East Lothian junior guru David Warren wins Sir Henry Cotton Award

David Warren, who has been involved in East Lothian golf for 35 years, is heading into another exciting new season on a high after landing a top award for voluntary and long-standing meritorious services to junior golf.

The Sir Henry Cotton Award is presented annually by the Golf Foundation, which works to champion children's involvement in golf, and Warren, a North Berwick Golf Club member, was deemed a worthy recipient of the 2022 prize.

The award was presented to him by Nick Dougherty, the Sky Sports Golf presenter and former DP World Tour winner in his new role as Golf Foundation president.

Warren first volunteered to help grow the junior section at the Glen Golf Golf in North Berwick in 1994. A decade later, he became the driving force behind the East Lothian Junior Golf League, which comprises juniors from 12 East Lothian clubs.

David Warren was presented with the Sir Henry Cotton Award by Golf Foundation president Nick Dougherty at a ceremony in London. Picture: Golf Foundation.

“I would like to praise our local clubs, members and management, patrons and sponsors, as well as the hundreds of volunteer junior convenors and helpers, and thousands of junior golfers, who have contributed so much to the growth of the League during my 18-year continuous tenure as secretary,” he said.

“I hope all of our past and present juniors will stay involved in this great game for the rest of their lives.”

Warren is about to lead another group of East Lothian juniors to Pinehurst in North Carolina – they leave on Thursday – with this latest annual trip involving 20 players and six junior convenors.

In 2017, Warren, together with Ric Foulner, the junior convenor at West Links Juniors, founded the annual Scottish Junior Team Championships, an event that has two-time winning Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew as its Patron.

A group of 20 East Lothian juniors plus six adult leaders leave on Thursday on what has become an annual trip to Pinehurst in North Carolina.

In that, teams from all the Junior Leagues in Scotland battle it out for a trophy donated by Ian Howarth, a former president of Scottish Golf.

Warren was among a group of people recognised by the Golf Foundation and Dougherty said: “All these winners, all those nominated, and all those who work on growing the game make a huge impact in our sport – thanks to all of them.”