As the awards’ season begins to draw to its dramatic finale, with the forthcoming star-studded Oscar ceremony in LA, some of the world’s greatest golfing venues are themselves waiting to see if they too will be a winner … in the 2016 World of Leading Golf (WLG) awards.
WLG is an association representing many of the best-known and most highly regarded golf venues in almost 20 countries, and, for the first time, it is to hand out six of its own awards, recognising the very best of the best.
Last year, WLG’s chief executive Claus Feldt, handed out two ‘gongs’: ‘Leading Champion’, which went to Golf Son Gual, in Mallorca; and ‘best newcomer’, which was secured by Costa Navarino, in Greece.
For 2016, however, WLG has six awards to make, with the presentations taking place on 29th February, at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, in England, during 59club’s service excellence awards’ evening.
The six categories are ‘best member’ – for which last year’s winner Golf Son Gual is once again nominated; ‘best overall impression’; ‘best newcomer’; ‘best course condition’; ‘most outstanding service’ and ‘best welcome’.
Son Gual is competing for the ultimate crown with Aloha GC, Marbella; last year’s best newcomer Costa Navarino; Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, Portugal; and England’s Stoke Park Country Club, Spa & Hotel.
This year’s ‘best newcomer’ will be chosen from a short list which features Aloha GC; Le Golf National Paris; Real Club de Golf Las Brisas, in Spain; Roehampton Club, in London; and Stoke Park.
The two five-AA Red Star Stoke Park receives its third nomination in the ‘best service’ category, where it faces stiff competition from Club de Golf Alcanada, in Mallorca; Costa Navarino; Monte Rei; and the Roehampton Club.
Roehampton Club, Costa Navarino, Monte Rei and Son Gual, are joined by Hardenberg Golf Resort, in Germany, for the ‘best welcome’, while Roehampton Club, Son Gual, Le Golf National Paris and Monte Rei, face competition from Sueno Golf Pines Course, in Belek, Turkey, for the award for ‘best course condition’.
Italy’s Royal Park I Roveri receives a nomination for ‘best overall impression’, where it finds itself up against some familiar names: Aloha, Costa Navarino, Le Golf National Paris and Monte Rei.
Feldt, who will once again be on hand to present the awards, said: “When you consider the stringent criteria members of WLG have to meet simply to gain access to the association, to be nominated in these awards just emphasises further the levels each has been able to achieve. It will be a great pleasure to be able to acknowledge our members in this way and I’m looking forward to the evening immensely.”
WLG and its member clubs are passionately committed to preserve golf culture, but not only by heeding to such things as rules, dress code and etiquette – they commit to the very highest of quality standards concerning the design and caretaking of golf courses and services, as well as the levels of ambiance and gastronomy.
World of Leading Golf www.world-of-leading-golf.com