It had been eight years since it had been held and, with England and Ireland having continuously marked achievements in the game and a resumption of Wales doing so in 2023, the return of the Scottish Golf Awards was certainly a welcome development. Yes, of course, there are lots of people out there who have no interest whatsoever in such events because, quite frankly, all they care about is their own golf and there is nothing really wrong with that. At the same time, though, there are lots of others who are fiercely passionate about seeing Saltires on leaderboards around the world, so it is only right that achievements by Scottish golfers should be celebrated in the right and proper way. It was unfortunate that all the winners of the four player awards were unable to attend the glitzy Glasgow gathering on Friday night, but that was merely down to playing schedules that meant Bob MacIntyre, Gemma Dryburgh, Calum Scott and Hannah Darling were all in the US. With all due respect to Ewen Ferguson and Graeme Robertson, the two others in contention for it, it was a no-brainer, of course, that MacIntyre won the Male Professional of the Year Award on the back of his title triumphs in the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open last year. In the case of Dryburgh, meanwhile, her Female Professional of the Year Award was also well justified on what she had achieved in the time the event hadn’t been held, with the same being the case for Darling, who won Female Amateur of the Year. It must have been a close call for the judging panel when it came to that one, though, bearing in mind that Lorna McClymont had also helped Great Britain & Ireland pull off a stunning Curtis Cup victory at Sunningdale after winning the Scottish Women’s Championship and getting to the final of The R&A Women’s Amateur Championship as well. As would have been the case as those judges gave the nod to 152nd Open Silver Medal winner Calum Scott over Gregor Graham, who landed both the South African Amateur Championship and Brabazon Trophy last year, for the Male Amateur of the Year Award. It was a nice touch, though no real surprise really given that both families are a credit to the game in this country, that Stuart Graham, Gregor’s dad, was one of the first to congratulate Alex Scott, Calum’s father, after he’d picked up the prize on his behalf. Though easier said than done, it would be good going forward if a player presence could be possible because hearing what they have to say in person as opposed to a video provides a much better perspective and, let’s face it, there’s nothing that beats seeing joy in a room. Just ask Alyson McKechin, a former Scottish Women’s Amateur champion, who picked up the Coach of the Year Award. Just ask Viki Hart, a 25-year-old, who collected the Golf Futures Award, for her work as a club manager at Monifieth Golf Links. And just ask Lynn Abernethy, the Prestonfield club captain, and the others from the Capital course who joined her on the stage to receive the Club of the Year Award. Given my personal connection to Fife, it was nice to see Dunnikier Park in Kirkcaldy being recognised for some terrific work with local men, women and children from a variety of social and economic backgrounds through the Golf For All Community Award and, equally so, Fife Golf Trust, which, in the words of golf courses manager David Gray, aims to be “sustainable champions”, landing the Impact and Innovation Award. For me, though, the two main highlights on the night were delivered as first Alan Hamilton and Fiona Kelly then June McEwan claimed the Spirit of Golf Award and Lifetime Honour Award respectively. It had been revealed earlier in the day at the Scottish Golf AGM that the membership of both boys and girls at Scottish clubs had grown last year and it’s down to the likes of Hamilton and Kelly through their fabulous efforts in the Forth Valley that has been made possible. Golf is nothing without the people who are prepared to give up their time to help encourage others and, driven by Hamilton and Kelly, Forth Valley Junior Golf is a great example of why those who constantly decry the state of the game at grass-roots level in this country are well off the mark. As for McEwan, it was no surprise that she not only received a standing ovation but the odd tear was shed, too, because the East Lothian women epitomises all that is good about golf and what a wonderful servant she has been to the game in Scotland. Having volunteered in various roles over five decades, she’s witnessed lots of comings and goings and, at times, has been left scratching her head along with numerous others about this, that or the next thing. There could have been no better recipient, though, for that Lifetime Award on this occasion and, of course, she collected it in the humble and gracious manner we all expected. Hats off to Robbie Clyde, Scottish Golf’s CEO, for being the driving force behind these awards being resurrected and to his team for delivering a fitting celebration at voco Grand Central Glasgow in partnership with Limitless and 21 CC Group. There was no hiding a real sense of pride and passion in the room and here’s hoping that appetites have been whetted in the quest to keep delivering Scottish success both on and off the golf course.