If there is a putt, chip or bunker shot holed on the LPGA Tour, there is a good chance that Irish fundamentals are behind it, as Gordon Smyth exerts his influence as part of Gareth Raflewski’s team.
When Omagh man Raflewski is busy on the PGA Tour with players like Nick Taylor, Smyth, who is based at PGA National Slieve Russell and runs the Raflewski Golf Europe academy, packs the biggest suitcase he can find and heads Stateside to coach some of the LPGA Tour stars in their stable. So far this season he has worked on site at the Chevron Championship and plans to attend the U.S. Women’s Open, Women’s Scottish Open and AIG Women’s Open.
This has been an ongoing arrangement for the best part of two years. There was no sense of Smyth dipping his toe in the water – he was thrown straight into the deep end, tinkering with the putting strokes of former world number ones and major champions such as Jin Young Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit and Azahara Muñoz.
“We came to a plan that, because he is on the PGA Tour so much, there were weeks that the LPGA players needed someone so it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I filled in on those weeks,” explains the Meath native. “I started to travel over to the US with him and worked alongside him, and they got used to me being there. Then he would leave me on my own with those players. That’s why it turned into something where we have been able to service players on both tours.
“You are walking into world class players straight away which is unbelievable for me in my coaching. It’s class to be around those players. It’s a fantastic experience.
“We both agreed that the girls had to get to know me, trust me, and like what I was talking about. That was a big part of it, it took a year, year and a half of travelling and meeting them before he left me on my own.
“The first time on my own was with Ariya Jutanugarn and Jin Young Ko and then I moved on to Patty Tavatanakit, so we laughed that I was thrown into the deep end!”
Golf fans are no strangers to the sight of a packed practice putting green, with players being put through all manner of paces by their coaches. Chalk lines, ball rollers, tripods, cameras, and all sorts of other gadgets and gizmos complete the scene. But what actually goes on? Is it purely fine tuning or does Smyth arrive on site ready to rip up the script?
“Their fundamentals are really good, you check those on Monday, Tuesday and their positioning,” he explains. “If they are unhappy with something you have to address it, but if they are happy, you are letting them off and reaffirming that everything is really good for the week. You do speed work, performance work with pressurised situations in practice before Thursday. For us as coaches you fly out on Sunday, on the green at 7am on Monday morning and then the players don’t want you really by Thursday, so you are preparing them to get ready.
“If a player says there is something wrong with them, you have to address it, so it is a case-by-case scenario. At times you will walk with them on course and see them out there. When the two of us are there, he could be in the bunker with one player and I could be on the green with another player, so we work as a duo at times.”
Smyth has developed some strong links with some of the game’s best putting coaches including Phil Kenyon whose latest technology he uses. He has found the perfect balance between working at the academy at the Slieve Russell and Stateside at LPGA events using knowledge and experience he picks up on both sides of the Atlantic to apply to his lessons.
“It’s my job to get as much knowledge as I can and I will keep striving to do that – knowledge is everything. Any coaches reading this might coach differently now than when they started out. We’ve all given terrible lessons and cringe at what we might have been like 25 years ago, so you are learning the whole time.
“Gareth put me in touch with Phil Kenyon, so I have spoken to him on the phone with some technical questions and he is unbelievable with some feedback. He is the best in the business so that is pretty cool.”
On the LPGA Tour, world-class players expect a world-class service. Time is of the essence for them on tournament weeks, so a huge part of Smyth’s remit is to have everything set up for the putting session, whether that be on the practice green or on course. You could say that he packs up half of his life and puts it on a plane!
“I remember having to find the biggest bag you had ever seen in your life just to fit the tempo stick and the ball roller and all the tech and gizmos that we would put out. A player expects to walk out and for all the lines to be done, mirrors, dots and everything else so they just walk into a station and start a session. We have everything pre-set, we know the speed of the greens, grasses so all that is prepared for when we arrive.”
The Irish presence on the LPGA Tour is already massive with caddies like Shane Codd and David Jones looping for Madelene Sagstrom and Ruoning Yin respectively, with Raflewski leading another batch of superstars.
Smyth finds that his sense of Irishness and easy-going attitude makes him very approachable for players and they find comfort in hearing an Irish voice which has helped his relationship with players blossom on tour.
“There are a lot of Irish on the LPGA and the bit of craic we have… we are great talkers. You have to have a connection with the people in front of you. You have to learn what they like doing and talking to them outside of golf so you can develop a relationship with them. The best coach to player relationships is where you get to like each other and enjoy the company.
“Tony Walker (General Manager at PGA National Slieve Russell) and the owners have allowed me to travel and go to the events and without that it wouldn’t be possible.”
Back home at PGA National Slieve Russell, just outside Leona Maguire’s homeplace in Ballyconnell, is where Smyth gets his bread and butter. Inside the state-of-the-art putting studio in the Raflewski Europe Academy he works with players at club level, elite amateur level all the way to touring professionals in Ireland with the likes of Stuart Grehan, Mark Power and James Sugrue part of his stable.
Irish presence from a playing point of view on the DP World Tour is scant and Smyth hopes to see those gaps filled in the coming years and feels peer success will drive the next batch of tour winners from Ireland.
“The hope is that they can make it to the DP World Tour. Those guys on the HotelPlanner Tour, they are the guys you want to see kick on. They are unbelievably talented players and wouldn’t be out of place at all on the DP World Tour.
“It’s just a matter of time; there is a crop of Irish girls on the LET and they’ve seen Leona Maguire become the first to set the standard for Ireland on tour and make it on the LPGA and win. These girls are seeing that, and it inspires.
“The boys just need that person to get out there and do it. Rory and Shane are obviously on the PGA Tour, but if we got one of the lads on in Europe and they could see one of their peers do it… I think touring pros grow the game. People look at others on tour, and the results drives the game in this country at junior level. People look at who is in the Irish Open or Italian Open and see what score they have shot, so tour golf drives the game. It would be great to see one of them get out there and I think if that happened there will be another batch. We used to have a good batch in Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Simon Thornton, Gareth Maybin… so there was a good crew, and we have that on the HotelPlanner Tour it’s just a matter of getting one or two of them up.”
It’s a big year on tour for Smyth but it is also a big year for him back at home with Slieve Russell set to host the 2026 European Ladies’ Team Championship from July 7-11.
“It’s unbelievable,” he smiles. “We had pushed to hold an event like this here. The resort with the 224 bedrooms, the spa, the country club and all of the restaurants and the golf course, we felt well suited for this, and we are delighted that 22 nations are going to descend on Cavan. If it was a good week weatherwise it would make an unbelievable week even better.”
The Irish are looking to bridge a 43-year gap in the European Ladies’ Team Championship having won just twice, in 1979 and 1983.
“Some of them are the best six players in 22 nations in the continent so these are the next best players. We would love it if Ireland got into Flight A and we will push for the local clubs around to come out and support Ireland.
“It’s going to be a fantastic event, and I think the support will be great. I think the Irish team is good enough too.”
With all of the teams set to stay on site in the hotel, Smyth hopes the week can become a festival of golf.
“They need volunteers, scoring and all of that and they are proud to have it here so there is a whole backroom system that needs to be organised. It’s great for them and they are looking forward to it. They want to show off the course and the facility. We can have some trad music outside for the opening ceremony and up in the clubhouse after the golf, it will be superb.”
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