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Check out England Golf's great new video aimed to inspire and attract women and girls into golf.

The Sinclair Award for best PGA Professional, is Ben Jones of Garon Park Golf Club in Essex who, in a deprived area, has introduced more than 1,600 young people to the game, with more than 450 returning to the club for further golfing experiences.

Girls Golf Rocks! That’s the message from a group of girl golfers who want to inspire others to follow them into the sport.

Twelve members of the Essex County Girls squad have been trained as leaders and mentors for the project to promote the sport with the help of four local golf clubs.

Their message is that golf is a fun and sociable game, with health benefits and a competitive edge – and they want other girls to join in. Their recent photoshoot (images © Leaderboard Photography) for the campaign poster shows that golf can be anything but fuddy-duddy.

The Girls Golf Rocks campaign tees off with a big taster session in April at each of the four clubs taking part – Little Channels, Crowlands Heath, Playgolf Colchester and The Rayleigh Club. Three county squad girls will be helping out at each club.

The search is on to find golf's unsung heroes who give up their time to inspire others to take up and enjoy golf.

England Golf is seeking nominations for its first annual awards, which will recognise, celebrate and reward individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to ‘raise our game’ and build a bright future for the sport.

The winners will be those who contribute within golf clubs, schools, county golf partnerships, training schemes or many other programmes.

To nominate please visit www.englandgolf.org to complete the easy-to-follow nomination form. The closing date is Friday 27 February, 2015. The awards will be presented at a national conference in April 2015.

There are seven different award categories which include recognition for lifetime achievers and those who increase participation and club membership.

England Golf today launched its new strategy to create a bright future for the sport at Moor Park in Hertfordshire.

Raising Our Game: The Strategic Plan for 2014-17 sets out a vision of England Golf at the heart of a network of partners, taking action together to tackle the challenges facing the game.

The strategy aims to tackle the decline in golf club membership and participation and create:
- More players and more club members
- Stronger clubs
- Winning golfers
- Outstanding championships for golfers of all abilities
- Improved image of the game
- Excellent governance

Essex golfer Jan Tallentire is running a one-woman drive to get new players into the game – and in the space of just six weeks she persuaded 80 ladies to have a go.

Jan is ladies’ captain at Warley Park Golf Club, near Brentwood, and she’s run four Get into golf days for women to give them a taste of the game – and share her pleasure in the sport.

“She has done a fantastic job,” said Craig Harman, a PGA coach at Warley Park, who has helped teach the women the basics of the game. “It’s a massive achievement,” commented Helen Tarttelin of the Essex Golf Partnership.

“We are sure that lots of women would love the chance to play golf – and Jan has proved it.”

Jan laid on a great experience. The visitors were greeted with coffee and a goodie bag from the club, containing balls, tees and a ball maker. Next was two hours of coaching with PGA professionals, followed by lunch. Then it was out on the course for a five-hole group competition, encouraged by club members, before time to relax over tea and cakes.

We are pleased to announce that on Friday 5th September 2014, we shall be hosting our inaugural golf day at Garon Park Golf Complex, Southend, to raise much needed funds to support the great work we are undertaking across the county to increase golf participation.

Teams of four (any combination) are invited to play 18 hole stableford, with best three scores to count. Entry fee is £180 per team and includes coffee on arrival, post match meal and a great selection of prizes.

Clubs across Essex are backing National Golf Month with great value activities to support the drive to get more people playing the game.

National Golf Month will be held across the UK in May and Essex clubs will offer a wide range of opportunities to attract beginners and returners to the sport, including beginner courses with PGA professionals.

Full details about Essex activities, as well as all the other opportunities across England, are available on the Get into golf website www.getintogolf.org/map Get into golf is a campaign which aims to inspire more adults in England to take up the sport, with low-cost structured coaching with PGA professionals.

Emma Clifford, West Essex Golf Club, has won Manager of the Year 2014!

Along with the five other finalists, Emma, received a Manager of the Year Finalist trophy; her winning prize is a trip for two to Rioja in Spain, which includes visits to vineyards and golf.

Emma first played on the driving range at West Essex when her dad joined the club when she was seven. Later, she would join the Ladies’ European Tour, which she played on for nine years, before working in a number of roles, from the PGA professional to membership sales, at various golf clubs, where she helped grow their membership sections by adopting an inclusive and friendly approach. Today, she’s back at West Essex – as the club’s secretary manager.

Essex golfer Keith Mitchell, who has encouraged over 2000 boys and girls to take up the sport, was recognised this week as one of England Golf’s top volunteers.

Keith, from Rochford Hundred Golf Club, was presented with the 2014 England Golf Men’s Lifetime Achievement Award for services to golf at an annual gala dinner.

“I get immense satisfaction from seeing youngsters progress and move through the game of golf,” said Keith, who has been volunteering in golf for almost two decades.