Several PGA Members are in the running for top accolades after the nominations for the 2023 England Golf Awards were announced.
This year’s ceremony – back as an in-person event for the first time since 2019 – will take place at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Thursday 2 March and will be hosted by broadcaster and passionate golfer Clare Balding.
Nominations were invited from the public for nine of the 11 categories. Performance of the Year and Tournament Venue of the Year candidates were nominated by England Golf staff.
Aaron Lansberry (Stonebridge Golf Club, Warwickshire), Amy Taylor (Hinckley Golf Club, Leicestershire), Kevin Flynn (Tournerbury Golf Club, Hampshire) and Mike Dodd (Sturminster Marshall GC, Dorset) have been announced as the nominee for the coveted Participation and Development Coach of the Year award.
Nicky Lawrenson (Wiltshire) and Kelly Bridges (Dorset) have been nominated for the Women and Girls’ Trailblazer award - sponsored by Your Golf Travel.
Lawrenson, founder of ‘Women in Golf & Business’, has already enjoyed over 20 years as a PGA Professional and now works tirelessly to empower women involved in the game. She is also passionate about supporting young girls on their golfing journey and coaches the Wiltshire Elite Girls squad.
Bridges has worked hard to develop the Broadstone Ladies Academy and her relaxed coaching style makes learning golf a fun experience for all. She also heads up the junior academy coaching which has seen an increased numbers of young girls taking up lessons and the future of female golf at Broadstone is brighter because of Bridges’ endeavours.
Other awards on the note include: Club of the Year, County of the Year, Diversity and Inclusion Champion, Performance of the Year, Sustainability Project of the Year, Tournament Venue of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Young Volunteer of the Year.
In keeping with tradition, there is no shortlist for the Lifetime Service Award which will be presented to one worthy recipient on the night.
England Golf CEO, Jeremy Tomlinson, said: “We cannot wait to get together with the finalists, our clubs, counties, members and stakeholders to celebrate the significant and exceptional contributions and accomplishments of the amateur game, as well as the exciting developments at grassroots level.”
An expert panel of 39 judges, made up of England Golf staff as well as industry and media colleagues and England Golf’s ambassadors Tommy Fleetwood and Bronte Law who faced the unenviable task of narrowing down the potential winners from an outstanding longlist of nominations.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the England Golf Awards 2023 finalists and to purchase tickets for the event.
