Doug Smith
GOLF EXPERT, TV CORRESPONDENT & HOST
GOLF IS A BRIDGE
I picked up my first set of used mismatched-clubs when I was four years old and I haven’t stopped chasing flags since. Later, throughout my time as one of the few black Division I collegiate golfers and professional on the mini tours, I learned about the doors golf can open, even while some gates were being shut in my face.
All of this helped me realize that golf is a bridge, and with our help, this game can unite us, open doors, and have a positive lasting effect on people’s lives. This is why I’ve dedicated my professional life to help create opportunities for black, brown & other underrepresented people in the game. There was a time earlier in my career when I used to be afraid to say that out loud. I’m not afraid anymore, I think golf is ready.
CATCH ME ON
MEDIA FEATURES
“NBC Sports has launched Beyond The Fairway, a new podcast hosted by professional golfers Doug Smith and Will Lowery, aimed at examining golf from different perspectives through interviews with celebrities, athletes and golf influencers and expanding the reach of the game.”
— NBC Sports.
“Smith, who was the first Black golfer on the University of Louisville men’s team and won the individual title at the 2005 PGA National Minority Collegiate Championship, also remembers having snuck onto courses—and being the first Black person to tee it up at one particular golf course while playing in a 2005 U.S. Open local qualifier.”
— Stephen Hennessey, GolfDigest.
“Doug Smith has long been outspoken about golf’s lack of diversity, in terms of race but also privileged access.”
— Josh Moore, Kentucky Herald-Leader.
“Smith, who has been engaged in diversity conversations within the industry since 1998, offers a less sugarcoated assessment: ‘I’m disappointed in golf overall as a whole. It’s the people that are in positions to make the change. I don’t feel like there has been enough pro-activity. Everything that I’ve seen from my vantage is always a reaction,’ he says.”
