Glyn Abbey scoop top award
Trimsaran's Glyn Abbey Golf Club, in the countdown to next year’s first ever Ryder Cup competition in Wales, has won the prestigious title of Best Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2009.
The award was presented by Welsh Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan at a glittering gala event attended by over 600 guests at Celtic Manor to celebrate the club’s hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, along with celebrities Bryn Terfel, Chris Evans and Gareth Jenkins were among those who congratulated Glyn Abbey on receiving the Golf Union of Wales award.
Glyn Abbey’s proprietor and managing director, Martin Lane, who attended the ceremony with this year’s Captain Andrew Shufflebotham, said: “We are thrilled to have got the award, particularly for it to have gone to a small club like ours.”
Carmarthenshire County Council leader, Meryl Gravell, said:“ What a time for Trimsaran’s own Glyn Abbey Club to win this award when Wales is the focus of the Golfing world with the looming Ryder Cup competition.
“It is a hole-in-one style achievement and boost for the county’s tourist industry and who can be more delighted than me to boast this accolade in my own ward.
“The club deserve the award for the sterling work they perform encouraging boys and girls, whole families and even large numbers of disabled to get the Glyn Abbey golfing habit.””
Built on the site of an open cast coal mine, Glyn Abbey’s mission has been to provide affordable golf of a high standard to everyone.
Club President is former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths hit the first golf ball at Glyn Abbey at the official opening in 1992.
The course boasts a pay and play 18-hole course ensuring availability of tee times, a spike bar, and a community gym attached to the club house for non golfing locals to use and help keep fit. A nine-hole par three mission course opened in 2008, and following an extensive refurbishment the six-bay covered driving range re-opened early this year.
Building developments have taken place and more are planned, but the core of the application for the award was based on player development.
Glyn Abbey is a Golf Foundation Starter Centre and has a well deserved reputation for being a very junior friendly golf club having build up this area of its membership from one to 50 members in eight years thanks to the dedication of parents and members
The Club now has 15 boys with a handicap of 20 or less and five in single figures.
Girls at the club have been attending a series of group lessons funded by Golf Development Wales. One of Club’s players was runner up in the County Junior Girls Championship in June this year.
Two girls entered Ashburnham’s Junior Open Day with Lucy Davies gaining first in the 10-hole category and Hannah Fisher becoming runner-up in the 18-hole Girl’s Stableford competition.
The club organise charitable events and have played a major role in supporting and introducing disabled to golf.
Highlights from just one single year’s program are as follows :
The provision of 5x60 programmes (non curricular sport) to 6 schools, working with 340+ children;
Working with two other schools and a college, assisting a further 140-plus children with four to six junior coaching groups per week, covering instruction to 30 to 60 children per week;
Taking seven groups of ten children (seven schools) every school holiday;
Special Olympics Welsh Team coaching every Tuesday
Helping to produce a DVD to instruct school teachers how to coach children with new golf extreme equipment and providing family lessons.
The members also launched their website in August 2008 www.glynabbeymembers.co.uk which has greatly aided communication of section activities, team results and general news.
Future plans include acquiring turf conditioning equipment and carrying out improvements to the clubhouse.
Club proprietor Martin Lane, left and captain Andrew Shufflebothan right, collect the award.
The award was presented by Welsh Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan at a glittering gala event attended by over 600 guests at Celtic Manor to celebrate the club’s hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, along with celebrities Bryn Terfel, Chris Evans and Gareth Jenkins were among those who congratulated Glyn Abbey on receiving the Golf Union of Wales award.
Glyn Abbey’s proprietor and managing director, Martin Lane, who attended the ceremony with this year’s Captain Andrew Shufflebotham, said: “We are thrilled to have got the award, particularly for it to have gone to a small club like ours.”
Carmarthenshire County Council leader, Meryl Gravell, said:“ What a time for Trimsaran’s own Glyn Abbey Club to win this award when Wales is the focus of the Golfing world with the looming Ryder Cup competition.
“It is a hole-in-one style achievement and boost for the county’s tourist industry and who can be more delighted than me to boast this accolade in my own ward.
“The club deserve the award for the sterling work they perform encouraging boys and girls, whole families and even large numbers of disabled to get the Glyn Abbey golfing habit.””
Built on the site of an open cast coal mine, Glyn Abbey’s mission has been to provide affordable golf of a high standard to everyone.
Club President is former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths hit the first golf ball at Glyn Abbey at the official opening in 1992.
The course boasts a pay and play 18-hole course ensuring availability of tee times, a spike bar, and a community gym attached to the club house for non golfing locals to use and help keep fit. A nine-hole par three mission course opened in 2008, and following an extensive refurbishment the six-bay covered driving range re-opened early this year.
Building developments have taken place and more are planned, but the core of the application for the award was based on player development.
Glyn Abbey is a Golf Foundation Starter Centre and has a well deserved reputation for being a very junior friendly golf club having build up this area of its membership from one to 50 members in eight years thanks to the dedication of parents and members
The Club now has 15 boys with a handicap of 20 or less and five in single figures.
Girls at the club have been attending a series of group lessons funded by Golf Development Wales. One of Club’s players was runner up in the County Junior Girls Championship in June this year.
Two girls entered Ashburnham’s Junior Open Day with Lucy Davies gaining first in the 10-hole category and Hannah Fisher becoming runner-up in the 18-hole Girl’s Stableford competition.
The club organise charitable events and have played a major role in supporting and introducing disabled to golf.
Highlights from just one single year’s program are as follows :
The provision of 5x60 programmes (non curricular sport) to 6 schools, working with 340+ children;
Working with two other schools and a college, assisting a further 140-plus children with four to six junior coaching groups per week, covering instruction to 30 to 60 children per week;
Taking seven groups of ten children (seven schools) every school holiday;
Special Olympics Welsh Team coaching every Tuesday
Helping to produce a DVD to instruct school teachers how to coach children with new golf extreme equipment and providing family lessons.
The members also launched their website in August 2008 www.glynabbeymembers.co.uk which has greatly aided communication of section activities, team results and general news.
Future plans include acquiring turf conditioning equipment and carrying out improvements to the clubhouse.
Club proprietor Martin Lane, left and captain Andrew Shufflebothan right, collect the award.
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