Tour star Smith indebted to support of pair of PGA pros

18/07/2023

It is often said that behind most successful Tour players stands a PGA Professional. Think Michael Bannon and Rory McIlroy. Or Pete Cowen and a who’s who of major winners that includes Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Jordan Smith, by contrast, is indebted to not one but a pair of PGA pros for an ascent of the golfing ladder that has taken him from playing in the 2013 Walker Cup to two wins on the DP World Tour.

Smith turned pro in 2014 after a successful amateur career that also saw him win the Brabazon Trophy and engaged the services of Rob Hobkinson shortly afterwards.

Hobkinson, a PGA Sport Science lecturer, is the founder of Peak Performance and responsible for ensuring Smith is in peak physical condition to meet the demands of an intensive Tour schedule and the game itself.

“I’ve been with Rob since I turned pro and employed him as a strength, conditioning, and physio guy,” Smith explains. “He’s been great for me and, touch wood, made sure I haven’t had any injuries in the nine years we’ve been working together.”

His association with Simon Shanks, the other PGA pro in his team, goes back even further.

Like McIlroy and Bannon, Smith has been coached by Shanks at Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort, in Wiltshire since he started playing golf at the age of 12.

Showing promise, Smith was enrolled by Bowood Golf into its scholarship programme, designed to nurture and encourage promising ability at the outset of a golfing career.

Eighteen years later, Smith, now 30, is ranked in the world’s top 100, lies 40^th in the Race to Dubai and Shanks has been with him every step of the way.

“Jordan progressed through the tours and neither of us ever sat down and said: ‘We want to get onto the European Tour,’ or be a top amateur.’ It just happened!” Shanks recalls.

“One of our strengths was that we took each of his achievements a step at a time. Before you knew it, we were at the Walker Cup.

“Once we got there, we were thinking, what’s next? EuroPro, Challenge Tour, European Tour…”

Smith, who lives close to Bowood in Chippenham, adds: “I’ve been with Simon since I was 12 or 13 so he knows my swing inside out and isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m doing something wrong.

“We have a great relationship and have worked together so long. He used to do everything for me – putting, short game – although I engaged a putting coach a couple of years back.

“It’s been great having him involved and he should be recognised for the top work he’s done with me and also with Eddie Pepperell and Robert MacIntyre - he’s done such a good job.”

Smith, like MacIntyre, will be in action in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and both Shanks and Hobkinson will be members of his team.

“They both come with me to the majors – they were with me at the US Open last month and will be at Royal Liverpool” says Smith, who goes into the event buoyed by finishing seventh in the Scottish Open.

“We tend to rent a nice house and keep it as a group – we have good fun as well as the coaching aspect and it’s great having those guys along. They have been key figures in me getting to where I am now.”