The England Golf Partnership (EGP) is inviting nominations for its annual awards which recognise, celebrate and reward outstanding volunteers in golf.
The closing date for nominations is 14 December 2012 and the easy-to-follow nomination form is found at www.golfvolunteers.org The awards will be presented at the County Golf Development Conference in February 2013.
There are seven different Volunteer of the Year Award categories which take in age groups, including Under 18, volunteer coaching, those involved in club and county development, and lifetime achievers.
The winners will come from the growing network of golf volunteers, whose passion inspires others to take up and enjoy the sport. They contribute within golf clubs, schools, county golf partnerships, training schemes and many other programmes.
Past winners include Jim Pocknell of Kent (pictured), who went on to represent golf in the Olympic Torch relay; June Poffley of Wiltshire who has since become the first woman to be captain of her club, North Wilts; Joy Hunter of Yorkshire, who has been responsible for the project to review the women’s scratch scores of about 2000 English golf courses; and Guy Carr of Durham, who helped raise the profile of his club, South Moor, by securing the 2011 McGregor Trophy, an international championship for U16 boys.
Phillip Beard, Volunteer Manager for the England Golf Partnership, said: “We have so many wonderful volunteers and we want to encourage nominations so those who deserve special praise can be considered for an award.”
“Our volunteers give up their time to help new and existing players of all ages to get the most out of their golf. This helps to make the sport as a whole more welcoming and also really helps those in our clubs, including PGA professionals, to encourage the whole membership to reach its potential, including new members.”
The England Golf Partnership brings together the amateur governing body, England Golf, and the PGA to grow the game with the support of Sport England and the Golf Foundation.
As part of its Whole Sport Plan the EGP has expanded its volunteer base through a dedicated national strategy. Traditional club volunteers have now been joined by many young leaders, as well as volunteer coaches, PGA professionals who combine volunteer work with their regular coaching, schoolteachers and community sports representatives who all gain satisfaction from helping golfers of all abilities to play golf in clubs and communities.
England Golf Partnership www.englandgolfpartnership.com