Van-Far's Smith decisive on plans early, signs to play golf with North Central Missouri College

By Jeremy Jacob, Sports Editor
Posted 5/27/23

Van-Far’s Cody Smith has been playing golf for about two and half years.

It has been that much time the senior Smith’s mind has been set on playing college golf as he made it …

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Van-Far's Smith decisive on plans early, signs to play golf with North Central Missouri College

Posted

Van-Far’s Cody Smith has been playing golf for about two and half years.

It has been that much time the senior Smith’s mind has been set on playing college golf as he made it official with a signing ceremony Thursday, May 18 at the high school in Vandalia to play at the next level for NJCAA school North Central Missouri College in Trenton. Smith signed just two days after concluding his first trip to the Class 1 state meet in Columbia.

“I’ve been wanting to pursue a golf career ever since I started,” Smith said. “Seeing the ball fly straight, straight shots, making putts and you can do a lot of trick shots with it too in golf. So (the sport) is pretty cool.”

Smith has stayed busy in his life, through his initial time with Clopton and picking up where he left off after transferring to Van-Far two years ago. He has played baseball, basketball and football along with walking the expansive golf courses, earning all-conference honors this year in basketball and golf and all-district honors in football.

Playing all those other sports helped in his muscle growth and conditioning as golfers need to cover a lot of ground when they hunt down their ball after shots of several hundred yards, Smith said. His baseball history spans back the furthest and he said that explains why he was able to do well in golf so quickly.

“The hand-eye coordination because I’ve played baseball all my life,” Smith said. “Growing up, that’s the first sport I ever played. Just seeing the small ball and hitting something came easy to me.”

Head coach Nate Isenberg finished his first season as the Van-Far golf coach after helping out in a volunteer capacity for sports programs in the past so Smith is his first athlete to sign for college. That made Thursday a big deal for him as well and made him happy that he was able to celebrate Smith two times in a week after he and Pacey Reading were the first golfers he took to state.

“Looking at all of our meets — conference, district and even our little home meets — Cody was always placing in the top three or four,” Isenberg said. “There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he could play at the next level. He was outdriving everybody and hitting just all of his irons better and farther than everybody else.”

It still amazes Isenberg that Smith was able to pick up the sport so fast as it is easy for even experienced players to struggle.

“Golf is a very, very hard sport to play,” Isenberg said. “For him to be able to pick it up that fast, I think he’s only going to get better.”

Smith agrees he can be better as he just wants to find more consistency in college.

“I want to be an even golfer,” Smith said. “I have before, but I’m inconsistent. I’ll be even one day and two-over the next day.”


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