Machynys Resort has marked its 20th anniversary by becoming the Wales Golf Club of the Year, supported by Howden, after demonstrating ambition, innovation, and dedication, across every aspect of its operations.
The Llanelli venue was among 17 prize winners at the Annual Wales Golf Awards, sponsored by Toptracer, held in the Twenty Ten Clubhouse at Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor.
Four new awards were added this year – Women & Girls Project of the Year supported by Great Days Golf, Competitions Venue of the Year, and two PING Most Improved Players awards.
It was a successful year for some of the biggest golf clubs in Wales with Royal Porthcawl, Celtic Manor, Machynys, Conwy, Pyle and Kenfig, and Whitchurch (Cardiff) among the award winners.
Royal Porthcawl saw a posthumous award presented to Course Manager Ian Kinley who oversaw the preparations for the AIG Women’s Open held there last year and won the Greenkeeper of the Year Award, supported by ICS Renewables. His wife, Jo, collected the award as sadly, he passed away earlier this year.
Celtic Manor received the Sustainability Project Award, supported by Citation, Conwy the Visit Wales Golf Tourism Award, Pyle and Kenfig the Wales Golf Competition Venue of the Year Award, and Whitchurch the Women and Girls Project of the Year.
Pyle and Kenfig Professional Gareth Howells picked up the Development PGA Pro of the Year, supported by Toptracer, for the second time, having also won that award in 2023.
Mountain Ash’s Gareth Evans has gone from club member, to Captain, then General Manager – and now he has won the Wales Golf Club Manager of the Year.
Wrexham’s Pam Valentine received a Wales Golf Lifetime Achievement Award after a career in golf which has covered almost every aspect, from playing, captaining and refereeing internationally, as well as being an administrator at the highest levels.
Judith Phillips of Haverfordwest, who helped save her golf club from the threat of closure, has earned the Wales Golf Volunteer of the Year Award, sponsored by Chemical Corporation.
Swansea Bay won the Wales Golf Junior Club of the Year Award, supported by Dot Golf, after being victorious in the Welsh Junior Inter-Club Championship for the first time last year.
Recently turned pro, Ladies European Tour player, Luca Thompson has won the Women’s PING Golfer of the Year.
Royal Porthcawl’s Matt Roberts won the Men’s PING Golfer of the Year award after a season in which he helped Wales back into the top flight of European team competition.
There were two more PING Players of the Year Awards at Seniors level, Ann Lewis of Royal St David’s and Mike White of West Wilts, both Wales Golf Order of Merit winners.
The Most Improved PING Players of the Year awards went to Charlotte Huntley from Radyr and Rowan Turner from Conwy, both having halved their handicaps within the year.
“We had some amazing entries for this year’s awards, both in terms of a record number of entries but with the quality to go with the quantity,” said Wales Golf chief Executive Hannah McAllister.
“It shows there is so much good work going on across the Welsh golf clubs, not only through our impressive set of winners but also many of those who missed out this time round were incredibly strong candidates as well.”
Machynys Resort has the only Jack Nicklaus designed course in Wales and celebrated its 20thAnniversary last year with a series of high profile events and involvement in the local community.
“This showcases everything that the club does throughout all departments, the members, the welcome, the visitor experience, there is so much positive stuff going on at the club that this is an incredible hone to be recognised,” said Nick Daniels, Machynys Resort General Manager.
“It is a fantastic honour for all the staff, the members and everyone involved with the club. We want to cover all bases, we want to build the club and resort from every single angle.”
Former lawyer Valentine represented Wales at Junior, Ladies and Senior levels as both a player and Captain, but also was heavily involved in administration both within Wales and internationally.
Among her many roles, Valentine was appointed by Sport Wales to lead the committee charged with delivering merger of the Welsh Ladies Golf Union and the Welsh Golfing Union. That was achieved by 1 January 2007 to create the Golf Union of Wales (now Wales Golf).
“It was overwhelming to get this award,” she said. “Golf still means an incredible amount to me, I started playing 60 years ago, I was potty about it then and I am potty about it now.”
Volunteer Phillips got heavily involved at Haverfordwest at a time of crisis when an emergency EGM was called at the club in 2018 an the then chairman proposed closing the club as it was no longer a viable business.
The club had approximately 200 members and the subscriptions did not cover the overheads.
“One of the other board members came to me and said ‘do you think we could save the club?’ I said we should give it a go,” said Phillips.
“To be honest I was very touched to receive this award, I could hardly hold it together when they told me. It came as a shock out of the blue, I did not even realise they had put me up for the award. It means a lot to me.”
Helping schoolgirls across Cardiff into golf, along with developing their leadership potential, has brought Whitchurch the Wales Golf Women and Girls Project of the Year Award, supported by Great Days Golf.
“I did New2Golf at Whitchurch and it was clear there were not enough ladies at the golf club, particularly there were not enough girls,” said project founder Kim Ann Williamson, MBE.
“We got together with the team at the club and planned the women and girls project, getting pupils from schools into Whitchurch to learn the game of golf – but also leadership skills and life skills that hopefully they will use for the rest of their lives.”
| Junior Club of the Year | Swansea Bay Golf Club |
| Development PGA Pro of the Year | Gareth Howell, Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club |
| Club of the Year | Machynys Golf Club |
| Volunteer of the Year | Judith Phillips – Haverfordwest Golf Club |
| Sustainability Project | Celtic Manor Resort |
| Greenkeeper | Ian Kinley, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club |
| Visit Wales | Conwy Golf Club |
| Lifetime achievement | Pam Valentine |
| Manager of the Year | Gareth Evans, Mountain Ash. |
| Women & Girls Project of the Year | Girls to Golf – Whitchurch GC |
| PING Golfer of the Year | Matt Roberts, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club |
| PING Golfer of the Year | Luca Thompson, Pavenham Park Golf Club |
| PING Golfer of the Year | Mike White, West Wilts Golf Club |
| PING Golfer of the Year | Anne Lewis, Royal St Davids Golf Club |
| PING Most improved Male of the Year | Rowan Turner, Conwy. |
| PING Most improved Female of the Year | Charlotte Huntley, Radyr. |
| Competition Venue of the Year | Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club. |
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