Canterbury had a strong representation when the 2020 Golf New Zealand Awards were announced on Monday.
Russley Golf Club won one of the most sought-after awards, Club of the Year. The award was given to a club demonstrating excellence and has an outstanding record of achievement across all aspects of its operations. Russley Golf Club is performing well financially and are always keen to be involved in anything golf in Canterbury. They run She Loves Golf, Futures, and All Abilities programmes, and are always thinking of how they can grow participation not only at their own club, but in the region as well.
Russley Golf Club General Manager Giles Beal says “It’s fantastic news. The members will be really pleased to hear we are the club of the year. We’ve been doing a lot over the last couple of years trying to make the club a better place for them. “We’ve been very supportive of the Golf New Zealand initiatives like She Loves Golf and Futures. We are just trying to get more people playing golf in the region and be good citizens of golf in New Zealand.”
Female Amateur Player of the Year was awarded to Amelia Garvey. Garvey qualified for the US Open for a second time in 2021 where she made her professional debut. She also qualified for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur – an invitation-only event held at both Champions Retreat Golf Club and Augusta National.
Karen Craigie is a volunteer who is not only inspirational in their commitment to Rangiora Golf Club and the Canterbury region and contributes outstanding value to the game. She won the Volunteer of the Year.
Golf New Zealand Chief Executive Dean Murphy says “The National Golf Awards are our chance to celebrate the dedication, commitment, and excellence across the whole golfing community. Despite a challenging year, the golf sector has done an outstanding job of navigating the pandemic and thriving through the challenges of 2020.”
Here is a full list of award recipients:
