By Leonard Finkel
Rick Smith, one of golf’s leading swing coaches, has been very busy in his usual enthusiastic manner while preparing for the upcoming 2017/2018 PGA Tour season. Kicking off the fall season, long-time Smith student Brendan Steele won the PGA Tour’s 2017-2018 season-opening tournament at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa Valley on Oct. 8. At the same time, Smith is preparing for the opening of the Rick Smith Golf Performance Center at Doral on January 1, 2018.
“I can’t say enough about how excited I am for Brendan and the work he has put into his golf swing,” Smith said. “The changes we have been implementing over the past few years are taking shape and putting him in a great position to be one of the top players on Tour. He is beginning to rise to the top in many of the key statistical categories on Tour including driving distance and strokes gained tee to green and off the tee, which is a testament to his dedication to improvement. Like last year, this win should set the tone for him to once again compete for the Fed Ex Cup.”
Beginning in January, Smith, whose successful and diverse resume includes being a top instructor, course designer, TV analyst, spokesman and communicator, will concentrate on the passion that laid the foundation for his industry success – instruction. He has been ranked as high as the No. 3 teacher in the world and has worked with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh, David Duval, Paul Azinger, John Daly, Greg Norman and Sang Moon Bae, among other top players.
“I have had tremendous opportunities around the world to teach, design courses, and help promote the game, but my true passion has always been teaching all aspects of the game of golf and to help people get better,” Smith says. “This opportunity to bring my flagship performance center to Trump National Doral Miami will allow me to focus on my passion for helping golfers of all levels from PGA Tour players, elite amateurs and beginners to improve their games.”
Smith’s current PGA Tour students like Steele, Rocco Mediate, Latin American Tour player Tyler McCumber as well as others, will now have one of the best facilities in the world to call upon when they want to improve their games.
During the development of the new Rick Smith Golf Performance Center, Smith will be assembling an elite team of instructors that will include key past teachers he has worked with along with a collection of top teachers that exemplify Rick’s swing philosophies he has implemented over the years.
“There are common fundamentals shared by all the best teachers, but there certainly is not one method or swing to play the game with,” explained Smith. “This has been proven over the years by the several different types of players’ golf swings we have worked with who have won multiple times on tour as well as major championships.”
Along with world-class instructors, state of the art swing technology and video analysis, the new performance center will serve resort guests, club members and visitors. This modern facility will provide a wide range of unique, fun and non-pressure type programming in a relaxed atmosphere. This includes private lessons, half-day, full-day and multi-day programs, PGA Professional-member programs, group clinics, on-course programs and junior programming. http://www.ricksmith.com/
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.