Q & A with Ryan Smith, University of Wisconsin Commit and Reynolds Kingdom of Golf Student
Ryan Smith, a 16-year-old junior at Lake Oconee Academy, recently committed to the University of Wisconsin Men’s Golf Team for 2020. He has spent the past few months training at the Reynolds Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade and plans to continue improving his golf skills there with Sean Cain, Lead Instructor, and Blake Adams, PGA Professional and Instructor, before embarking on his collegiate career. We sat down with Smith to hear about his recent life-changing decision and the improvements he has already made under the tutelage of the Kingdom staff.
Ryan, you’ve already had an impressive career so far as a junior golfer. Tell me a little about some of your achievements.
I won State Player of the Year for 1A at the Georgia High School Golf Championship in 2018. I have finished in the top 15 of many American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments.
What led you to choose the University of Wisconsin when committing to a golf team?
I have been a fan of Wisconsin my whole life. My dad, Ted, played golf there and my entire family lives in close proximity to Madison, WI [home to the University of Wisconsin]. I visited recently and loved everything about the school and their golf program. After that, I knew it was the right choice for me.
What improvements are you looking to make at the Kingdom before you start at Wisconsin?
I want to work on mental game improvement. I am excited to work with Blake because a junior golfer like myself can really benefit from the experience of a pro golfer, especially in that area. Really, I am looking to fine tune all areas of my game to be on the level it takes to compete at the high-major level in the Big Ten Conference. I want to do everything it takes to shoot low scores.
