Dedication is vital if you are to achieve sporting success and this is a quality Eddie Pepperell seems to have in abundance.

The 15-year-old, from Abingdon, has had an excellent 2006, including victory in the Frilford Heath Gold Medal and defending his Faldo Series title.

But if he is to fulfil his ambition of turning professional, his off-the-course preparation may prove just as vital.

Although our scheduled round at Frilford Heath was scuppered by the foggy conditions, even in the clubhouse Pepperell's determination was clear to see.

The John Mason School pupil plans to compete as an amateur after finishing his GCSEs next summer and then move into the professional ranks when he feels ready.

Pepperell said: "My dad really got me into golf when I was about four.

"He played at Drayton Park and there was a lady pro there called Diana, who started teaching me.

"There was a par-three course and my dad said I never wanted to come off it."

Peperrell didn't play competitively until he was nine or ten when he joined Hinksey Heights.

His first handicap was 25 at age ten.

"It was a good learning curve up at Hinksey Heights as it is a really tough course," said Pepperell.

"When you are that age, you just enjoy it. I used to go up there in the summer holidays and practise all the time.

"All my friends would go out to play a round, but I would be happy just to practise on my own.

"I think that's what helped me get to where I am now."

Pepperell's dad Ron is the club steward at Drayton Park, while his brother Joe and sister Emily also play golf.

"My family have always been supportive," he said.

"My parents have had to spend a lot of money, especially over the last three or four years.

"They've never been forceful. I see a lot of guys whose parents are like that, but my dad's not.

"He does it because I like it and he lets me do it."

Pepperell has been coached by Alisdair Barr of Lavender Park Golf Range, near Ascott, for two years.

"When I first met him I was struggling with length," he said.

"He has been able to help me a lot. He has also caddied for me a couple of times.

"It is great to have a guy with such experience, who has been on the tour."

How does Pepperell prepare himself for action?

He said: "In a week leading up to a tournament, I will go through the course I'm going to play.

"I think what I need to do well to succeed on it.

"I will also try not to overplay. You want to be going in there really fresh and up for it."

Pepperell has a clear plan as to how he wants to progress after leaving school.

He said: "I would like to play two or three years of amateur golf. If I feel ready to go pro, I will.

"Hopefully I will get into the England Elite Squad as then I will travel around the world with them.

"I would like to play Walker Cup before turning pro because that is the pinnacle of amateur golf."

Pepperell added: "Although I want to do well in amateur golf, what I really want to do is professional golf.

"I think my overall game is pretty solid.

"I don't have big weaknesses that really stop me, but there are thing sthat I can improve all the time.

"I'm working hard on my mental and physical game over the winter."

Pepperell sees psychologist Brian Hemmings as part of the England under 18 squad and believes this can give him "an edge".

"There's parts of my game - like my attitude - and that I never give up that I don't want to change," he said.

"But sometimes I've got to control my aggression a bit better."

Combining golf and school commitments can be difficult though, as he is the first to admit.

"It can be tough getting the right balance, but I enjoy being there with my friends," he said.

"The school are really, really good with my golf. I think they understand that it's what I want to do and give me time off.

"But they expect me to revise when I'm away."

Another thing Pepperell is always on the look-out for is sponsor- ship.

He said: "It can cost up to £30,000 a year to play amateur golf.

"Unless you find one sponsor with that much money, you are always looking for anything you can get."

The biggest under 18 tournaments Pepperell will enter in 2007 are the McEvoy Trophy in April and the Carris Trophy in July.

"I feel I'm good enough two win both of them and that's my target," he said.

"In general my aim is just to have another good year.

"This year I made the cut in all the events I played and I hope for the same next year.

Pepperell will play in the Spanish Amateur Open in February after he has been to South Africa with England and to China for the Faldo Series International.

He said: "The real action is from April until October. It's a short season with a lot packed in, so it can be tough.

"The winter is all about resting. By December I will be practising harder."

Back in Oxfordshire, Pepperell's best rounds at his two clubs, Frilford Heath and Drayton Park are both six-under-par.

The fog may have spared me from losing to him on the course, but you can expect many to experience that fate in 2007.