The Golf Foundation has received a number of “outstanding nominations” for this summer’s Presidents’ Awards to be presented during the BMW PGA Championship in May.
With a closing date of 23rd February, the national golf charity is urging supporters to act soon if they would like to nominate exceptional individuals or projects for one of 10 prestigious awards on offer.
Every year the Golf Foundation Presidents’ Awards celebrate the excellent volunteers, coaches and organisations who encourage more young people to ‘Start, Learn and Stay’ in the sport.
The Presidents’ Awards will be staged at Wentworth on Pro-Am Wednesday (23rd May) of the BMW PGA Championship. Held courtesy of one of the Foundation’s chief supporters, the European Tour, this is always a glittering occasion. Volunteers, PGA professionals, teachers, sports development workers, administrators, sport partnerships and local authorities are among those who can be nominated for the awards which are shared out between group projects and individuals.
The Golf Foundation is in a unique position to recognise those who deserve special acclaim for helping youngsters from all backgrounds and circumstances to enjoy the benefits of golf, including learning ‘Skills for Life’; people who happily give their time to support the charity’s national HSBC Golf Roots programme which is providing an ever-more successful player pathway from school to regular club golf.
The most prestigious honour is the ‘Sir Henry Cotton Award’ which is for outstanding service in the development of young golfers over a sustained period of time. Meanwhile, for the 2018 event, the Mackenzie Award will change slightly to help provide a sharper focus for the Foundation’s Skills for Life message that golf can assist in the positive progress of young people in our clubs and in their wider lives. Following the 2017 season that saw approaching 300 golf clubs sign up for a new Skills for Life campaign, this should be a popular addition to the awards schedule.
Stephen Lewis, Chairman of the Golf Foundation, said: “In recent years the Presidents’ Awards have become a celebrated date in the diary for many of the most influential people in golf, not least those most important influencers, the volunteers, coaches, club staff and project leaders, whose passion is crucial to the success of the Golf Foundation’s work in making the game accessible and enjoyable for the next generation.
“We are delighted to have received some outstanding nominations so far for this year’s Awards but there is still plenty of time for supporters to surprise worthy candidates and put them on the stage at Wentworth in front of a packed VIP audience. Our award winners always love this unique occasion and being recognised for their great work in encouraging young people.”
The closing date for nominations is 23rd February, 2018, and anyone can take part in this process. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the ‘Presidents’ Awards’ page on www.golf-foundation.org