The 13th World Golf Awards were held at Madinaty Golf Club in Egypt on Saturday, November 7, the first time the ceremony has taken place in Africa. Here are the winners, starting with Britain, then Europe and the rest of the world. Images of the winners can be viewed through the links in this article, which go through to LinkedIn.
British winners
ION 54, the integrated global golf solutions platform of sports and entertainment group 54, was named Golf Business of the Year less than a year after its launch. The London-based business now serves more than 50 clients in 14 countries, with services in capital markets, strategic advisory, development, operations, sustainability, marketing and commercial performance.
Ed Edwards, ION 54’s chief executive, said: “Golf’s value chain is fragmented. Owners, operators, developers and suppliers too often work in silos, and that’s where returns are lost. We built ION 54 to fix that.”
Many of its clients won awards too. Adare Manor, host of the 2027 Ryder Cup, took World’s Best Golf Clubhouse and Ireland’s Best Golf Hotel. Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course was named Asia’s and Singapore’s Best Golf Course, and Streamsong Resort’s Red Course won Florida’s Best Golf Course. Terras da Comporta was named World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility, and Vilamoura Golf won Europe’s Best Golf Course for the Old Course and Europe’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue. Details was named World’s Best Contribution to Golf Tourism and Hospitality, TMG World’s Best Golf Hospitality Development Company and FootJoy World’s Best Golf Shoe Brand.
Trump Turnberry won three awards. Trump’s Twelve, a 12-hole par-three course that opened in August on the site of the former Arran Course, was named World’s Best Par Three Course. The Turnberry Lighthouse, a 24-metre landmark beside the ninth green of the Ailsa, took World’s Best Halfway House, and the Ailsa was named Scotland’s Best Golf Course for the second year running. Trump’s Twelve was designed by Turnberry’s in-house team, led by Allan Patterson, and has holes from 70 to 206 yards. Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organisation, said he was proud to see Trump’s Twelve recognised “just months after opening”.
Jon Hunt of Bristol’s International Design Group shared the World Golf Course Designer of the Year title with India’s Aashish Vaishnava, under the banner AV IDG. Vaishnava is described as the first Indian golf course architect to win the award, and the practice is built on a 20-year-plus India-UK partnership. Two courses it designed also won: Prestige Golfshire was named India’s Best Golf Course, and Al Dhannah Golf Club the Middle East’s Best 9 Hole Golf Course.
Europe
DETAILS, Portugal’s largest golf management company, won six awards. As well as the contribution to golf tourism award, Vilamoura’s Old Course was named Europe’s Best Golf Course and Vilamoura Europe’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue. Palmares Ocean Living & Golf won Europe’s Best Golf Clubhouse, PGA Aroeira Lisboa kept its title as Europe’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility and Monte Rei took Portugal’s Best Golf Course.
Terras da Comporta was named World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility for the second year running, after becoming the first European venue to win GEO Certified status for both a golf development, the Torre, and a golf facility, the Dunas. Portugal’s Silver Coast was named World’s Best Emerging Golf Destination, and Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort was named Portugal’s Best Golf Hotel for the third year in a row.
In Italy, Verdura Resort retained Europe’s Best Golf Hotel and was named Italy’s Best Golf Hotel. It also kept second place in Golf World’s Top 100 Resorts in Continental Europe and in National Club Golfer’s Top 100 European Golf Resorts. In France, Terre Blanche was named France’s Best Golf Hotel, completing a hat-trick of national titles for golf, hotel and spa.
In Ireland, Fairways and FunDays was named World’s Best Golf Tour Operator for the third year in a row. Joe O’Carroll said the company sells one destination only, and wants guests to “fall in love with Ireland”. Ireland’s ambassador to Egypt, Aidan O’Hara, attended. In Bulgaria, Pravets Golf Club was named Bulgaria’s Best Golf Course, and general manager Jordan Fairweather said the club has worked on technology and operational standards, as well as a full overseeding programme.
The rest of the world
Viya won several awards in the UAE. Abu Dhabi was named Middle East’s Best Golf Destination, the Viya App World’s Best Golf Booking App and Yas Links Abu Dhabi’s Best Golf Course. Park Hyatt Dubai, at Dubai Creek Resort, was named United Arab Emirates’ Best Golf Hotel. Chief executive Christopher May said the awards recognise “several elements of the experience we want golfers to enjoy”.
In the Caribbean, Apes Hill Barbados won three awards: Little Apes retained Caribbean’s Best 9 Hole Golf Course, and the club also took Caribbean’s Best Golf Clubhouse and Barbados’ Best Golf Course.
Leave a Reply