Ross Smith Staff
Women's Golf Head Coach
Ross Smith returns for his eighth season as head coach of Notre Dame?s women?s golf team, contributing a wide range of golfing experience as a Professional Golf Association instructor and from his playing experience in both amateur and professional events.
During Smith?s time at Notre Dame, he has tutored two of the top performers in Irish women?s golf history ?1998 graduates Katie King and Tracy Melby?while helping attract new players who have the potential to play major roles in elevating Notre Dame women?s golf on the national scale.
The quality of Smith?s teaching ability recently was recognized by the Indiana Professional Golfers Association, which presented Smith with the prestigious Indiana Section Teacher of the Year award for 1999.
A 1978 graduate of Morehead State University, Smith has spent the last 11 years as the head professional at the South Bend Country Club, which has been ranked among the top five courses in Indiana by Golf Digest magazine.
Before coming to South Bend, Smith was the head professional and course superintendent for seven years at the Maysville (Ky.) Country Club and an assistant professional for four years at the Lexington (Ky.) Country Club.
While playing golf at Morehead State, Smith helped lead the Eagles to the 1977 Missouri Valley Conference Championship while also capturing numerous individual medal and match-play championships.
It was at that time when Smith began his career in course management, spending his senior year as the assistant manager at the Morehead State Golf Club before becoming the course manager. He entered the Professional Golf Association apprentice program in March of 1979.
While playing as a professional, Smith qualified and played in three National Club Professional tournaments. He also played in three Kentucky Open championships, twice finishing second in the professional flight, and was part of teams that won the 1985 Kentucky and 1990 Indiana team championships.
Born July 20, 1955, Smith and his wife, Valerie, have two daughters, Caycee and Cidney.