The Foremost & Golf Monthly Awards, held at Harrogate’s Majestic Hotel on October 9th, has quickly become the highlight of Trade Show week in the UK.
A hotbed of industry activity and a celebration for the buying group and their successful members, the Awards were again attended by some of the UK golf industry’s most influential people.
The dinner was hosted by BBC sports commentator, Andrew Cotter, and also featured an entertaining routine from veteran British actor, comedian and impressionist, Bobby Davro.
Tim Hall (pictured above with Andy Martin) from the Ross-on-Wye Golf Club in Herefordshire scooped the top award for members, the Foremost Professional of the Year for 2013.
Company Director Andy Martin acclaimed Hall’s overall approach to his role, commenting: “Tim ticks all the boxes when looking for a modern green-grass professional. He fully engages with his club, his membership and his local community and he teaches at 15 primary schools and three secondary schools.
“His Ross-on-Wye shop provides a high quality retail proposition for its members and is professionally ticketed and laid out. “Our Pro of the Year keeps all his customers fully up to date through his digital EMP newsletter and website and also extensively through social media including Facebook, Twitter and his YouTube channel.”
Other recipients of Foremost’s members’ awards were Gareth Jones, who is in his first year as professional at Sandiway Golf Club, Cheshire, and received the award as Breakthrough Professional of the Year; Simon Harrison, from Lilley Brook Golf Club, near Cheltenham, who was named as the group’s Elite Marketing Professional of the Year; and David Wood, from Orsett Golf Club, Essex, who was confirmed as Foremost Champion Golfer of the Year after winning this year’s Foremost Golf Championship at the McDonald Portal Golf Club.
There was also a special citation for Tim Rouse, the professional at Northamptonshire County Golf Club, who received the 2013 Foremost Outstanding Service Award in recognition of the vast amount of work he has done, both for golf and his industry colleagues, since joining the PGA in 1975.
The Golf Industry Awards Dinner was also the occasion when the winners of both the Foremost Supplier Awards, voted for by Foremost members across GB & I, and the Foremost and Golf Monthly Consumer Awards were announced.
PING claimed the Supplier of the Year Award for the fifth consecutive year, and completed a successful year by picking up awards for Wood of the Year (PING G25) and Iron of the Year (PING G25).
Titleist/FootJoy and Motocaddy were also multiple winners with the former claiming BestApparelRange of the Year, Shoe Model of the Year (FootJoy Contour Series) and Ball Model of the Year (Titleist Pro V1) and the latter receiving the prize for both Trolley of the Year (Motocaddy S3 Pro) and Most Innovative Product (Motcaddy M1 Pro). Cleveland received the award for Best Wedge of the Year (Cleveland 588 RTX), Odyssey lifted the prize for Putter Model of the Year (Odyssey Versa) while Sunderland was the winner of the award for Waterproof Model of the Year (Dolphin Collection).
The Dinner started with the Foremost and Golf Monthly Consumer Awards, voted for by readers of Golf Monthly magazine.
There were three awards in this category with the first going to young English Solheim Cup player, Charley Hull, who won the Breakthrough Performance of the Year category ahead of Sweden’s Jonas Blixt, America’s Peter Uihlein and Englishmen, Eddie Pepperell and Andy Sullivan. Justin Rose won Shot of the Year, thanks to his majestic 4-iron to the back of the green on the 72nd hole of this year’s US Open, while Open champion, Phil Mickelson, received the Golfer of the Year award, ahead of Rose, Adam Scott, Inbee Park and Henrik Stenson.