As the season warms the earth and the grass turns green, golfers everywhere prepare to assault the fairways once again.
Most wives stay home waiting to hear shot-by-shot accounts of birdies, bogies and the dreaded others. But, not in every case.
Smiley Smith isn't at home waiting for the scores and stories, but rather spends her days helping to run the family business — golf.
Together Joe Smith, Artesia Country Club Professional and his wife, Smiley, own and operate the pro shop at Artesia Country Club.
They have been working together in the golf business for all of their married life, 18 years, and have been in Artesia for more than seven years.
Joe didn't start out to be a golf pro, but instead graduated from West Texas University with an accounting degree. He says, "when I put on that suit and tie to interview, I knew that a desk job was not for me." So he ginned cotton in Crosbyton, Texas and continued to play every amateur golf tournament in that part of the country.
Meanwhile, Glenda Ferguson, who grew up in just nine miles away in Ralls, Texas, was also working in the cotton business as a bookkeeper in Lubbock. She had never picked up a golf club.
Joe describes their first meeting and how Glenda became Smiley. "I was at a New Year's Eve party, had never seen her before. She came in grinnin' from ear to ear. I said, 'Hi, Smiley' and really never called her anything else after that.
"Talk about somebody green," he says about Smiley's first golf outing. "I was a member at Floydada Country Club and invited her to play. She had never hit a golf ball in her life. But she's competitive and was willing to try. When we finally got up to No. 1 green, I marked my ball with a dime. A minute later, she was telling me how lucky she was 'cause she had found a dime and had it in her pocket."
One February day in 1982, Joe walked into the Lorenzo, Texas club to discover they were looking for a golf pro. He says he was tired of putting up with the labor laws in the cotton business, and says, "I told them, 'I'm interested' and was hired on the spot." He signed the papers and started learning the business side of golf and working toward his PGA Class A Pro designation, which he earned after four years. From that time on, his wife has called him Pro.
After Smiley and Joe married in July of 1983, she started working the tournaments and learning the business of golf. They stayed at Lorenzo for 12 years before taking the job in Artesia.
They both love the size of Artesia. When Joe was interviewing here, he recalls thinking there's a Burger King and a Pizza Hut, could you ask for anything more? He remarks, "It's the only town I've in lived that has a stoplight." Smiley chimes in, "And there are choices where to eat." They accepted the job at Artesia Country Club on February 20, 1994.
Richard Price, current president of ACC, was on the committee that interviewed Smith. He recalls how pleased they were to get not only a golf professional, but someone so knowledgable in the care of the course that they eliminated the need for a greenskeeper. Price declares, "This course is in better shape now that it has ever been."
From spring through summer this is a 24/7 job, the Smiths explain. "Day off? We don't have that weekly."
Although the club is officially closed on Mondays, the junior varsity and high school teams, plus the PGA junior tour, all play on Mondays. In fact, the day after Father's Day, Artesia hosts 72 junior golfers from Sun Country section of the PGA.
The couple's duties in their golf business are well-defined. Smiley takes care of 98 percent of all office work, including the banking, most buying and the books. Smiley jokes, "Pro has the degree in accounting, but I do all the bookkeeping." Joe runs the course, the tournaments and buys the golf equipment, keeping track of what's hot and of interest to the players.
Right now, every golfer in this part of the state is interested in the opening April 20 of the new nine-hole addition at ACC. They tell how it came to fruition.
About three years ago, people in the club started getting serious about building nine new holes. Joe says, "Kevin Harper really got us started on this project. Kevin and I were close and good friends. I knew he was my biggest fan."
A members' committee, on which Kevin served, had preliminary drawings done, but wasn't happy with them. The project stalled for a time. A second architect drew plans that needed only minor changes, the bid process was entered and a contract signed.
The day after the project was staked in March of 2000, Kevin died. Joe says, "I promised the membership then, that it would be built and it would be good."
According to Smiley, it took a lot of time, sometimes 12 to 15 hours a day, to keep his promise. Joe gives credit to his assistant pro, Mark Terry, for taking up the slack while he was so involved in the completion of the project.
With opening day for the new nine right around the corner, the Smiths are gratified. Joe plans to carry Kevin's bag on his cart and has invited Juanel Harper (Kevin's widow) to ride with him.They feel they have had a guardian angel looking over them during the project. Smiley says, "It took a long time to not look for Kevin coming in every day at 6 p.m. for his bucket of practice balls."
Joe says, " The whole project went very smoothly with very few changes. We spent two years on the project before building so we knew what we wanted. We've had donations of markers, trees, businesses bought tee markers, and we never solicitated any money. We have excellent members and a great builder, it's wonderful."
The pro expects everyone to adhere to the rules of the game. He says, "It's the only sport that officials don't go with every group — it's the last gentleman's game." Smiley says that Pro is a definiately a stickler for the rules.
Richard Price echos Smiley's sentiments, pointing out that the pro treats everyone equally, be it the president of the club, a director or a new member. Price says, "Everybody follows the rules and that has earned Pro respect from the players."
Their staff gets credit from the Smiths for a smooth-running operation. After being a two-person team, Pro and Smiley believe it took nearly a year to let go of some of the work, but now they don't know what they would do without Mark, who has been with them nearly two years, Jeanne Estrada, who has been there for more than two years and the grounds crew of Shorty, Oscar, Ruben and Sammy.
The Smiths say they really feel blessed with their family and the friends they have made here in Artesia.
Their children and grandchildren live in Texas. Amy and her husband are parents to Alyssa, six and Jadon, four. Son David and his wife are expecting their first child.
To their grandchildren, the Smiths are Mimi and Pop. But their friends here in Artesia, who call them Smiley and Pro, say these nicknames fit them to a tee.