It's been a fantastic year for Welsh golf professional Neil Matthews, who has won the Golf Foundation's prestigious Sinclair Award.
The award topped a great 12 months for the Pontypool pro who in addition to a blossoming golf career has just finished building his own five-bedroom house ahead of the birth of his first child in August.
The Sinclair Award is handed out annually by the leading golf charity to a PGA professional who has made a significant impact in the development of grass roots junior golf.
In the case of the 27-year-old from Gwent that has included weekly Tri-Golf sessions in primary schools and the organisation of the Golf Roots scheme on behalf of the Golf Foundation and Golf Development Wales in which nearly 200 children from 10 different schools took part.
He's also been the driving force behind a new pay-and-play club at the Talywain Driving Range, where over 80 juniors, a third of whom are girls, receive regular coaching from this inspirational professional. In addition Matthews tutors leadership workshops and coaches elite juniors.
Despite such a busy time Matthews was somewhat shocked to pick up the award from the Golf Foundation.
He said: "It came as a bit of a shock but it's great to put the work in and then get some recognition. I didn't even know I was in the running for the award, so it was a really nice feeling to be given it."
Matthews' hard work over the year has seen a massive increase in interest in golf from the youngsters around his Pontypool club.
He explained: "We took Tri-Golf into the local schools and it proved to be a real big hit. It's such a quick, fast and fun sport and the kids just loved it.
"Once the kids got interested in the sport it was pretty plain sailing to maintain that interest and keep them coming back.
"We've had a number of them progress from playing Tri-Golf to coming along to the actual course and picking up real clubs. I've gone from coaching seven children at the club to over 100."
Matthews collected his award at Wentworth during the BMW PGA Championship where Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: "All of the progress we have made through 2006 would not have been possible had it not been for the commitment and enthusiasm of the teachers, club volunteers and PGA professionals running junior development programmes at the local level."