Forth Valley Junior Golf duo win Scottish Spirit of Golf award

Forth Valley Junior Golf founders Alan Hamilton and Fiona Kelly have been honoured in recognition of their outstanding efforts to breathe new life into youth golf in the district.

The pair, who ran junior sections at Bonnybridge and Stirling respectively, claimed the Spirit of Golf award sponsored by Loch Lomond Whiskies at last Friday’s Scottish Golf Awards bash in Glasgow.

Since FVJC was formally constituted four years ago, the brainchild of the two founders has gone from strength to strength.

Fourteen clubs across Falkirk, Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire are now connected and together the group has created a range of playing and social opportunities for juniors of all levels.

A new inter-club league was formed which gave the youngsters their first opportunity to experience golf as a team sport. In 2024, the group’s “Race to Gleneagles” series allowed 168 local juniors to participate in 14 junior opens, increasing participation.

Hamilton said: “To win this is fantastic and totally unexpected. It's just such an honour. I took on the juniors at Bonnybridge in 2017 when there were no juniors apart from my son and one of his friends!

“Junior golf had all but disappeared there. The main thing we wanted to bring in to all that we do was a love of the game and to build a community.”

Meanwhile, Grangemouth’s Graeme Robertson lost out to Bob MacIntyre for the Male Professional Golfer of the Year Award.

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