Jennifer Smiley

I was first introduced to disc golf by my dad in October 2019. He wanted to go out to a local course and I didn’t want him to go by himself. So, I joined him and I have to be honest that I hated it at first. As someone who is super competitive I wanted to be good right off the bat, but I wasn’t. It probably didn’t help that I threw my disc into the creek on every throw either! It wasn’t until 2021 where my interest in disc golf took off. I was studying Data Science at my university and decided to do one of my projects on the FPO side of the Disc Golf Pro Tour. I started watching every event and went out and practiced a lot so I would understand everything. On August 1st I played in my first tournament in FA4 at an all women’s tournament and I ended up winning! That event is what really sparked my love for the sport. Growing up as a competitive dancer, I missed the excitement of competing in college. Disc golf was a great solution to that for me.

In 2022, I came 3rd in FA2 at the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship (USWDGC). That is when I realized that I wanted to play disc golf at the professional level. 2023 was my first year playing FA1 and attending the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships. I was able to secure a tie for 7th place after a lackluster first round. Later in the year, I would compete in the USWDGC again, this time tying for 1st in FA1 only to lose it in my first ever playoff. While I wish I could have won, I knew that it was a great learning opportunity and it has helped to push me ever since.

After these two events, I knew it was time to start playing professionally. While it was a big jump mentally to switch from FA1 to FPO, it was the right decision and I have already learned so much in just a few short months. I was able to win my first A-Tier as a professional and travel down to Florida to play with some of the best in the sport.

In 2024, I will be touring full time on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. I am excited to see where the future takes me, and I am honored to be representing MVP out there!