Our goal is for parents and their children to form a new connecting point through the great game of golf, and to see golf course owners prosper with a free and convenient way to build and manage kids play free golf programs.
kidsplaygolffree.com Executive Director RJ Smiley says, “I want to see parents and their children form a new connecting point through the great game of golf, just as I did with my father, and my son did with me. One of the roadblocks preventing parents from playing with their children is that golf can be expensive. We’ve changed that by partnering with courses all over the country so that a child can play free with a paying adult, making the game much more affordable. Golf course operators also benefit because they’re using tee times that would have gone unsold to introduce golf to new players, and build the game within a new generation.”
Profile of R J Smiley, Executive Director:
RJ Smiley has enjoyed a varied and successful career in golf and business including owning and operating golf courses, working in real estate development and securities brokerage, and marketing consulting. He’s also a top-flight amateur golfer; among his trophies is the championship of the Minnesota Senior Amateur in 1989.
RJ grew up in Hays, Kansas, and where he attended high school and college. He graduated from Fort Hays Kansas State University, where he was an All-American golfer and a member of the basketball team, with a BS degree in Business Administration. Before entering the golf business full-time, he embarked on a broad business career that included life insurance, real estate development and brokerage, securities wholesaling, golf course development, management and marketing.
Since the late 1980s, RJ has worked exclusively in the golf business. In 1987, he and a group of investors purchased Mille Lacs Country Club in northern Minnesota. The course was bankrupt and in poor condition, and RJ initiated a master development plan for a golf resort including a hotel, water park, marina and 280 townhouses. Under his day-to-day management, the golf course underwent major capital improvements including the building of new townhouses. A marketing plan was developed and executed that increased revenues over 500 percent. RJ also worked closely with the marketing department at Grand Casino Mille Lacs (only four miles away) to create and refine a cross-marketing plan that annually draws thousands of people to the golf course and casino. In the spring of 2004 Smiley sold the assets of MLGR including the master plan for a substantial profit.
In addition to the Mille Lacs project, Smiley was part of the development team for Pheasant Acres Golf Course, in Corcoran, Minn., and The Links at Northfork in Ramsay, Minn. He also acted as a development consultant on Blueberry Pines Golf Course in Manahga, Minn. His golf course experience also includes serving as a marketing consulting on various projects, writing articles for national golf publications and local newspapers, and producing and hosting a local cable television golf show. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Golf Management.
RJ is also an accomplished tournament golfer. In addition to his college All-American honors and his Minnesota Senior Amateur Championship in 1998, he is an active competitor in state and national senior amateur tournaments. He was selected a team member for the United States team for the 2002 Trans Atlantic Challenge Cup Matches (an annual team competition against a team from the British Isles). RJ is currently a member of the Golf Digest Course Ranking Panel and is a member of the Minnesota Golf Association Strategic Planning Committee. He was a member of the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Mid-West Golf Course Owners Association.
Contact us at rj@kidsplaygolffree.com.