Gough Gunning For Glory In England Golf Awards
A SHORTLIST of “outstanding” finalists has been announced for the 2019 England Golf Awards.
They’re the heroes of the game in England and they’ll be celebrated at the awards dinner at London’s Royal Lancaster hotel, on Thursday, March 21, when the winners will be revealed.
Oxfordshire’s Frilford Heath Golf Club have been nominated as the Championship Venue of the Year, having staged the Brabazon Trophy – the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship back in May.
Among the other nominees are Stoke Park’s Conor Gough, who claimed the British Boys title in 2018 – clubmate Jessica Pilgrim has been nominated for the Young Ambassador award.
Castle Royle’s David Langley was a member of the England Men’ team who are nominated in the Performance of the Year category after winning the Home Internationals in September, along with Conor and Gloucestershire’s Mitch Waite.
The latter won the Hampshire Salver and was runner-up in the European Amateur Championship plus the Lytham Trophy – as well as finishing third in qualifying at The Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen, in June.
Royal Ascot’s Susanne Lesley and Owen Lewis are in the running for the Volunteer of the Year award – the only joint nomination.
England Golf chief executive Nick Pink said: “A very big thank-you to everyone who took the time to nominate and to the judges, who had an incredibly difficult job to produce this shortlist of amazing volunteers, players, clubs and counties.
“They all contribute so much to the sport that we all love and we look forward to telling their stories over the coming weeks, as we build up to our gala dinner.
“Their contribution to golf in England is immeasurable and they really do make the game great.”
Tickets for the glittering, black tie awards dinner, hosted by Dan Walker, are just £90 each and include drinks on arrival and a three-course dinner with half a bottle of wine per person.
The finalists for the awards sponsored by adidas Golf are:
Most Welcoming Club of the Year (sponsored by HowDidiDo)
Branston Golf & Country Club, Staffordshire
Burghill Valley Golf Club, Herefordshire
Exeter Golf and Country Club, Devon
Horton Park Golf Club, Surrey
Coach of the Year (sponsored by The PGA)
Philip Akers – PGA National Golf Academy, The Belfry, Warwickshire
Stuart Disney – The Mendip Golf Club, Somerset
Mark Johnson – Styal Golf Club, Cheshire
Aaron Lansberry – Hatchford Brook Golf Centre, Warwickshire
Innovation Award of the Year (sponsored by Players 1st)
AL Golf Junior Academies, Hatchford Brook Golf Centre, Warwickshire
Mytime Active at Bromley and Orpington Golf Centres, Kent
Golf Access Slinfold Golf and Country Club, Sussex
Volunteer of the Year
Mark Feeney – West Derby Golf Club, Lancashire
Susanne Lesley and Owen Lewis – Royal Ascot Golf Club, Berkshire
Judith Sandford – Cheadle Golf Club, Cheshire
Marcella Tuttle – The Links Golf Club, Newmarket
Young Ambassador of the Year, in association with the Golf Foundation
Ella Baker – GL Golf at Warley Woods Golf Club, Worcestershire
Louise McLoughlin – Bromborough Golf Club, Cheshire
Jessica Pilgrim – Stoke Park Golf Club, Buckinghamshire
Georgina Wrixon – Ashley Wood Golf Club, Dorset
Performance of the Year
England men’s team
Conor Gough of Stoke Park Golf Club, Buckinghamshire
Mitch Waite of Filton Golf Club, Gloucestershire
Caitlin Whitehead of Carus Green Golf Club, Cumbria
Championship Venue of the Year
Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire
Kedleston Park Golf Club, Derbyshire
Sherwood Forest Golf Club, Nottinghamshire
Stanton on the Wolds Golf Club, Nottinghamshire
County of the Year
Lancashire
Wiltshire
The outright winner of the Lifetime Service Award will also be recognised at the dinner.