A WEST Fife golf champion who once won a prestigious BBC award has died at the age of 85.

Willie McNair was honoured back in 2009 when he was named winner of the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award in Scotland for his efforts in helping hundreds of young golfers.

His funeral will take place today (Thursday) before which the funeral cortege is due to stop for a short time outside his beloved Saline Golf Club just after 1.15pm before continuing to Dunfermline Crematorium.

Brother David said his elder sibling took up golf after injury had stopped him playing football.

"He played football first – he played for Raith Rovers and had a couple of games with Hearts and Blackpool but it wasn't professional at that time," he explained. "Then he had a problem with his knees so he had to pack that in. He had his cartilage fixed and started to look at golf books – he was daft on Ben Hogan, the American golfer.

"He started playing golf after that and became very good. He won Saline Golf Championship nine times, six years in a row. He was made an honorary member up there."

Willie was born in Valleyfield, moved up to Oakley when he was 15. He attended St Serfs Primary in Valleyfield then St Margaret's secondary school. He worked as an electrical fitter first for Robert Barr before moving to Rosyth Dockyard where he worked until his retirement.

Devoting much of his time to golf, Willie was keen to help young golfers and even made or adapted clubs to help their game.

"He loved his time helping youngsters to learn golf," said David. "He used to make golf clubs for the youngsters – h would not take any money for it and he taught them golf. It was all voluntary.

"He brought through a few champions. I took him down to Pitfirrane where I am a member every year to see the competitions and most of them were ones he had taught."

A statement on Saline Golf Club's Facebook page paid tribute to their honorary member.

"Words cannot describe what Willie done for Saline Golf Club," it said. "Willie was well known throughout clubs in Fife, and helped so many young and old achieve so much with his coaching, this was acknowledged nationally when he was awarded the BBC Unsung Hero Award in 2009.

"He will be sadly missed by all who knew him, but legends never die, they live on in all of us."