Competitions

COLCHESTER GOLFER WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Michael Hart, retired Telecommunications Manager and a member of Colchester Golf Club, has been presented with the England Golf Partnership Volunteer Award for 2008 in the County Development Category.

The awards are made for outstanding voluntary service in each of 5 categories, and each of the 27 county golf organisations are invited to make up to 2 nominations each year.

The citation reads:

Over the last seven years, Mike has been instrumental in the development of grass roots junior golf in Essex, creating links with sports development officers, schools and professionals throughout Essex. Of late Mike has played a major role in creating the Essex County Golf Partnership of which he is now the first Chairman.

Cliff Crook, Essex County Golf Union President commented that this is a prestigious honour both for Mike and Essex, and he can think of no one more deserving to receive it. Mike’s contribution to the work and achievements of our County organisation has been outstanding. We were very pleased to put his name forward and are delighted with the outcome.

MIKE WINS ANOTHER NATIONAL AWARD

Colchester golfer Michael Hart, a life long Chelsea supporter and season ticket holder at Stanford Bridge will not be going to Moscow to see his team play in the European Cup Final on May 21st, instead he will be at Wentworth Golf Club to receive the annual Gallacher Award of the Golf Foundation for voluntary work at grass roots level for junior golf.

In March Mike received a similar award from the England Golf Partnership, and the Gallacher Award is the most prestigious presented to volunteers by the Golf Foundation – a charitable organisation set up many years ago to support young golfers in England.

The presentation will take place during the Pro-Am day of the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth club.

In congratulating Mike on his achievement, the President of the Essex Golf Union remarked: “Great news! As I have said before it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person. Mike’s initiatives at grass roots level have been outstanding. The work he has done with schools and tri-golf have put him in the unique position for which this award has been granted.

“Essex golf in particular has benefited from all his work and since people outside of Essex tend to copy us I am sure the rest of English golf can watch and learn. The present award emphasises that significance.”

ANOTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE FROM DALE WHITNELL

For the top amateur golfers in the UK and Europe the May Day bank holiday weekend provides the opportunity to impress the national and international selectors of their respective countries, by competing in the Lytham Trophy.

In this year’s competition, staged on the West Lancashire championship course, our own Essex player, Dale Whitnell of Five Lakes Golf Club, near Colchester, came a splendid second to keep up his challenge in the English Golf Union Order of Merit rankings. Dale’s score of 285 over 4 rounds of stroke play golf was 15 shots under the competition standard scratch score, and only one shot behind the winner, Kent player Matthew Haines.

The Lytham Trophy is the first major stroke play event of the year, and has a history stretching back to the 1960s when members of the Royal Lytham St Annes Golf Club felt that there was a ‘gap’ in the amateur golf calendar which they have so successfully bridged.