Time is running out to nominate golf's champion volunteers
10th December 2012

Winners of 2012 Volunteer of the Year awards

Time is running out to nominate golf's champion volunteers for top national awards from the England Golf Partnership (EGP).

The closing date for nominations is Friday, 14 December 2012 and the easy-to-follow nomination form is found at www.golfvolunteers.org .

The awards celebrate the growing network of golf volunteers who support new and emerging players. They will be presented during the 2013 County Golf Development Conference in February.

There are seven different Volunteer of the Year Award categories which take in age groups, including under-18, volunteer coaching, those involved in club and county development, and lifetime achievers.

The winners will come from the network of golf volunteers whose passion inspires others to take up and enjoy the sport. They contribute within golf clubs, schools, county golf partnerships, training schemes and many other programmes.

Phillip Beard, Volunteer Manager for the England Golf Partnership, said: "Volunteers of all ages give up their time to help new and existing players and to make golf a truly welcoming game. We want to celebrate these volunteers and give them to the special praise they deserve."

In its objective to 'Grow the Game', the EGP has expanded its volunteer base through a dedicated national strategy. Traditional club volunteers have now been joined by many young leaders, as well as volunteer coaches, PGA professionals who combine volunteer work with their regular coaching, schoolteachers and community sports representatives who all gain satisfaction from helping golfers of all abilities to play golf in our clubs and communities.

The England Golf Partnership is a partnership between the amateur governing body, England Golf, and the Professional Golfers' Association, which works to grow the game with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England. The national volunteering programme is delivered via the EGP's 'Whole Sport Plan' for golf, which identifies how the Partnership it will achieve its vision of making England the leading golf nation in the world by 2020.