Page 104 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2017

SPORTS & OUTDOORS diamond in the rough GOLFGURU
HOPPY SMITH, Diamondhead Golf Pro gives lessons to locals.
Diamondhead Pro Wins Golf Digest Award
story by Michael Sunderman photos courtesy of Hoppy Smith
For most golfers, the game is a
passionate part of their lives. When they
aren’t playing golf, they’re thinking about their last round and how they can get better. But, for the majority of amateur golfers, their passion outweighs their skills and they all too often try to figure out a complicated game on their own or with tips from their equally challenged high-handicap playing partners.
So what can they do to get better? They have to see a PGA golf professional to get an assessment of their skills and physical limitations and then build a plan to improve their weaknesses and take advantage of their strengths. South Mississippi is blessed with several great teaching professionals. One of them just earned a unique honor, being named Golf Digest Best Teacher in the State of Mississippi.
Hoppy Smith earned this award based on results from ballots sent to PGA teaching pros in all 50 states and voted on by their peers. The 2017-18 class of Best Teachers in Mississippi included Hoppy as well as V.J Trolio and Tim Yelverton from
Old Waverly Golf Club and Bob Wolcott from Tunica National.
A native of Mississippi, Hoppy became a professional in 1993. He served his apprenticeship under Kenny Hughes, PGA at the Broadwater Sun Course, from 1993 – 1996. On August 1, 1996, he was elected to the PGA of America and joined the Diamondhead Country Club as Head Golf Professional until opening The Golf Academy of Diamondhead in December 2012. During this time, he was awarded 1999 Regional Club Fitter of the Year by Ping and voted Gulf Coast Teacher of the Year by his peers in 2004.
He is a Certified Club Fitter and holds certifications with Eyeline Golf, K-vest and is a SeeMore Putting Certified Instructor. In
2016, Hoppy was named an Ambassador for Swing Catalyst,
a state-of-the-art pressure measuring system use by golf professionals worldwide. In 2008 he achieved a G.S.E.B. (Golf Stroke Engineering Bachelor’s) with the Golfing Machine and is now working towards his Master’s. Hoppy has been nominated Gulf States PGA Teacher of the Year from 2011 to 2015. He was
the recipient of the Gulf States PGA Teacher of the Year Award in
104 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2017
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
2016.
Congratulations Hoppy!