Golf professional Andy Humphries was determined to give youngsters in Mid Wales opportunities which he did not have growing up, as his parents clocked up the miles to let him develop his game.
That drive now has hundreds of children receiving golf coaching through their schools, involving the area's seven clubs, and resulted in Humphreys being awarded the Golf Development Wales PGA Professional of the Year at a glittering ceremony at Ryder Cup venue, Celtic Manor, backed by Cardiff company Future Financials.
The former assistant pro at Llanymynech Golf Club was appointed two years ago as a roving professional across all the clubs involved in setting up the Montgomeryshire Golf Forum.
“It has been a very hard year getting it all going, but it has been very rewarding and then to get this recognition at Celtic Manor was the icing on the cake,” said 26-year-old Humphries.
“It was great to be there and really nice to get such a reward for the hard work which has been going on in Montgomeryshire.
“I was brought up in the area so I wanted to make sure there were more opportunities than there were when I was young. My parents had to drive at least 30-40 miles every time for me to go to coaching and competitions in North Wales or England.
“I wanted to change that and give people opportunities here in Montgomeryshire. I wanted to introduce people to the game through the Ryder Cup and the Golf Development Wales schemes, as well as encouraging them to continue through the clubs.
“I have been spending one a day a week at six clubs, so there has been a lot to do.”
It may have been hard work, but Humphries has achieved an incredible amount. Over 500 children received weekly coaching sessions, with more than 1,000 having been introduced to the game.
Humphries coordinates the Dragon Sport team who deliver golf sessions in each of the 60 primary schools in the area.
Each of the seven golf clubs have held Dragon Golf festivals, while one club helped a school design and construct a course within their grounds.
Easter Golf camps at Welshpool and the Mid Wales clubs resulted in four out of five attendees going on to join the clubs, with 300 ladies and 50 men going through the ladies and beginners courses.
Junior development and girls squads have been set up, along with an order of merit and matches against neighbouring counties.
It is considerable list of giving the people in Mid Wales golfing opportunities which did not exist in the past.
“The next stage is to build on all that, while maintaining the work in the schools which is going on, but also bringing more of those children to the clubs,” said Humphries.
“There will be no let up but it is nice to see the progress being made and the enjoyment that golf is bringing to all these people.
“The clubs are seeing the benefits in extra members, so that is promising as well. It will be interesting how it all moves forward over the next year.”
Humphries now has the top award to show for his efforts and hopes that will give the initiatives a further boost.
The awards were sponsored by Future Financials, a Cardiff based Welsh company which provides Golf Clubs with a facility that enables their members to pay their annual subscriptions by monthly direct debit payments, rather than in one large annual payment. For more information please go to www.futurefinancials.co.uk .
PICTURE: Andy (left) was presented with his award by Andy Morgan, Chairman of Golf Development Wales.
Golf professional Andy Humphries was determined to give youngsters in Mid Wales opportunities which he did not have growing up, as his parents clocked up the miles to let him develop his game.
