25
April
2022
The Cheshire club were hailed, along with other GCMA member clubs, at the 2022 England Golf Awards... Hazel Grove’s reputation for being a friendly and inclusive venue has seen it named England’s Club of the Year. The Cheshire venue, run by GCMA member James Rowlands, took the coveted title at the 2022 England Golf Awards. Judges were impressed by the range of activities on offer at the Stockport layout, which has made the club a hub for locals in the area. Bunkers have been remodelled, a new coaching facility – replete with a golf simulator – has been provided and a new governance structure has also been put in place. Hazel Grove teamed up with the Stroke Association and a local NHS practice to offer lessons to a rehab group, and the club recently became the 400th English signatory to The R&A Women in Golf Charter. Rowlands said: “It’s amazing – we’re overwhelmed. We put so much work into this in the last two or three years to build up the club. “We’ve re-structured the management board, we introduced equality and inclusivity in our competitions and we’ve worked with community groups and pushed to get SafeGolf and the Women in Golf Charter.” Rowlands and his team were rewarded during a virtual ceremony shown on the governing body’s YouTube channel and hosted by television broadcaster Naga Munchetty. And Hazel Grove weren’t the only GCMA members to be celebrating success. Farleigh, led by general manager James Ibbetson, scooped top honours in the Sustainability Project of the Year category. The club, set in a picturesque 350-acre venues in the North Surrey Downs, created two new wildflower areas at the 27-hole venue as part of the Operation Pollinator project. The aim was to encourage bees and insects back into the landscape and, having originally planned to cover half an acre, another half is being added this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRIAYhwoKGI Ibbeston said: “The club are truly honoured to have been awarded England Golf’s Sustainability Project of The Year. An enormous amount of work has gone into the project from our greenkeeping team, with our membership hugely proud of what has been achieved across our golf courses. “Our Greenkeeping team, led by Kenny MacPhail, are already beginning to work on the additional areas of wildflowers which we hope will continue to provide a safe haven for these insects, as well as a stunning visual backdrop for our members and guests. "We thank England Golf for the recognition, and would like to congratulate all the other winners from the evening." Farnham, managed by Ben Beagley, were named Tournament Venue of the Year thanks to the Surrey club’s “superb” hosting of the first English Under-18 Championship. Some 132 of the most talented boy and girl golfers in the country participated and Farnham provided a first-class venue for spectators and competitors – assisted by a small army of 95 club volunteers. Beagley said: “It meant a lot to host the event and we’re ecstatic to win this. “We had tremendous... Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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