Pontypool golf club lynchpin Allan Smith has been rewarded with the Golf Union of Wales Volunteer of the Year Award for 39 years of contributions .
Club officials collected the award on his behalf at the Future Financials 2012 Welsh Golf Awards held at the Vale of Glamorgan hotel and resort, then passed it on at a club event.
Smith has been the Competition and Handicap Secretary at Pontypool GC for a remarkable 39 years after joining in 1958. He was a regular first team player and club champion in 1971, taking over as Competition and Handicap secretary from his father in 1974.
In that time he has processed almost 200,000 competition round cards to allocate vouchers and prizes to the winners as well as all related handicap adjustments.
“Allan is quiet and unassuming, he does not want any praise ever, nothing is too much problem and he has been there 39 years without any expenses, petrol or even a pint. He does not want recognition,” explained club secretary Less Dodd.
“On our presentaton evening he comes up in the morning and lays out all the trophies to make sure they are all in place, does all the preparation beforehand but does not come along in the evening.
“He does quizzes through the winter, does all the questions. The only thing he has, which he was grateful for, is that the members made him a life member.”
Pontypool officials estimate he has spent 5,500 hours and driven almost 7,000 miles on club business without asking for any expenses. He also played a leading role in their centenary in 2003.
The award was presented by Golf Union of Wales Chairman John Jermine, who said, “Volunteers are the lifeblood of every golf club through Wales and it is a privilege to be able to recognise the work they do for the good of the game.”
Lyn Morgan, one of the club’s directors, added, “He could tell you every member’s handicap off the top of his head, including the ladies and he doesn not even do the ladies handicaps but he knows them.”
Golf Union of Wales www.golfunionwales.org
Golf Development Wales www.golfdevelopmentwales.org