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Published: March 25, 2009, 4:32 a.m.

b'Many know Rick Smith the golf instructor, but few know about his accolades as a player. He never lost a match at Upper St. Clair High School near Pittsburgh, he qualified for the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont, and in 1980 he shot a 61 in the PGA\'s club professional Playing Ability Test."I learned a lot working for Walker Inman at Scioto Country Club, and he believed that to be a great teacher of the game, you had to be a pretty good player," says Smith. "I still love playing golf. So much, I\'ve actually thought about playing on the Champions Tour when I turn 50."
Ever since he used to pass instruction notes to high school teammates and give lessons to a then 14-year-old Lee Janzen, Smith says his time spent on the lesson tee is his favorite part of the day.

RICK SMITH
MASTER TEACHING PROFESSIONAL TO THE PGA TOUR\\u2019S BEST!

Rick Smith, CEO and President of Rick Smith Enterprises, Inc., has achieved great success in golf as a teacher, designer and communicator. He is regarded as one of the PGA tour\\u2019s best \\u201csounding boards\\u201d for swing advice and has been consistently ranked as one of the top five golf instructors in the world by Golf Digest.

Smith\\u2019s professional career has been molded under the tutelage of several top PGA professionals including famed instructors: Don Kotnik (Toledo CC), Walker Inman (Scioto CC), and Dick Harmon (River Oaks). As Smith honed his skills he has assisted some of the most accomplished golfers in the world including Phil Mickelson, (currently the 4th ranked golfer in the world) Lee Janzen (two time U.S. Open champion) and PGA Tour winners Rocco Mediate, Jerry Kelly, and Matt Kuchar. He has also worked with PGA Tour pros Jack Nicklaus-golfer of the century, Gary Nicklaus, Billy Andrade, Greg Norman, Bill Glasson, David Duval, Vijay Singh, Ray Floyd, Paul Azinger and many others.

Smith has established numerous golf academies and learning centers. He currently operates Rick Smith Golf Academies at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, and Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Rick Smith hosted the premier of the \\u201cBig Break\\u201d series in the fall of 2003. The inaugural season broke the all-time Golf Channel\\u2019s viewing ratings. The next season the \\u201cBig Break II\\u201d, more than doubled the audience from the record breaking inaugural year. Rick received accolades for his adept skill at building camaraderie between contestants while stoking their competitive natures. He has a unique knack for inviting the TV audience to live vicariously through the contestants. Today, \\u201cThe Big Break\\u201d is a successful \\u201cseries formula\\u201d that has excited the customary Golf Channel fan while attracting a greater audience.

Rick Smith\\u2019s love for hosting golf instructional shows on television began in 1994. That year, he developed \\u201cThe Rick Smith Signature Series\\u201d. The \\u201cSignature Series\\u201d was seen by worldwide television audiences on ESPN, TSN (Canada), and Fox Sports Net. The \\u201cSignature Series\\u201d ran for five years until Rick signed an exclusive golf content deal with the Golf Channel in 1999. Rick has also hosted \\u201cInside the PGA Tour\\u201d and has been a commentator and analyst for both NBC and ESPN telecasts of golf tournaments.

Rick Smith has won dozens of awards and accolades for his skill as a golf course designer. The list includes his \\u201cSignature\\u201d course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, \\u201cArcadia Bluffs\\u201d on Lake Michigan and \\u201cWuskowhan Player\\u2019s Club in Mount Olive, Michigan, just to name a few.

Smith is also a respected and noted author. He is currently teaching professional contributor for Golf Digest Pro Panel. He previously served as instruction writer for Golf Magazine. He has also written Major Series publications. Smith is author of the 1998 book \\u201cHow to Find Your Perfect Golf Swing,\\u201d published by Broadway Books, which is regarded as one of the top instruction books in the industry.

CLUBFACE GOLF was founded by co-owners Dave Wesley and Steve Egbert in San Clemente, California. Dave is a playing and teaching professional in Orange County California. He has obsessively been studying the golf swings of the games greatest players and the teachings of what are considered to be the world\'s best teachers for the past 30 years.
As Dave\'s teaching philosophy developed he realized that the \\u201ctrue\\u201d secret of the golf swing is the clubface and the ability of the golfer to control it throughout the entire golf swing. The majority of golfers in the world do not have a good understanding of the clubface position throughout the swing. Dave made the clubface position throughout the entire golf swing the center piece of his professional instruction, which resulted in his students achieving greater success much more quickly.

Avila Beach Golf Resort - www.avilabeachresort.com
Blacklake Golf Resort - www.blacklake.com
Inn at Avila Beach - www.avilabeachca.com
Avila LaFonda Hotel - www.avilalafondahotel.com
Golfland Warehouse - www.golflandwarehouse.com
Slickstix - www.slickstix.com

For more information on Golf Talk Radio with Mike & Billy visit www.golftalkradio.com and visit www.centralcoasttoday.com for Golf Talk TV with Mike & Billy.\\xa0
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