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From Family Fairways to Collegiate Greens: Andie Smith’s Journey at Duke
2/24/2025 8:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C.-- Golf is often seen as a solitary pursuit, but for Duke junior Andie Smith, the love for the game started early. What began as a family affair evolved into a journey of personal growth, academic achievement and athletic excellence.
Athletics had always been a major part of the Smith family, with her father having played basketball throughout his childhood and college, and her mother playing "nearly every sport under the sun." However, the golfer in the family that inspired Smith to pick up a club was her no one other than her dad.
For a young Smith, golf began as a cherished way to bond with her family. Growing up in South Florida, she described her idyllic childhood as a perfect balance: mornings spent at the beach and afternoons dedicated to the golf course.
"My dad got injured so much playing basketball and he said to me and my brother, 'Golf is a sport to get into. You can play it your whole life," Smith explained. "He never spoke about professional golf when I was younger. It was always just golf that would take you places that you can't go without it. The biggest thing that he always talked about and advocated for was getting a great education and using golf to get into a great school."
Her father's vision became the foundation for her golf journey.
Starting with plastic clubs at three years old and advancing to metal ones by age four, she quickly fell in love with the game. By age seven, Smith started to play at the U.S. Kids level, and then slowly progressed through the levels of Junior Golf such as South Florida PGA and AGA Florida Junior Tours.
At age 12, playing golf took a backseat as the passing of Smith's father came suddenly to her family. The outpouring of love and support that Smith gained from family and friends for her and her brother to continue what made them happy, drove her to continue on the journey with golf to a higher level, thus beginning her recruitment process.
"The first time Jon (Whithaus) saw me, it was a fluke. I was in the right place at the right time. It was Easter Sunday. There were so many signs just pushing things into alignment. My mom always says, 'Everything happens for a reason'," Smith explained, pridefully. "Going from that point as a 12-year-old to then getting the offer to play for Duke, the best women's golf program in the country, and now being a junior here with an individual win under my belt. If you were to say all that to me at 12 years old, I never would have believed you."
When the offer came to Smith, she was encouraged by her mother to tell her grandparents, who served as other influential figures in her golf career.
"My mom's best friend got me this tiny Cardinal figurine. Many say a visit from a cardinal is from a loved one who has passed. Now, every time I see a cardinal, I am reminded of my two guardian angels, my dad, and my grandpa, who passed away shortly after I began my junior year of high school. He was always one to listen and uplift me when I needed it the most. When I received the offer from Duke, I called my grandpa and grandma first and I wasn't going to tell anybody. But my mom said, 'You should tell grandma and grandpa."
As a well-accomplished amateur golfer, the decision to join Duke was both exciting and challenging. Playing for one of the best golf teams in the country on top of balancing a rigorous academic schedule at the same time became very apparent from the start. Her freshman fall featured five tournaments, a hectic travel schedule and adapting to new climates.
However, no matter how overwhelming Duke's pristineness may seem, nothing outweighs the pure joy felt when it became apparent that there was no better place to grow as a person or golfer than Duke.
"It's an incredible program. It has two fantastic, accomplished coaches, and the academic speaks for itself. Then also, there are the benefits of a good basketball program," Smith laughed. "After I verbally committed to Duke, I asked my mom for my 16th birthday if we could go to a Duke basketball game. We went, and I watched the student section. I was like, I'm a Duke fan."
The love of Duke basketball has spread to nearly all corners of Duke Athletics for Smith, demonstrating the immense pride these student-athletes have not only for their respective sports but for one another.
Having joined in on the Duke tradition of "tenting" or "camping out," Smith describes the atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium as unlike any other.
"Everybody I've spoken to agrees that being in Cameron is an experience unlike no other. It is a treat and a pleasure to be there and now to share that experience with our freshmen this year, who are all from abroad and have never experienced something like that. Seeing the excitement on their faces is just awesome, because I know freshman year that was me. I went to every single game that we were in town for and I loved it. And now our football program is on the rise, with the newly implemented Devil's Deck. There is so much school spirit here. Even though our student body is small compared to other schools we make up for it in our passion."
But now in her junior year, she reflects on the growth she has experienced.
"Coach Brooks stresses focusing on the 'process.' Every time I go out to practice, or even when I'm not practicing, I'm putting myself in a mental state to win whatever I'm about to do. The best way that I can describe it is through compartmentalization, which is something that I worked on a lot freshman year" she explained. "When people ask me, what's one thing you could tell your freshman self, it would be that. When it's time to go to class or study, that's what you're fully focused on. And when it's time to golf, you switch gears and fully focus on that. This helps me separate the complex environment of balancing academics and competitive golf, and it allows me to take a deep breath and enjoy the other aspects of being a division one student-athlete."
In her 2024 fall season, Smith captured the individual victory and helped her team claim the title at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, showcasing her skills with rounds of 68, 66, and 69, finishing with a career-best 7-under-par, 203, to claim her first collegiate victory by an impressive five strokes.
Now, she stays optimistic to continue to build on her success.
With her first collegiate win under her belt and a wealth of experience, she's ready to tackle what lies ahead both on the course and in the classroom.
For Smith, the journey is as much about personal growth and creating lasting memories as it is about the game itself and the people who stood beside her every step of the way.
Next up for Smith and the Blue Devils will be the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate March 3-5 in Hilton Head, S.C.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
Athletics had always been a major part of the Smith family, with her father having played basketball throughout his childhood and college, and her mother playing "nearly every sport under the sun." However, the golfer in the family that inspired Smith to pick up a club was her no one other than her dad.
For a young Smith, golf began as a cherished way to bond with her family. Growing up in South Florida, she described her idyllic childhood as a perfect balance: mornings spent at the beach and afternoons dedicated to the golf course.
"My dad got injured so much playing basketball and he said to me and my brother, 'Golf is a sport to get into. You can play it your whole life," Smith explained. "He never spoke about professional golf when I was younger. It was always just golf that would take you places that you can't go without it. The biggest thing that he always talked about and advocated for was getting a great education and using golf to get into a great school."
Her father's vision became the foundation for her golf journey.
Starting with plastic clubs at three years old and advancing to metal ones by age four, she quickly fell in love with the game. By age seven, Smith started to play at the U.S. Kids level, and then slowly progressed through the levels of Junior Golf such as South Florida PGA and AGA Florida Junior Tours.
At age 12, playing golf took a backseat as the passing of Smith's father came suddenly to her family. The outpouring of love and support that Smith gained from family and friends for her and her brother to continue what made them happy, drove her to continue on the journey with golf to a higher level, thus beginning her recruitment process.
"The first time Jon (Whithaus) saw me, it was a fluke. I was in the right place at the right time. It was Easter Sunday. There were so many signs just pushing things into alignment. My mom always says, 'Everything happens for a reason'," Smith explained, pridefully. "Going from that point as a 12-year-old to then getting the offer to play for Duke, the best women's golf program in the country, and now being a junior here with an individual win under my belt. If you were to say all that to me at 12 years old, I never would have believed you."
When the offer came to Smith, she was encouraged by her mother to tell her grandparents, who served as other influential figures in her golf career.
"My mom's best friend got me this tiny Cardinal figurine. Many say a visit from a cardinal is from a loved one who has passed. Now, every time I see a cardinal, I am reminded of my two guardian angels, my dad, and my grandpa, who passed away shortly after I began my junior year of high school. He was always one to listen and uplift me when I needed it the most. When I received the offer from Duke, I called my grandpa and grandma first and I wasn't going to tell anybody. But my mom said, 'You should tell grandma and grandpa."
As a well-accomplished amateur golfer, the decision to join Duke was both exciting and challenging. Playing for one of the best golf teams in the country on top of balancing a rigorous academic schedule at the same time became very apparent from the start. Her freshman fall featured five tournaments, a hectic travel schedule and adapting to new climates.
However, no matter how overwhelming Duke's pristineness may seem, nothing outweighs the pure joy felt when it became apparent that there was no better place to grow as a person or golfer than Duke.
"It's an incredible program. It has two fantastic, accomplished coaches, and the academic speaks for itself. Then also, there are the benefits of a good basketball program," Smith laughed. "After I verbally committed to Duke, I asked my mom for my 16th birthday if we could go to a Duke basketball game. We went, and I watched the student section. I was like, I'm a Duke fan."
The love of Duke basketball has spread to nearly all corners of Duke Athletics for Smith, demonstrating the immense pride these student-athletes have not only for their respective sports but for one another.
Having joined in on the Duke tradition of "tenting" or "camping out," Smith describes the atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium as unlike any other.
"Everybody I've spoken to agrees that being in Cameron is an experience unlike no other. It is a treat and a pleasure to be there and now to share that experience with our freshmen this year, who are all from abroad and have never experienced something like that. Seeing the excitement on their faces is just awesome, because I know freshman year that was me. I went to every single game that we were in town for and I loved it. And now our football program is on the rise, with the newly implemented Devil's Deck. There is so much school spirit here. Even though our student body is small compared to other schools we make up for it in our passion."
But now in her junior year, she reflects on the growth she has experienced.
"Coach Brooks stresses focusing on the 'process.' Every time I go out to practice, or even when I'm not practicing, I'm putting myself in a mental state to win whatever I'm about to do. The best way that I can describe it is through compartmentalization, which is something that I worked on a lot freshman year" she explained. "When people ask me, what's one thing you could tell your freshman self, it would be that. When it's time to go to class or study, that's what you're fully focused on. And when it's time to golf, you switch gears and fully focus on that. This helps me separate the complex environment of balancing academics and competitive golf, and it allows me to take a deep breath and enjoy the other aspects of being a division one student-athlete."
In her 2024 fall season, Smith captured the individual victory and helped her team claim the title at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, showcasing her skills with rounds of 68, 66, and 69, finishing with a career-best 7-under-par, 203, to claim her first collegiate victory by an impressive five strokes.
Now, she stays optimistic to continue to build on her success.
With her first collegiate win under her belt and a wealth of experience, she's ready to tackle what lies ahead both on the course and in the classroom.
For Smith, the journey is as much about personal growth and creating lasting memories as it is about the game itself and the people who stood beside her every step of the way.
Next up for Smith and the Blue Devils will be the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate March 3-5 in Hilton Head, S.C.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
/ Women's GolfAndie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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