Long-standing friend of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Leif Ohlsson has received the Special Recognition Award at this year’s Annual Congress Gala Awards Dinner, hosted at Hotel Vila Galé Lagos in Portugal, for his work with the association after many years of dedicated service.
The Special Recognition Award looks to honour an individual for their work and dedication in promoting the values of the Confederation of Professional Golf, and there was no better recipient this year than the Swede who has had such an effect on golf in Europe.
Ohlsson’s presence on the Confederation of Professional Golf Board of Directors, and as Chairman of the Education committee, has spanned over 20 years and it is almost too difficult to mention all of the differing projects and initiatives he has had a hand in developing and implementing for the good of the game in Sweden and across the continent.
Speaking at the Annual Congress Gala Awards Dinner, where he received his award from Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell, and Vice-Chairman, Mikael Sorling, Ohlsson said:
“It’s an honour to have received this award…for me a circle has been closed. It started in 1978 with the PGA of Sweden, and Christer Lindberg asked me to modernize the education programme for professionals. My background was in sports science…so what I tried to do at that time was look at golf as a sport and introduce what we know in all other sports…It was a bit of a cultural revolution.
“I was also picked by Christer to join the Confederation of Professional Golf…it was the first time I had worked with so many people from different countries. During that time I have met so many dedicated people…people who had the will to do something and the endurance to fulfill it. 20 years later we have seen the result – we have a more unified Europe in golf…a better common standard of education – it is so different.”
There was no doubt amongst the Board of Directors’ minds that Ohlsson will have helped influence almost all of the education programmes that exist across the Confederation of Professional Golf member PGAs, driven by his passion for education and desire to share his knowledge.
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The Confederation of Professional Golf Annual Congress Gala Awards Dinner also included the presentation of the following awards:
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Tony Jacklin CBE
- President’s Grow the Game Award – Peter Ball
- The John Jacobs Coach of the Year Award – Dominique Larretche
- Christer Lindberg Bowl – Glenmuir
- 5-Star Professional Award – John Barnett
For updates, information and news from the Annual Congress 2012, visit the Annual Congress Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.
The 2012 Annual Congress is supported by Glenmuir, Associaçäo Turismo do Algarve, Hotel Vila Galé Lagos, Onyria Palmares Beach and Golf Resort, Rolex, and the European Ryder Cup Development Trust – For more information on our partners, visit http://bit.ly/SkAMWD.
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