Jake Smith is well aware of his family’s golf heritage.
The 17-year-old Dartmouth golfer is the son of Gordie Smith, who has won the three amateur golf titles of Nova Scotia and made a name for himself with a final run at the 1988 Canadian Open. He finished seventh in that PGA tournament at Glen Abbey and it was the treasure of the pro-Canadian crowd that weekend.
Jake’s grandfather, Lorne Smith, was a two-time amateur champion in 1951 and 1954 as a member of the Brightwood Golf Club.
But the teenager is not someone who gets caught up in advertising. Jake Smith is planning his course. He is entering Grade 12 at Dartmouth High School and hopes to play college golf in the United States.
“I don’t feel the pressure of trying to live up to him,” said golfer Ashburn. “He (Gordie) always tells me to be my player and not to try to play like anyone else.”
The young Smith announced his presence last weekend at the Nova Scotia Golf Associations MCT amateur championship in Ken-Wo.
Smith, the youngest player on the field, made his way into the final group on Sunday and was in contention to return to the last nine. A double bogey at n. 10 was his downfall and ended third, just three hits from winner Ben Chasse.
“I expected to play well, but I didn’t expect to be that close to victory. I am surprised. “
“I love Jake’s attitude”
Jake hopes to bring the momentum from the amateur tournament to NSGA’s Jaguar Land Rover Halifax junior championship which begins Wednesday at the Ben Eoin Lakes Golf Club. A total of 98 golfers will compete in the three-day championship, which will crown male and female champions in the junior, youth, dwarf and pee divisions.
The young provincial is another league that has ties to the Smith family. Lorne won the title in 1948 and Gordie got top marks in 1980 and 81.
Jake would love to add his name to the trophy, but he said there are too many golfers to go this far. Smith is in the first group with reigning champion Mark Chandler (Chester) and Owen Mullen (Truro). Mullen was fourth to the amateur and Chandler sixth.
He said he wanted to keep the same mentality that helped him stay in conflict with the amateur.
“I’m still following the same game plan. Don’t try to overwhelm the course, just play across the fairway, hit the greens, two putts and make a lot of pars. I hope that strange one goes hunting for birds and tries not to do many doubles (carts) or high numbers. “
This type of maturity is the key to Jake’s game, said his father.
“I love Jake’s attitude,” said Gordie. “It is very balanced. I was a little more emotional, a little up, a little down. It is also the whole shift and will bode well for him. “
Jake played The Lakes on Monday and said he liked the demanding course where equality will be a big accomplishment.
“I would like to finish tied because anything on par will have a good chance of winning. I’m just trying to hit as many greens as possible and maybe some 5 par birdies. “
Growth spurt
Jake attributes his rise this year to a large increase in growth over the winter where he grew from 1.5 meters to 1.5 meters.
“Compared to last year, my game is completely different. I grew up a lot during the winter, so I’m hitting a lot farther, but still hitting straight. I’m turning some par 5s into par 4s and some of the par 4s are now short green shots.
“On the shorter par 4s I can almost drive the green, so it’s more of a choice,” said Jake. “You can play more aggressively and choose the green or you can simply hit an iron and have a wedge in the green. Now I have many more options. “
While hitting the ball longer, the short game is his bread and butter.
“The most important part of golf is the short game, within 100 meters,” said Jake, who credited his father for helping him with that aspect of his game. “Over time you learn that everyone hits well, but do the most hits when you’re good on the greens.”
Gordie said that following his father in tournaments has helped him become a great short-game player.
“My dad had a great short game and I think it has always been my strong point during my career. I think I really installed it on Jake.”
Role model but not coach
Jake said his father is out of hands when it comes to teaching the game. He receives his instructions from the respected teaching teacher Jeff MacDonald of Ashburn.
“Dad tries to stay away from the coach, he knows how to play but he doesn’t like to train,” said Jake.
“I don’t deal with the coaching part at all,” said Gordie, general manager of Ashburn Golf and Country Club. “It’s a modern game and Jeff is a modern teacher. Jake is in excellent hands. “
Comparisons are inevitable, but Gordie sees a depth of Jake’s game he didn’t have when he was young.
“It was definitely a different sport, but technically it’s much better,” said Gordie. “His mechanics are better, he plays more in a control game, he hits many more fairways and greens than I could have. I think my scoring ability and my short game was a bit sharper than hers, perhaps. But as for the mechanics and the way he wanders around a golf course, I certainly wasn’t able to play when I was 17. “
Both father and son have the opportunity to play together, usually weekly. Who asks the question, who wins?
“I played a lot with him when I was young, but I never witnessed the first Gordie,” said Jake.
“He’s very close now, I play a lot with him on the weekends in Ashburn and I think I barely put him out. It is quite competitive, usually it reaches the last hole.
“But now that I’m winning more and more, I feel his chances are getting worse,” laughed Jake.
Smith Vs. Smith
Gordie admits that hitting her son is now a challenge.
“It surpasses me a lot and makes me feel very old, but I still have a clever short game and I have a competitive advantage. I don’t let it slip easily, but I don’t suspect that I will do it several times. “
As Sunday’s amateur ended, Gordie couldn’t help but think about how much his father would enjoy watching Jake compete.
“I certainly thought about my father a lot on Sunday. I was thinking, it wouldn’t be nice for him to win. My dad has won and I have won, but I think the way Jake is going, he will have some more chance of winning one.
“For me, it’s a cure-all, because my dad loved the game, he loved everything and me too. I see that in Jake and I know that whatever happens, he will enjoy the game all his life.”
