All smiles at Golf Foundation awards

Six PGA Professionals have been honoured by the Golf Foundation for the roles they are playing in growing the game among young people.

The inspiring pros received their awards from Belgian Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts during the Foundation’s annual prize giving ceremony at Wentworth on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship.

Pride of place went to Mike Davies (above with Colsaerts), the head PGA Professional at Glyn Abbey Golf Club, Carmarthenshire, Wales, who won the Sinclair Award.

The award recognises the PGA pro who, as a direct result of his or her efforts, has made a significant impact in the development of grass roots junior golf, and Davies has clearly achieved that.

“Mike’s impact has been hugely significant with the club increasing membership by 79 per cent in three years,” said Mike Round, Golf Foundation chief executive. “He has also doubled its junior membership and increased turnover by 10 per cent.

“Furthermore, his work at community level means his influence has extended far beyond just coaching, and has been a huge achievement.”

Davies, who has been at the club for five years, is passionate about encouraging children of all abilities to join the club through one of several membership schemes he has helped develop; likewise providing activity for disabled youngsters.

The club was one of the first to achieve the Disability Sport Wales Ribbon Award and first to be awarded HSBC Golf Roots Plus funding. That resulted to 100 children from 10 special schools being coached and then welcomed with their families to the club.

In addition, Davies organises an annual event that caters for 150 youngsters with disabilities.

“We started it four years ago and it’s grown from there,” he said. “We work with Golf Development Wales and now other clubs in the area are doing the same. Carmarthen Golf Club, which is just up the road, ran an event just yesterday and 140 kids attended. What we’re trying to do is spread it out to give as many kids as possible the experience. There’s that many children who can benefit from playing golf.

“We deal with quite a wide spectrum of children – ones just out of mainstream education to kids with quite severe learning difficulties. I think they get quite a bit out of it and definitely enjoy the golfing experience. In the main it’s golf experience as opposed to golf development.

“It’s tremendously satisfying but I’m indebted to Glyn Abbey members for helping me making it work. People really do want to help – they want to give a bit back and help children who perhaps aren’t as fortunate as their own. I’m also indebted to Steve Findlay, the Golf Development Wales Officer for all the help he has given me. Winning this award is a real team effort.”

Winners (from left): Daniel Leins, Mike Davies, Wayne Osmand, Ben Knight, Alex Mollin.

Teamwork, in the form of a professional football club - Torquay United – has been key to Daniel Leins scooping the Burroughs Award.

This recognises an individual who has made particular progress in the face of adversity to create opportunities for those with special needs.

Leins, a PGA pro at Churston Golf Club, Devon, has achieved that by enlisting the help of ‘The Gulls’ to create the Kick and Swing project that gives disabled youngsters the chance to play golf.

Golf and football coaches work alongside each other to deliver the two sports closely together to maximise engagement with classes of children who have varying physical disabilities and learning difficulties. 

The project works with four to six groups each week for a six-week period and the highlight is the ‘Celebration Event’ where the children are brought together at Torquay’s Plainmoor stadium where golf and football activities are organised before the players join in.

“This is a great example of how sports can work together and in this instance the combination of the two sports provides fun and enjoyment to many disabled children,” said Round. 

“The idea stemmed from me having a friend who is a football coach and a meeting with Sam Stephens, the regional golf development officer at the time and the local school sports coordinator,” explained Leins, who has been a pro at Churston for six years.

“Football’s popular and every child plays football so we agreed to give it a go. The plan was to introduce them to golf gently as I didn’t think they’d want a whole session of golf. But that hasn’t been the case; it’s gone really well.”

Meanwhile, Alex Mollin, the Titleist PGA Assistant of the Year, has played her part in the Jersey Golf Development Group winning the Critchley Award.

This is presented to a project that involves multiple partners working together towards the achievement of a common aim.

Over the past four years, the Jersey group, led by PGA Professional Wayne Osmand, has enabled 6,000 children to receive free Tri-Golf and Golf Xtreme coaching in their schools, in the community and at Les Mielles Golf & Country Club.

Osmand, who worked under the watchful eye of Tommy Horton and is the head professional at Les Mielles set up the scheme in partnership with the Jersey State Government, said it was a ‘great honour’ to receive the award.

Protégé Mollin, also based at Les Mielles, said: “It was through working there that I got involved with the Jersey Golf Development Group. From that I became involved in the schools project, Tri-Golf, Golf Xtreme working alongside Wayne to get the projects and the Golf Development Group going.

“It’s good and adds another dimension to what I do at Les Mielles aside from individual coaching. On Friday nights we are now doing community projects in one of the parks doing Golf Xtreme and a whole range of activities.

“It has really snowballed and the only thing holding us back is additional funding and the amount of professionals that we have. It limits what we can do otherwise we would do so much more.”

Ben Knight, of Chartham Park Golf and Country Club, West Sussex, recently became one of the first six PGA pros to attain the Level 3 coaching award.

And he now has more reason to celebrate after his club won the Bonallack Award. This is presented to a school or school sport partnership that has established or developed a junior golf development project for its pupils.

“This award and what represents means so much,” said Knight, “especially as the activity allows children to be children and not making them into mini adults and telling them that golf is about hitting a seven iron off the tee and standing in line.

“This is about fun and just about hitting the ball and getting it to the hole. It’s making golf accessible to them and not a precious hallowed turf and seeing kids grow and enjoy it.”

Explaining his participation in the project, Knight added: “I got involved through the old school sports partnerships. I was fortunate enough to meet the right person in Steve Hill, the school sports coordinator.

“He could open some doors and allow me access to the schools’ fixtures meeting, where I got to meet all the Primary School PLTS (personal learning and thinking skills) teachers.

“Without Steve, I wouldn’t have known who to speak to and how to have access to them. It would have gone nowhere without him.

“I got involved and having that opportunity and showing them a session of Tri-Golf and letting them do it was eye-opening for them as they could see it was fun and not just a dry way of teaching golf.

“Now, I want to continue growing the opportunities for the kids to improve their development. For me about learning more too, like the Level 4 coaching award and how that can be used in junior development.”

Another PGA pro who has played a major role in encouraging schoolchildren to get into golf is Richard Strange.

Described by Round as “a proactive PGA Professional”, Strange was a member of the Nottinghamshire-based Norwood Park Golf Centre team that won the prize for the best local project - the Laddie Lucas Award.

Junior membership at the centre has increased by 70 per cent over three years and participation in coaching sessions risen by 95 per cent.

The club also works extensively with disabled youngsters and Round added: “What other clubs might consider to be impossible, this club makes possible. All at Norwood Park should be very proud of their achievement."