Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2022

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
Teach ng Twosome
Hoppy and Suzy Smith
story by Tommy Snell
photos courtesy of Hoppy Smith
Maya Angelou once said, “Try to be a rainbow
in someone’s cloud.” In 2016 Suzy Smith certainly became those seven colors for PGA Master Teacher Hoppy Smith, and juniors at the Academy at Diamondhead are glad she did.
Young golfers at the Academy at Diamondhead are having fun, and so are Hoppy and Suzy. “We are like best friends,” beamed Hoppy. He admitted that six years ago he was burned out, but Suzy rekindled the fire for teaching juniors after a tee time at the wedding chapel.
The Smiths are one of two husband-and-wife Top 50 teaching duos in the country. Since 2004, U.S. Kids Golf has recognized coaches who excel in “experience, innovation, creativity, communication, parental engagement, organization, devotion, and growing the game.” Hoppy and Suzy exhibit those traits in every junior clinic they conduct.
Both take their roles with junior golf seriously. “The most gratifying moment is when I put a club in a junior’s hands for the first time and then years later he or she signs a college scholarship,” said Hoppy, the former PGA Gulf States Teacher of the Year.
For Suzy, “Watching the kids develop something they didn’t think they could do” tees off as the most satisfying accomplishment. When asked about the most challenging aspect of teaching, both didn’t hesitate: “Parents.”
Suzy and Hoppy Smith are a husband and wife teaching duo.
having fun. “Kids want to be with their friends and to have fun,” said Suzy. “We try to make learning the game fun.”
During their Saturday morning clinics, the twosome will have the kids play Tic Tac Toe and other games on the practice green. “On Tuesdays and Thursdays we try to put them on the golf course.”
The U.S. Kids Foundation’s mission is simple: “To help kids have fun learning the lifelong game of golf and encourage family interaction that builds lasting memories.” That mission and the love of the game are tightly strapped on Hoppy and Suzy Smith’s golf cart.
“We get the parents involved, but we ask the parents not to deviate from the Players Pathway, a U.S. Kids workbook that covers driving, chipping and other skills as the kids move from Level 1 to Level 10,” said Hoppy. Don’t misunderstand – they love parent involvement, but they want to make sure that parents understand that kids need to learn the joy in learning the game.
Both agreed that golf loses more kids to soccer, baseball, and basketball every year because they like playing on a team and
90 | February 2022
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