Jeff Smith

Please indicate past awards won/recognitions:
PGA Section Teacher of the Year, GRAA Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, Golf Magazine Top 100, Golf Digest Best in State, Other (Indicate specific awards below in 3-a)

Other awards won:
Indiana PGA Section Player Development Award 2018, Global Business Insight Magazine Best Golf Podcast Award 2022, 2023, 2024

Total number of individual lessons given per year:
Male: 650
Female: 350
Junior: 350

Total number of individual clinics given per year:
40+

Please indicate any Growth of the Game initiatives your facility/academy has launched over the past year (please give specifics on such programs):
I ran new golfer clinics at Talking Rock each Monday per month with 10 new golfers in it.
Each week covering 4 different aspects of golf in 2 hour classes. Every week a new batch of 10 new golfers comes in and the group that was last week shifts to Fridays after I see them and then they continue with the asst. professional while I take on the new group. Then the players move onto the course on Sunday evenings. This process repeats with the rotation from me to the asst pro then the course end I take them for the next round of improvement and this process begins at the next level of learning. We started this in the beginning of June and kept it going through the end of September when my season is done.

Please share any programming you have made to keep your customers & students engaged:
I also ran 4 to 6 person clinics Mondays and Tuesdays at Talking Rock that were topic specific each week. Topics were Speed and Power Schools to Aimpoint Green Reading, to Bunker Magic, Wedge Wizardy, Putting Mastery and On Course Strategy. The bring a friend and bring your 4 some groups are a popular part of the successes for the players at Talking Rock and at Pine Canyon.

The ladies group classes on Sunday afternoons ( Play 4 at 4 ) are a hit as we work on tee shots then take it to the course to play 4 holes in a scramble. They filled each week and we added Tuesdays afternoons as well. Drinks begin at 5:30 – no slow play is the motto!

A popular thing I did this summer is also the Pilsner with the Pro on Monday evenings in the grill at 6pm before dinner. Come hang with the pro and talk golf swing stuff!