Ian Bonser, owner of the national award-winning 3 Hammers Golf Complex was presented with the Lifetime Service Award sponsored by The Telegraph at the recent England Golf Awards in London. The award, which is one of the greatest accolades in the golf industry, not only recognises his 30+ year career, but most significantly acknowledges the personal contribution he has made to the sport and the local community.
The England Golf Awards are the national governing body’s annual celebration of the heroes of the game. The awards dinner, hosted by BBC presenter Dan Walker, took place at the Royal Lancaster London on Thursday, 21st March where Ian was presented with this illustrious award.
Ian commented, “This is a fabulous day for me personally, but also for everyone who has worked with me at 3 Hammers. I have made it my life’s work to make golf fun, affordable and friendly and I am incredibly proud that England Golf has recognised the success we have had in achieving those objectives on a day to day basis.”
“Ian is a pioneer. He is passionate about golf and has made an incredible impact at a local and national level, which is why we are delighted to present him with our Lifetime Service Award,” commented Nick Pink, CEO of England Golf. “The work 3 Hammers does in the local community makes a huge difference to people’s lives and Ian is an inspiration to those around him as well as the wider golf industry.”
The 3 Hammers Golf Complex is made up of a Sir Henry Cotton designed 18 hole short course, a state of the art Driving Range fitted with Toptracer®, an indoor Golf Performance Studio, a unique Learn to Play Zone plus a bistro and 4000sq ft golf shop. The facility delivers golf to around 3,500 youngsters in schools and community groups and welcomes over 200,000 people through the doors each year, factors which hugely impressed the judging panel. Particular praise was been made to Ian’s commitment to making golf affordable for all.
Ian concluded, “This is a real honour, but although this is a Lifetime Service Award there are still so many things that I want to do at 3 Hammers. My team and I will always be looking for ways to improve so that we can offer the very best golf experience for people of all ages. Golf is a fantastic sport, which I have played since I was 11 years old, which is why I am so intent on giving as many people as possible the chance to play and experience the wonderful world of golf.”
Pictured top: (from left) Dan Walker, Ian Bonser, Adam Sill Head of Sport at The Telgraph
3 Hammers www.3hammers.co.uk