Roger Smith '24 Recruiting Profile

I am looking to play college golf as a way to further both my athletic and

academic life. I started playing golf when I was 7 years old because my dad

played a lot and I wanted to be like him. When I was 12, I realized that I wanted

to take golf to the next level and started practicing with a coach. Now I am also

working out to improve my strength, which has allowed me to reach an

average driving distance of around 300 yards. Golf has taught me a lot about

myself and how I handle adversity has contributed to my ability to improve my

game. As a freshman, my high school golf team was expected to win the State

Championship, but we ended up in third place. When faced with this

disappointing result, I did not give up but instead practiced even harder. I was

able to improve my scoring at the State Championship from freshman year

84-91-83 to my sophomore year 81-79-76. My improvement contributed to the

team winning the state championship by 60 shots.

An obstacle that I had to overcome during my freshman year was letting

my emotions get the best of me. I was able to identify this as a weakness in

my game and I worked with a mental coach to learn skills to allow me to

manage my emotions better. I have been able to implement these skills as my

game continues to mature and they played a large part in my improvement

between my freshman year and my sophomore year. I now think my mental

game, and more specifically my ability to control my emotions, can be

considered one of my strengths and something that sets me apart from other

young golfers.

While I want golf to be an important part of my college experience, my

academic experience is just as important to me. This is another area where I

separate myself from others, as I use my strong work ethic to also succeed in

my classes. I am taking all AP or honors classes and have a 4.0, which is the

most rigorous schedule that my school offers. I couple these hard classes

with practicing or working out almost everyday, which is only possible

because of my work ethic and time management skills. I want to continue my

golf career at the next level while getting a great education, and that is why I

am passionate about finding the right school for me.