GolfMark Club of the Year Award shortlist released

After the final round of judging the top three clubs who will be contesting the GolfMark Club of the Year Award have been released.

Chapel-en-le-Frith Golf Club in Derbyshire, Paultons Golf Centre in Hampshire and Stoke by Nayland Golf Club in Essex will all be attendance when the final result is announced at the English Golf Union's (EGU) and English Women's Golf Association's (EWGA) County Development Conference on February 23, 2009.

This year the Award is being sponsored by Cobra Golf who will be presenting the top accolade plus prizes to the winning club during the evening's ceremony.

EGU and EWGA golf development manager, Richard Flint said: "It is clear that everyone who was nominated has shown both dedication and creativity in the work they do in welcoming both juniors and beginners to the game and they are all great ambassadors for golf."

The three clubs came through against nominations from each County Golf Partnership to then reach a shortlist of eight clubs that were finally assessed by a panel from the EGU, EWGA, PGA and Golf Foundation.

Any affiliated golf club can apply to gain GolfMark accreditation. The initiative provides golf clubs with a structured plan for future development as well as a comprehensive set of information that ensures continuity and evaluation of their activities. Details of the initiativecan all be found at golfmark.org.

GolfMark is an initiative jointly provided by the EGU and EWGA via England Golf's 'Whole Sport Plan' for golf and is an integral part of England Golf's vision to 'Grow the Game'.

Where next?

Golf blog: Fergus Bisset looking ahead Competitions: Win golf prizes Equipment: Nike SQ MACHSPEED fairway wood review Tour news: Faldo Series extends deadline for UK entries