.

The Bedfordshire County Golf Partnership has presented Volunteer of the Year awards to: Cally Hawker and her husband, Nick, of Chalgrave Manor; Joyce Stradling of Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands; and Les Irving of Mount Pleasant.

The Surrey Golf Partnership has launched an exciting European Tour Legacy project to recruit young volunteers to work during the week of the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club from May 21-27.

The Kent Open Legacy project, which helped introduce thousands of people to golf, has won the inaugural Golf Development Award from the PGAs of Europe.

The award is designed to recognise a project which has excelled in developing the game and was presented at a glittering dinner in the Algarve at the end of the PGAs of Europe’s annual week of highlights.

The Suffolk Golf Partnership – which grows the game in the county – has recognised top volunteers at an awards ceremony.

The winners of the latest volunteer of the year awards were Sarah Howe of Ipswich, Ian Woodhead of Newton Green, Linda Macfarlane of Haverhill and David Houston of Felixstowe Ferry Golf Clubs. Stowmarket Golf Club won GolfMark club of the year award.

Over the summer months, County Golf Partnerships (CGPs) throughout England have been working hard to provide a range of taster sessions and structured coaching opportunities enabling 36,083 participants to ‘Get into Golf’, the highest number of participants within a six-month period since the start of the Whole Sport Plan in 2009.

The England Golf Partnership’s (EGP) National Youth Panel is looking for new volunteer members from all backgrounds and communities to help shape the future development of the sport in England.

The EGP is looking to recruit 12 young people under 25 (on 01 January of the current year) to join the Youth Panel. Applicants can include those with limited or no experience of golf.