This year’s Spirit of Golf Award, which was first introduced by the Golf Foundation in 2007, has been won by England’s Ian Poulter.
Presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to golf and has inspired youngsters to take up the game, previous winners of the award have been Gary Player (2007), Tony Jacklin (2008) and Lee Westwood (2009).
This year, the impressive Spirit of Golf trophy will be presented to Poulter not only in recognition of the way he has made the sport exciting in the eyes of young people, but also for the support he has given to junior golf and his commitment to a number of youth-focused charities, including the Golf Foundation.
In addition to his successes as a player, Poulter has helped the Golf Foundation in a number of ways. He has visited the Junior Centre at The Open Championship to take part in some Tri-Golf activity, and has supported the fundraising efforts through his attendance at the Spoony Classic, which raises funds for Golf Roots.
For the performance-motivated youngsters, he established the Ian Poulter Invitational event – an annual event held at Woburn which provides 100 youngsters with the opportunity to benefit from Poulter’s own experiences whilst playing in tournament conditions.
Away from golf, Poulter supports the Dreamflight charity, which takes disabled and seriously ill children on their ‘holiday of a lifetime’, and the Willow Foundation, which aims to give young adults with life-threatening conditions a chance to escape the pressures of their daily routine.
On Monday July 12 at the R&A Swingzone (the new name for the junior centre), the award will be presented to Poulter at a special event involving local youngsters.
Poulter will take part in a Tri-Golf activity session, and will then receive the award in front of a group of invited VIPs.
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