Gordie Smith

It will be seldom that any of us will look “big time golf” in the face. Fewer still will experience success at a highly competitive level. Gordie Smith knows what that’s like, but now, on the business side of golf, he thoroughly enjoys the challenge of managing one of the more prestigious golf clubs in the Atlantic region.

Born in Dartmouth, N.S. in 1963, Gordie went to school in his hometown, graduating from Prince Andrew in 1981. He attended the University of South Florida in Tampa on a golf scholarship and graduated with a business degree four years later. He was introduced to the golf by his father Lorne, a very accomplished player and winner of the Nova Scotia Amateur Championship in 1951 and 1954.
“Both my mom and dad played golf and it was certainly in our blood,” recalls Gordie. “I have an older and younger brother and we all loved to play, mainly because dad didn’t push the game on us. He just introduced us to golf and let us enjoy it. There were four or five families on our street, with lots of kids, who all played at Brightwood. We virtually grew up around the golf course and, in the summer, we were up there everyday.”

Smith was a pretty good athlete and improved quickly. Starting to play competitive golf when he was thirteen, he soon won the Nova Scotia Midget and Juvenile Championships. He won the Nova Scotia Junior when he was seventeen and repeated the following season as well as capturing the first of three Nova Scotia Amateur Championships - 1981, 1982, and 1985.

“I always felt that amateur golf in Nova Scotia was great. The NSGA did a great job with the tournaments. I enjoyed that time growing up.”

At university in Florida it was a little more difficult. He found it harder to play good golf twelve months of the year and his game would get a little stale in the summers. At this time he was trying to decide on whether or not to turn professional.

I really had to do a lot of soul searching in my final two years of university,” said Smith, “but, at the same time, I concentrated on completing my degree.”

Eventually he was influenced to turn professional by his father and Bruce Walker, an avid golfer, who had been a high school teacher of his. Gordie acknowledged that golf was a huge part of his life and decided he wanted to give professional golf a try.

“We started a company and sold shares. Everyone, even juniors from Brightwood, bought shares. The people of Dartmouth have always been strong supporters of mine. It was a fantastic time and an overwhelming experience.”

Turning professional in the fall of 1986, Gordie started playing on an American tour that would be similar to the present Nationwide Tour. Although not affiliated with the PGA Tour, at the time, it still consisted of the top 200 players who were not regulars on the PGA Tour. He traveled to events across the U.S., starting down around Florida and working west. In his first summer he decided to play the Canadian Tour and he won.

“I had success early, which was a big surprise,” laughs Smith, “ because I hadn’t excelled in golf the last couple of years at university. I won my very first tournament on the Canadian Tour, the Labatt’s Light Ontario Open. All of sudden I had some cash in my pocket and an exemption to the Canadian Open. It was the very first event on the schedule and I had to qualify for it.. It was quite a thrill. Dave Barr and Dan Holderson were in the field. It was quite an amazing thing to win that trophy and the $10,000 prize, which for a 23 year old at the time, seemed like a million. In my first Canadian Open, I made the cut. I didn’t play well on Sunday, but it was an amazing experience. Who would have thought a kid growing up in Dartmouth, N.S. would play in the Canadian Open, let alone make the cut. Things were going really well.”

The next year on U.S. tour, Gordie won the first event, the Orlando Open. He had been playing the CPGA mini tour events at Royal Oak in Titisville, Florida.. After winning one of these he went to Orlando at the end of the same week, shot a 16 under par total and won again. Back in Canada by summer, he successfully defended his title at the Ontario Open.

“It looked as though graduating to the PGA tour was within my sights” recalls Smith, “all my focus was on tour school in the fall. There I made it to the finals, but finished a few shots out of qualifying. In my third year I continued with a lot of success, including a seventh place finish at the Canadian Open.”

Gordie continued his pursuit in qualifying for the PGA Tour.

“I sure wanted to do it,” he recounts, “ but, in the end, it wasn’t to be. Maybe the early success spoiled me; maybe I didn’t work hard enough; perhaps I could have done things differently, but, looking back, I certainly don’t have any regrets. I got to compete at a high level in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the Bahamas and I feel comfortable knowing that I was good enough to play out there. My support back home was great and the press always treated me well. It was the most exciting time in my golf career. Now, when I talk to young kids, who have this dream, I tell them to work hard and do the things they need to do, because they will only get one chance.”

With his playing career behind him he is now very happy to be working on the business side of golf.
“I’m still in the sport and industry I love, and now I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I have a wonderful family life and a great job,” reflects Smith. “I still get to enjoy the game, although I am not nearly as competitive as I once was, and I get to stay at home. I am very settled and happy where I am now.”

Four years ago, Gordie took over the general manager’s position at Oakfield Golf & CC, outside of Halifax, N.S. He oversees the operation of the club and its staff of 52 people in administration, course maintenance, food and beverage and the pro shop operation. “It’s been a learning experience, but its been going very well,” says Smith. “Basically I oversee the daily operation at Oakfield, and with the ongoing renovation projects, there is a lot of budgeting. I enjoy the interaction with the staff - we go through a lot together. We have an open door policy and when there are questions and concerns, we sit down and discuss them. We try to create a friendly atmosphere that will foster productive relationships and friendships in our workplace. Each year we have a staff picnic and a tournament at the end of the year.”

Gordie agrees that golf clubs benefit greatly in employing qualified CPGA professionals. “My club realizes the benefits - we have three qualified CPGA professionals here. Just the knowledge of the game, and how the entire golf facility should look and feel is of tremendous importance, in order to make the system as effective as possible.

From the time I drive in the parking lot, the club is comfortable that I know that this is how the golf course should look and operate. So we have been able to maximize the revenue and move forward with projects. Financially the club has done extremely well. The CPGA, especially in the last five to eight years is recognized among other national PGA’s as one of the best. The training the CPGA puts their apprentices through, now requiring a business diploma, will help us move forward. The clubs that employ a qualified professional certainly appreciate it; perhaps, clubs that don’t should investigate the advantages.”

On a typical day, Gordie arrives before the office opens to check e-mail and do some office chores before things start to get busy. He consults with assistant professional Andrew Noseworthy, who operates the pro shop, to discuss the upcoming day. Most of his golf lessons are taught in the morning. He tries to talk with superintendent Hugh Yorke every day. At noon hour he usually meets with the food and beverage staff.

Every couple of weeks a meeting of department managers is held. “Customer service is so important,” observes Gordie. “The members want to know what’s going on. So, all staff members, from course maintenance staff to food and beverage staff, must know how to relate to and serve a member’s needs. It’s important, in the private club community, to treat the members well.”
Gordie admits that the strongest part of his game is putting and chipping.
“Most people would say that I hit the ball strong and far and my driver is my strong point. That may be somewhat true, when I’m playing and practicing a lot, but my chipping and putting has always been the best part of my game since I started to play.”

Now that he doesn’t play and practice as he once did he has, a philosophy that all golfers can benefit from to keep their game at a decent level. “More than anything I just try to work my way around the golf course a little better. It comes down to course management. If I’m not playing regularly, I leave my driver in the bag. I would rather hit it shorter off the tee, in play, and just manage it from there. My short game is still pretty good, so even when I can’t control my long game, I still do all right. You can’t stand up to every shot and be uptight and not sure where it will go. If some parts of your game are not going well, you had better go with what is. You have to be realistic.”

Smith enjoys playing hockey in the winter and in recent years has started downhill skiing. “In recent years my wife has got me interested in downhill skiing. I absolutely love it - I enjoy being outdoors. Tanya is a really good water skier and snow skier. Now that we have two small children we probably won’t get to ski as much, but when the boys are older it will make a great family activity.”

Smith enjoys his involvement in a couple of the golf tournaments that raise funds for Sport Nova Scotia. He is on the Board of Directors for the Digby Classic that not only raises funds for Sport Nova Scotia but also the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the CPGA Atlantic executive committee, presently serving as vice-president and financial director.

Gordie admits, “ my most memorable moments were the births of my sons - as any father knows, it is an amazing moment and it’s wonderful watching them grow and learn new things.” His most memorable moment in playing golf is the Canadian Open in 1988. “Coming up the 18th hole with my parents, who had walked every hole with me, then putting out for a 67 and seventh place and 30,000 people chanting Gordo, Gordo - it was pretty overwhelming. Being twenty-five, at the time, I didn’t realize what a big deal it was. Now that I don’t play competitive golf anymore, I think of it as a pretty amazing moment.

As for the future, Gordie says that he still wants to learn more about the business side of golf and grow as a golf professional and club manager. “Working here at Oakfield has been an interesting few years, actually a wonderful few years, for me. In taking over the management of the club and thrust into the responsibility of getting a financing package assembled and spending a considerable amount of money, all the while keeping an eye on the budget and time frame, as well as overseeing the daily operation of the club, has been a great challenge and rewarding experience.”

Gordie and his wife Tanya reside in Dartmouth, N.S. with his sons Michael, who just turned four, and Jake, who was born on March 7, 2003.