RICK SMITH CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

In addition to achieving great success in golf as a teacher, designer and communicator, Rick Smith is regarded as one of the PGA Tour’s best sounding boards for swing advice. In 2009, Rick was ranked as the number two golf instructor in the world by PGA Tour players and since 2000, Rick has been consistently ranked as one of the top ten golf instructors in the world; both polls were done by Golf Digest Magazine. Rick also currently operates Rick Smith Golf Academies at The Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, and The Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Smith has worked with some of the most accomplished and recognizable professional golfers in the world. His notable clients have included major champions such as Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh, David Duval, Paul Azinger, John Daly and Greg Norman. Adding to that list, Rick has assisted PGA Tour winners Chris DiMarco, Rocco Mediate, Jerry Kelly, Billy Mayfair, Matt Kuchar, and Billy Andrade among others.

Rick hosted the premier of The Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series in the fall of 2003. The inaugural season broke the Golf Channel’s all-time viewing ratings. The next season, the “Big Break II,” again hosted by Smith, more than doubled the audience from the record breaking inaugural year. Rick received accolades for unique knack for inviting the TV audience to live vicariously through the contestants.

Rick Smith’s love for hosting golf instructional shows on television began in 1994. That year, he developed “The Rick Smith Signature Series.” The “Signature Series” was seen by worldwide television audiences on ESPN International, TSN (Canada), and Fox Sports Net. The “Signature Series” ran for five years until Rick signed an exclusive golf content deal with the Golf Channel in 1999. Rick has also hosted “Inside the PGA Tour” and has been a commentator and analyst for both NBC and ESPN telecasts of golf tournaments. Currently, Rick has a TV series, “20/20 Golf TV with Rick Smith”, being broadcast across 4 regions (Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin) of Fox Sports Net. This show is a golf magazine themed show and covers all aspects of the game.

Rick Smith is an accomplished golf course designer. He has won dozens of awards and accolades for the golf courses he has designed. The list includes his “signature” course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, Arcadia Bluffs on Lake Michigan and Wuskowhan Player’s Club in Mount Olive, Michigan, just to name a few. Rick is also the managing partner of The TreeTops Resort, ranked in 2008 as one of the top golf resorts in the United States. In 2009, Rick took his golf course design business international as he has several golf course design and golf academy projects on-going in Asia with business partner Phil Mickelson.

Smith is also a respected and noted author. He is currently a teaching editor for Golf Digest Magazine. He previously served as instruction writer for Golf Magazine. He has also written Major Series publications. Smith is author of the 1998 book “How to Find Your Perfect Golf Swing,” published by Broadway Books, which is regarded as one of the top instruction books in the industry.

Over his career, Smith’s many honors include being appointed Michigan’s “Golf Ambassador” by Governor John Engler, and Golf Magazine has repeatedly honored him as one of America’s “Top 100 Teachers.” Smith has been named National Teacher of the Year, National Golf Professional of the Year and National Merchandiser of the Year.