Cape Kidnappers Golf Course has announced the appointment of experienced PGA Professional Eric Smith to the role of head golf professional at the renowned golf resort in New Zealand.
Smith joins the highly rated venue from Kiawah Island Club, a semi-private club located in South Carolina.
After graduating from California University of Pennsylvania with a Sports Management degree, he split his first working seasons between the Vineyard Golf Club on Martha’s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast, and The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. His professional journey eventually took him to Sankaty Head Golf Club, on the island of Nantucket, and The Preserve Golf Club in Monterey, California.
But Smith’s lot was ultimately cast in 2017, when he spent three months traveling the length and breadth of New Zealand.
He said: “I fell in love with the diverse landscapes, the kindness of its people, the core values that make this such a welcoming country. When I saw the opportunity to join the team here at Cape Kidnappers, as the head golf professional, well, I jumped at it. Everything about The Farm relies on impeccable service standards. It’s another privilege to meet those standards and extend them to guests who come here to play golf.”
He added: “I had heard of the golf course here at Cape Kidnappers; I’d seen the pictures and poured over all the rankings,” says Smith, who grew up outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “But pictures and videos honestly don’t do the place justice. The lodge here, the natural setting: They are nothing short of wondrous — off the charts. And let me tell you a secret: PGA professionals have bucket lists, too. It’s a privilege to be working at one, to be playing this golf course on a regular basis.”