Josh Smith

Emerald Lakes Teaching Professional, Josh Smith, is one of the most popular coaches on the coast and runs the extremely successful junior program, that continues to produce great results.

Josh lives in Brisbane and travels down the M1 each day to do what he loves most, teaching golf.

“Emerald Lakes is the perfect training ground for young golfers. It has great short game area and putting green, but best of all, the club encourages us to take the kids out onto the course from an early age, something very rare in the golf club environment these days. They are now reaping the rewards winning many club pennant championships over the last few years” Smith said.

Smith started playing when he was 8 years old and his passion for the game carries on through his teaching.

Recently married, Josh loves his family time but still enjoys a game of golf whenever he can, and loves to get out there on some of the great local courses. He doesn’t get much chance to practice these days, only the occassional extra putt or a few chips around the green during a playing lesson.

As a youngster he watched many of the great players such as Norman, Couples and Faldo, who inspired him to take the game more seriously.

“ I loved watching those guys when ever they came to play here and as a visual learner, I watched and tried to copy what they did” he
said.

After years of coaching, Smith still thinks it is the basics that matter the most.

“I try to teach my students that hard work pays off, but I also make sure they maintain a love of the game. If they love the game, they don’t see working hard on their game as a pain, but something they look forward too. These are the guys who succeed the most, the ones who wake up every day excited to play golf and learn”

“My main goal is simple, I want to introduce as many people to the game as I can, and make sure my current students continue to love the game more and more” he said.

While he has been been lucky enough to play with some great players throughout his professional career, his highlights these days are when one of his clients calls to let him know they have won their club competition, made a representative team or even just dropped their handicap.

His favourite golf course is Barbougle Dunes in Tasmania, although he has played many great courses that he enjoyed.

Josh is keen to try and pre-qualify for the Australian PGA at Royal Pines in November, but whether he qualifies or not, he will enjoy the challenge of competing again.

Josh is a true gentleman of the game, and feedback from many of his students shows he truely cares about their progress. That is something he must be proud of.