John Watson (pictured) has been a highly respected coach at Styal Golf Club for many years and he is delighted to have won the England Performance Coach of the Year award.
John outlined the pathway to his success: “2024 has been a year to remember for myself and the England Girls’ teams.
“We had wins in all Under 16 matches against Spain, Switzerland, and Ireland, while there were individual player wins at the Scottish Girls’ Open Championship and Irish Girls’ Open Championship for Chloe Tarbard and Sadie Adams respectively. There was also a European Young Masters bronze medal for Team England, with an individual gold medal for Annabel Peaford – winning with a score of -21.
“It was a closely-fought battle at the Girls’ Home Internationals at Conwy in Wales this year, but my England Girls came out on top to secure the win, while their biggest achievement in years, was winning a gold medal at the European Girls Team Championships in July.
“I was instrumental in creating a cohesive team to compete for the gold medal in Sweden, with the team making their first final in 11 years but being able to go one better and beating Germany in the final to win their first gold since 2005.
“All the hard work over the winter truly paid off and it’s been clear the impact I have made to the programme in my first year as a National Coach.”
Copy: Geoff Garnett