TGI Golf partners and suppliers from across the UK & Ireland came together at The Belfry earlier this week for the TGI Golf Awards, which honour TGI Partners and Suppliers who excelled in 2024.
PING were in seventh heaven as the brand claimed a seventh straight Supplier of the Year award, as well as walking away with the Hardware Supplier of the Year gong.
Lisa Lovatt, PING Managing Director, said: “We are so proud to stand here and collect this award again. We do not take it for granted, we will continue to be the very best version of ourselves, we won’t always get it right, but what you can be sure of is that our attention will always be to do the right thing and to support those that support us.
“We would like to thank the TGI team for all their support and the support from the Partners – it’s you guys out there every day representing the PING brand and doing the very best you can for our brand, which means a huge amount to us.”
All the supplier awards are voted for by TGI Golf Partners and FootJoy were crowned Apparel Supplier of the Year for the third time in five years, while TaylorMade’s Qi10 Range was named Product of the Year.
In a change to the format for the partner awards, each of TGI Golf’s Retail Consultants nominated regional winners and there was an Associate Partner of the Year award to honour those proprietary owned venues within the partnership.
Bernard Quigley of Naas Golf Club was named Irish Partner of the Year, while Scott Clark from Petersfield Golf Club was the Scottish Partner of the Year.
In England, Ian Benson was crowned South Region Partner of the Year, with Andrew Pickering from Penrith Golf Hub taking the award for North Region Partner of the Year.
The team at Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, near Edinburgh, was crowned Associate Partner of the Year.
The final award of the night was the Ian Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to the person who has given years of dedicated service to their profession and to the TGI group.
This year’s recipient was Jon Earl of Ifield Golf Club in West Sussex, who has been a TGI Partner for 20 years and is one of the most supportive and respected TGI Golf Partners and PGA Professionals in the industry.
Following the ceremony, guests were entertained by world renowned comedian Conor Moore, who showed off his skills with impressions of Tiger Woods, Ian Poulter, Roy Keane and President Trump.
Adele McLean, TGI Golf Managing Director, said: “Congratulations to all our winners, both Partners and Suppliers. The TGI Golf Awards has become the industry event of the year, bringing together the leading PGA Professionals from the UK & Ireland with the leading figures of golf’s biggest brands.”
TGI Golf Business Conference – ‘best yet’
In addition to the TGI Golf Awards, The Belfry also played host to the annual two-day TGI Golf Business Conference, with many Partners describing it as ‘the best yet’.
The event, which is free for TGI Partners to attend, helps them enhance their business skills and technical knowledge through speaker-led seminars.
As well as educational seminars there was a brand showcase attended by 60 of TGI’s Partner Suppliers, which is the only opportunity to retailers and suppliers to come together in the absence of a UK-based trade show.
Over the two days educational seminars were hosted by Mike Lea and Paul Williams from Trackman, who covered growth and trends in off-course golf; Jason McNiven of Club Champion on enhancing Partners’ Custom Fit business; and TGI’s four Retail Consultants – Chris Taylor, Simon Keeling, Peter Smyth and Ricky Gray.
On day two John Bushell of Sporting Insights gave an encouraging view of the trends in golf participation in recent years, while Phil Barnard and Mark Hopkins from XPOS covered market statistics from 2024.
Gary Ennis of NS Design shared his expertise on the ever-changing world of social media as well as emerging presence of AI and how this can help create engaging marketing content.
Henni Zuel, Rapsodo ambassador and Sky Sports Golf presenter, chatted about experiences from her presenting career, including working with Tiger Woods, and Steve Gould shared his knowledge of using technology as an aid to coaching and how this can complement even the most experienced coach.
Adele McLean, Managing Director said: “The positivity on show from both Partners and Partner Suppliers has been incredible, it gives everyone a solid boost ahead of the new season. The feedback we have received fabout the educational seminars has been absolutely phenomenal and we are truly touched by the thank you notes and well wishes we have received.”
For more information, visit tgigolf.com