From parking cars to the leaderboard: The Northern Texas PGA Texas State Open story for Troup’s Jake Smelser

Published 9:06 pm Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Last year, Jake Smelser was helping park cars during the Northern Texas PGA Texas State Open.

One year later, Smelser, a 2019 Troup High grad and Stephen F. Austin student, is on the brink of making the two-day cut to golf in the final championship rounds.

To play in the event at the Cascades Club in Tyler, Smelser had to qualify, and he did in style, shooting a 4-under 67 on June 30 at a PGA qualifier at the Cascades Club, fighting off a strep throat.

But he knew he didn’t want to park the car of 2020 Texas State Open champion Mitchell Meissner, he wanted to golf with him.

“I woke up that first morning last year and I was running late to work and after I got there I thought, ‘Man, I should be teeing off right now, I should not be out here parking cars.’ It humbled me a little bit,” Smelser said. “It made me work more and get to where I want to be. I worked for it and I feel like I earned it.”

The Northern Texas PGA (NTPGA) event is sponsored by Higginbotham Insurance Agency, INc., of Ft. Worth.

“My mom (Mandy Smelser) actually works for Higginbotham, so it’s pretty cool. But I actually work for the NTPGA so if I don’t make the cut, I’ll be out here working tomorrow,” Smelser said.

To make sure he is not parking cars, Smelser is watching the rest of Wednesday’s weather-delayed tournament today. He shot a 71 on Tuesday and a 1-under 69 Wednesday. He is tied for 77th but could make the cut. The defending champion Meissner is tied for 49th at -2.

His family got him into golf. His father, Mark Smelser is a golfer and his grandmother, Linda Bickery bought him his first plastic club set when he was a year old.

“When I was 3, I got a Snoopy set and I loved it,” he said. “I got it from Russell Duval, a family friend of ours.”

His parents bought him a junior set that did not feature a cartoon character.

“I’ve played in a NTPGA starting at age 9 and played in those every summer and a couple in the spring,” Smelser said while waiting for his friends to finish their round. “When I got to high school, I played in some All-American events.”

He said winning the Junior Azalea at Hollytree Country Club in Tyler was a highlight for him during the summer of his senior year.

“It was one I really wanted to win. I had played in it for so long and Hollytree had always been my nemesis and I finally won it and finally conquered it, so it was a cool experience winning that,” he said.

But his favorite moment was winning the state championship at Troup his junior year.

“We were all very close friends on that team. In fact, there is a photo of the team when we were 5 years old at the club championship. We had all gotten out of the pool and we were waiting for our dads to finish, so it was cool to grow up together and win states,” Smelser said. “Even in 5th grade, I was playing with the high school team and watching them and wanting to be out there. Troup went to states like 11 years in a row, so you want to be a part of that.”

Smelser played basketball and golf growing up. His mom was an outstanding basketball player and taught him how to make free throws, the 10-foot shot.

“My mom played basketball when she was in high school and she said, ‘You are going to learn to make free throws,’ and I never missed free throws,” he said with a laugh after being reminded he is now perfecting the 10-foot putt.

“Making the 10-footers are crucial for the pars. Once you are a 16 year old, you are hitting the ball far,” Smelser explained. “Going to a DI program at SFA has helped me with getting stronger and hitting the ball a little bit further, but mostly, I’m making those 10-foot putts and those crucial par putts that are needed.”

As a senior, he started taking lessons from PGA instructor Stetson McMillon out of the John Sikes Golf Academy at the Hollytree Country Club which he said helped him as well.

“It was a great experience being the first time I played in the Texas State Open. I had fun the first two days and hopefully the cut goes my way,” Smelser said. “It was pretty cool, I had some spectators who knew me and the staff knew me, plus my co-workers for the NTPGA.”

The 51st Higginbotham Texas State Open features 156 golfers (including former Dallas Cowboys NFL quarterback Tony Romo and former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel) and 12 NTPGA Professional competing for the title. The purse is $200,000. The best 55 scores advance and Smelser is part of over 60 golfers with a chance to move on.

Smelser is going to work hard the next two years at SFA to see where his professional golf career could go, he said. However, he is known as the “Swing Doctor” at his home course, Hilltop Country Club in Troup. As a result, he wants to teach kids and adults the game.

“I want to give back to this game that has given me so much. I want to be a teaching professional in golf. That’s my dream. I want to teach it to juniors and adults,” Smelser said. “People will come up and ask for tips and it’s pretty cool. Golf could take me anywhere in the country and with the new PGA headquarters in Frisco, I could go and get my teaching certification in Texas instead of going to Florida.”

Looking back at his first two rounds, Smelser said, “I capitalized on the par 5s. It may turn out good, it may not be, but I’ll live with it because I worked my hardest. And if I have to park cars, I’m OK with it. At least I got to golf for two days!”

From the Northern Texas PGA:

About Higginbotham Insurance Agency, Inc.

Employee-owned and customer-inspired, Higginbotham is a single source solution for insurance, financial and HR services. The firm is ranked as the nation’s 21st largest independent insurance firm, making it the largest Texas-based broker. Serving thousands of businesses and individuals across 10 states, Higginbotham’s approach to finding insurance, employee benefit and risk management solutions is more individual and less institutional. By understanding customer priorities, eliminating inefficiencies and committing to transparency, Higginbotham is a place that leads with values so value leads.

 About The Cascades Club

The Cascades, a Master-Planned 5-Star community, is the most comprehensive community in East Texas. This luxury lakefront golf, tennis, fitness and residential community sits on 386 acres and is located just five miles from downtown Tyler, Texas. The Cascades is also conveniently located midway between Dallas, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The Cascades Club golf course was re-designed by PGA Tour player Mark Hayes to challenge players at any skill level. Lush, tour-quality greens and broad fairways wind among tall oak and pine trees, with many holes set alongside scenic lakes on the golf course, and a stunning backdrop framed by Lake Bellwood greeting you on your first tee shot of the day.

About the Northern Texas PGA

The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America, and its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern Texas PGA has approximately 850 PGA Members and Associates employed at more than 300 facilities.

 The Northern Texas PGA has 15 full-time staff members and is currently headquartered in Dallas. The Northern Texas PGA will be joining the PGA of America national office relocation to Frisco in 2022 with its own state-of-the-art headquarters on the PGA Frisco campus.

 In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, fellowships, and military & veterans. The mission of the Northern Texas PGA Foundation is positively impacting lives and communities through golf.