Blackwell Grange-based PGA professional Aaron Cox was named Participation and Development Coach of the Year at the England Golf Awards in recognition of his outstanding achievements working with junior golfers.
Having set out to revive junior golf at the Darlington club, Aussie Aaron now has more than 120 youngsters involved in his academy structure.
Aaron, who celebrated the award win with some 40 juniors, parents and members at Blackwell Grange while watching the virtual ceremony, said: “We had a great night watching the awards and the celebration when they called my name was fantastic.
“This award validates everything we’ve done so far. It’s great to know I’m on the right track and doing the right things to develop young golfers. I want to see more kids getting involved in golf – from the five-year-olds trying it out on our academy course for the first time to the juniors competing at county, regional and national level.
“The club’s junior section is in a great place. We’ve now got enough youngsters with handicaps to create teams and compete locally, which is great for the further development of the current and future players in those teams. We’ve got a pipeline of players to fill those teams for 10-12 years, which is a great position for the club to be in.
“To be a national award winner is an amazing feeling. The goal now is to keep going, keep growing, and let’s see what else we can achieve.”
Aaron’s work has included introducing kids to the game in local primary schools and creating pathways for their further development at Blackwell Grange – starting on the six-hole academy course he helped create. He has also setup a series of events on the academy course and a player pathway which introduces juniors to all aspects of the game – including strength and conditioning and psychology – at an early age.
Meanwhile, a thrilling victory in the European Ladies’ Team Championships in 2021 earned the England women’s squad the Performance of the Year award. The six-strong team, including Whitley Bay’s Rosie Belsham, entered the event at Royal County Down as underdogs but overcame the Czech Republic, Scotland and Sweden to win the title for an 11th time in 62 years.
