Jet Smith isn’t afraid of setting out on his own.
The senior at North Rock Creek started his own car detailing business -- thanks to some inspiration from his brother-in-law -- when he needed a job that would fit his busy schedule. He can make his own hours, travels to his customers, and usually has about two cars a week that he works on.
Jet also started playing golf, because it’s a sport that relies completely on the individual.
“It’s such an individual sport, it’s really hard,” he said. “In baseball or basketball, if you lose, it’s not always your fault. If you win, it’s not always you for the reason you win, but in golf, if you win or lose, it’s always on you. And it was such a hard sport that it really drew me to that. I like the challenge.”
He started playing around fourth grade, but just for fun. About that time he had burnt out on baseball and he went out to play at the Chandler Municipal Golf Course with his dad, a friend and his friend’s dad. Jet said he liked it, so played a few more times. He then started playing tournaments and liked it so much that he kept at it.
Jet qualified for state in golf his freshman year, which he said was one of his biggest accomplishments.
“I knew that I wasn’t going to win state or maybe place in the top five, but just making it was the biggest thing for me,” he said.
From there, his golf team went on to win the conference championship and he’s also broken his own records. The last time was over the summer and he broke it with two of his teammates, which he said was fun to do together.
Playing golf has taught Jet lessons that he carries on with him into other aspects of life. He said he’s learned consistency and hard work. And that sometimes hard work doesn’t pay off and you have to accept it. He also said dealing with adversity is another one.
Golf is something he shares with his father, Evan Smith, who is the athletic director at North Rock Creek and his coach. Evan said that it’s been challenging at times and very special at others. He’s been coaching Jet since the senior was 10 years old.
“Coaching your own son is difficult because I tend to go over the top to not show favoritism, probably to the point I cheated him at times. Being able to be a part of his journey, however, has been very special. He decided early on, he was going to pursue golf as a passion and worked very hard at his craft,” Evan said.
He continued that when Jet was younger, he was smaller than everyone else. Not to mention, the class of 2026 golfers across the state are very talented. Many of the kids Jet grew up playing against now have Division 1 scholarships.
“Needless to say he had to work extra hard to earn a spot on a golf team at the college level. I am very proud of him for doing that,” Evan said. “Dad mode and Coach mode are hard to separate. I find that if others tell him the same thing I do it tends to make more sense, which is natural in a parent/coach role. We have both had to show patience and battle through those situations.”
Jet has signed to play golf at East Central University, an experience that he’s looking forward to, even if he’s not sure about continuing in professional golf afterwards. He said he’ll wait and see. But he is focused on getting a business administrative degree.
While Jet is also not sure where that will take him, his mother, Brandy Smith, said he has an entrepreneurial spirit. Jet said he really likes cars and managing business. He works on his own and goes to car shows with his friends. He’s also planning to do an internship at Joe Cooper in Shawnee.
He’s currently taking concurrent classes and is a member of a leadership club on campus started by his dad. Jet said balancing school and golf has been a challenge, but one that he’s been up for. Another obstacle has been maintaining confidence.
“It’s so easy to lose confidence whenever you play bad or you start having a few months or something where you play bad,” Jet said. “You can have all skill in the world, but if you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to play well.”
Regardless, he’s looking forward to his next steps. Golf-wise, Jet said he’s looking forward to traveling to tournaments and whatever new challenges playing at the collegiate level will bring. School-wise, he’s excited to have his own schedule and do the best he can.
“It’s all kind of on myself. It’s not up to anyone else around me,” he said. “ I applied for a leadership group at ECU. And so I’m trying to get into that. And I think that’ll be really fun if I can get into it. They kind of help out in the community and build leaders at ECU.”
Learning more about leadership is something his father, Evan, hopes for him as well.
“I hope that Jet is able to impact the people around him at college in a positive way. He is a great young man that puts God first. In the long run, leading people to God is the goal. Golf is just icing on the cake,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is the ninth in the Senior Spotlight series that will feature graduating seniors from all of the high schools in The Lincoln County News’coverage area.