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Lindsey Wilson University to Build Indoor Golf Center

Jessica Smith Golf Center -- Donated by Earl & Marlene Smith to honor late golfer who was a Lindsey Wilson All-American, all-stater at Assumption High School.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (11/03/2025) — Lindsey Wilson University has one of the top golf programs in the NAIA, and pretty soon it will have one of the best indoor golf centers in the NAIA.

Lindsey Wilson will build the Jessica Smith Golf Center -- Donated by Earl & Marlene Smith. The 4,200-square-foot building, which will be opened in 2026, is named in honor of the late women's golfer Jessica Smith. A 2010 Lindsey Wilson graduate and a member of the Lindsey Wilson Athletics Hall of Fame, Smith died in a 2016 car crash at the age of 28.

The building is made possible by a gift from Smith's parents, Earl and Marlene Smith of Louisville, Kentucky.

"We wanted to honor Jessica," said Earl Smith. "She enjoyed her time at Lindsey Wilson so much, as a student and as a member of the golf team. She loved being on the team. Probably the most important thing is that she grew so much while at Lindsey Wilson."

The Smith Golf Center will be one of the few indoor golf practice centers in the NAIA, according to Lindsey Wilson Athletic Director Willis Pooler.

"This is such a beautiful way for Earl and Marlene to honor Jessica. Her legacy will live on forever on Lindsey Wilson's campus, and our golf programs and student-athletes will be helped significantly because of their kindness," said Pooler. "I can't thank the Smiths enough for their generosity and support."

'Phenomenal addition to our program'

The Smith Golf Center will include three hitting bays and a practice area that will allow golfers to work on their putting and short game. The building, which will be located on the university's fairgrounds property on Fairgrounds Street, will also include locker rooms, coaches' offices and a players' lounge.

"It's going to be amazing. It's a phenomenal addition to our program," said Lindsey Wilson golf coach Chris Butler, who led the 2025 Lindsey Wilson men's golf team to the NAIA national championship. "We're just extremely grateful to have an opportunity to carry on Jessica's memory. I can't thank Earl and Marlene enough for this tremendous gift to our student-athletes."

Earl Smith said his daughter started playing golf when she was 7 years old, competing in her first tournament at Cherokee Golf Course, one of the oldest municipal golf courses in the United States. By age 10, Earl said that Jessica was good enough to beat him in golf.

A 2006 graduate of Assumption High School, Smith was a three-time all-state golfer in high school, and she represented the United States in the Jr. Ryder Cup. During her three-year Lindsey Wilson career, Smith earned NAIA First Team All-American honors twice and NAIA Region Player of the Year and Mid-South Conference Player of the Year once. She won the Mid-South Conference Tournament individual title in 2008 and '10.

"It was so much fun to watch Jessica play because she could step out onto a golf course and absolutely dominate it," said Associate Athletics Director Chris Wells, who coached Smith at Lindsey Wilson. "She was an unbelievably fierce competitor who was at home on the golf course, but she also embraced being a student-athlete. I'm proud to have been her coach."

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University will build the Jessica Smith Golf Center -- Donated by Earl & Marlene Smith. The 4,200-square-foot building, which will be opened in 2026, is named in honor of the late women’s golfer Jessica Smith of Louisville, Kentucky, a 2010 Lindsey Wilson graduate and a member of the Lindsey Wilson Athletics Hall of Fame.

The late Jessica Smith of Louisville, Kentucky, was a three-time all-state golfer in high school, and during her Lindsey Wilson career she earned NAIA First Team All-American honors twice and NAIA Region Player of the Year and Mid-South Conference Player of the Year once. She won the Mid-South Conference Tournament individual title in 2008 and ’10. A 2006 graduate of Assumption High School and a 2010 graduate of Lindsey Wilson College, Smith is a member of the Lindsey Wilson Athletics Hall of Fame. (2010 photo)

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