My Carolina Experience: Bill Smith
December 2, 2015 | Men's Golf
My Carolina Experience: Bill Smith
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
As the son of a golf and basketball coach for Campbell University, it was no surprise when Bill Smith picked up a golf club for the first time. After winning the North Carolina state championship in his junior year of high school, UNC started recruiting Smith heavily.
Smith visited other schools in the Tar Heel State but says, “After meeting the guys on the team UNC just felt right. Carolina also had the strongest program at the time and I felt like it would be a bigger challenge to play and compete here. Having the opportunity to improve so vastly and compete at the highest level nationally really attracted me.”
Smith remembers feeling overwhelmed by the talent he was surrounded by upon arrival. Additionally, head coach Devon Brouse wanted to increase the competition in his current line-up so his freshman class was very large the year Smith arrived. Consequently, Smith and many of his classmates redshirted that year in an effort to get ready for the next season.
“I was very fortunate to be at a place where I could work hard at getting better on the course and in the classroom. Once I learned about the business school it became clear that that was the major for me. I started to understand the magnitude of what it could do for me for the rest of my life and it ended up being a tremendous experience in itself.”
Smith credits his individual and team successes to Brouse's focus on the team's chemistry.
“In a sport that is focused on individual play, I found that really made a difference. My sophomore year we were ranked first and second in the country all year, and we ended up coming in second at the NCAA Championships. Even though on paper there were stronger teams, there were none that enjoyed each other or pushed each other the way we did.
“The seniors on that team pushed me to want more, and we were all such good friends that we didn't want to let each other down. That genuine friendship was infectious and it drove us to work harder. We had a great experience because of that and, to top it all off, we were winning.
“By my senior year I was the only returning starter. We had two true freshmen, a transfer, and a redshirt freshman so it took us a good part of the season to figure out our chemistry, but when we did, we were firing on all cylinders. In our final three tournaments, we won at Duke, finished second in the NCAA East Regional and came within two shots of winning the NCAA championship.
“I had friends at other schools who were very envious of what we had because it looked like we enjoyed playing and being around each other. That's the message I would tell any guy on the team now because when you support your teammates you make each other better. You can't let your individual goals get in the way of that because everyone does better when they feel genuinely supported.”
After five amazing years at Carolina, Smith went on to pursue a professional golf career. He continued to improve and saw success, but after three and a half years pursuing his lifelong dream, Smith realized that the constant travel and lifestyle was not for him. He retired and began to pursue a career in finance.
Though he was no longer playing, Smith quickly discovered that his experience was appreciated by his potential employers. The fact that he played competitively at Carolina while earning his business degree and then played professionally, opened many doors for him. His experience was unique, and it stood out to them that he had been to such a good university and remained so committed to his sport. Those things told them that Smith was a person who was willing to dedicate himself to things, work hard, and go after goals, all of which are valuable in the financial world.
Now as an established financial advisor in the Raleigh area, Smith has made it his duty to continue to support Carolina golf through his efforts with the Executive Cup tournament and several other fund raising and promotion initiatives. He says, “I'm just very grateful for all the experiences I had at Carolina, and I want to make sure that the golf program is always at that highest level so that players can feel the pride I felt carrying the bag and wearing the logo.
“Teams all over the country knew that when we showed up, we were there to win, and that we were a force to be reckoned with. I want other kids to have the same opportunity. To do that takes a lot of effort, energy and budget. Helping the team fund raise and helping bring visibility to the program is only going to help them achieve more.
“Even as a student-athlete I understood that it wasn't just about golf. When I hosted recruits I'd have them come to class and go to Davis library. I'd have them say hello to a professor or talk to one of the deans, because it's the quality of people and resources top to bottom, coupled with the love we all have for the university that is most attractive about Carolina. I'm not sure you can that find anywhere else.”