Golding oldie... and success for Abridge and Strathaven

closing address, the CEO of EuroPro stated that Abridge was one of the best venues they had ever been to.

The other finalists in this category were Minchinhampton Golf Club and St Annes Old Links Golf Club. Also revealed on the evening, the Greenkeeping Project Award sponsored by Sports Turf Data Solutions was presented to the team at Strathaven Golf Club.

In 2019, Strathaven was forced to stop playing its 7th hole, to avoid golf balls entering a neighbouring property. Head Greenkeeper Stephen Hunter suggested redesigning the hole to become a par-3 that aimed away from the boundary of the site.

In order to maintain the par of the course, Stephen also suggested extending the 9th hole to become a par-4. His vision was accepted by the management committee and the club began a two-year project. The six-strong home greenkeeping team carried out the design and construction themselves, with the project being completed in April 2022.

The other finalists in this category were Astbury Golf Club and Prestwick Golf Club.

“My congratulations go to the greenkeeping teams at Abridge and Strathaven for their wonderful achievements throughout 2022. Their accomplishments are testament to the ability of BIGGA members to exceed everyday expectations, with no small dose of imagination, creativity and hard work,” said BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton.

“Congratulations also to David Golding, a former colleague, who I have long admired and who I was delighted we were able to recognise in this way. David was a crusader for the recognition of greenkeeper education standards and he was undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the history of the greenkeeping industry, in terms of bringing the professionalism of greenkeeper training forwards. At heart he was always a greenkeeper who believed that education was key to improving the profession for his fellow practitioners.”

Fiona Lyttle, Learning and Development Executive at the GTC, worked alongside David from 2000 until his retirement.

“Working with David, you picked up his passion and dedication to make sure greenkeepers had the right training and education to enable them to further their careers and aim for the top. His work has been the bedrock of all that we do now and for him to be honoured in this way is fantastic and long overdue.”