Jacobs family double

(From left to right) John and Alex Jacobs with Simon Shanks.

John Jacobs, the director of golf at Cumberwell Park for the past 24 years, has been named the Development Coach of the year by the PGA in England and Wales (South West).

In addition his 19-year-old son Alex, a trainee at the club, has won the TGI Golf training award for first year students on the PGA Foundation Degree course. So celebrations were the order at the Jacobs household in Kingsdown.

They were among the recipients at the West's annual meeting attended by new PGA chief executive Robert Maxfield at Woodbury Park in Devon.

Jacobs, 53, specialises in the improvement of young performance players at the expanding Wiltshire complex. He is named as one of the top 25 Golf Monthly coaches and has been involved in elite coaching for the past 15 years.

He has been the South West's under-16s coach for 12 years and is the Wiltshire county head coach.

He said: "We are delighted. We regard it as a team effort and an honour for Cumberwell  and the professionals here."

Albert MacKenzie (pictured below), the head professional at Saunton, has become the Professional of the Year. He has recently completed 20 of his 37 years as a pro with the North Devon club.

Nationally he was vice-captain to Jon Bevan in 2015 and then captain in his own right two years later as the Great Britian and Ireland PGA Cup team beat the United States in consecutive matches.

Simon Shanks (Bowood) is Coach of the Year for the third time. He first won in 2013 and for a second time last year. He has inspired Jordan Smith, who won his first event in his debut season, to become a rising star on the European Tour.

But two other players he coaches excelled last year. Wiltshire county veteran Michael White qualified for the British Seniors’ Open at Royal Porthcawl while High Post professional Mark Searle broke the Cumberwell Park record with a 61 on his way to winning the Players' Championship title.

Another Witshire professional Chippenham’s Emma Brown, now attached to The Kendleshire in Bristol, is the Charity Fund-raiser of the Year.

She raised £6,000 from a special golf day in aid of two charities - Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal charity, and Bliss, the leading charity for babies born premature or sick.

After giving a lesson on a freezing day she came up with another charitable idea to help the homeless suffering in the cold so she raised money and collected clothes.

Order of Merit winner Ashley Mansell (Clevedon) is the Captain’s Player of the Year, nominated by the captain Nick Rogers (Falmouth).

Huw Williams (Pyle and Kenfig) won the Nigel Blenkarne Award as the Assistant of the Year. He previously earned the Golf Foundation Bonallack Award for developing a successful path from schools to club coaching ultimately leading to club membership. He was instrumental in introducing 27 boys and 20 girls as members of his club.

Kieran Fowler (Lyme Regis) was the TGI second year assistant while Rachael Lewis (The Vale) won the third year prize.