For 74-year-old Sedona resident Ed Smith, retirement plans are about as neatly folded and on time as his 20-year service record in the U.S. Air Force.
Originally from Los Angeles, Smith served in Vietnam, raised a family with his wife Morena and their three children, Coleen, Patty and Becky, and found time to earn the equivalent of a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering while serving the Air Force.
Smith graduated from Garfield High School in 1954. One may not recognize the name of the school, but the movie “Stand By Me” was featured in it.
At 18 years old, Smith joined the Air Force and earned his way up the ladder to eventually become an aircraft maintenance officer.
Years later, with his children all grown up with kids of their own now, and his life in the Air Force officially over, Smith seems to want to concentrate on only one thing — golf.
Having moved to Sedona just four months ago, Smith is looking to start a new associate golf club in the Verde Valley, which he hopes is something avid golfers would love to do.
“I’m starting the associate golf club so we can travel as a group. We have five golf courses in Sedona, and in Prescott, and other places. We can travel in a circuit, similar to what the PGA does. It gives you a challenge,” Smith said in an interview Wednesday, Sept. 29.
Smith originally came through Sedona in 1966 on his way to Vietnam, and his family drove down the canyon to spend time at Slide Rock. The next time he came through was 1995.
“I didn’t care where I lived. My wife and I decided to spend a few months in Sedona once I retired, spend three months in San Diego and three months in San Francisco. By the time we were here two months, she decided to stay longer, and by the time we reached three months, Morena decided we were going to stay here,” Smith said laughing.
The associate golf club, which doesn’t have an official name yet, will have many benefits according to Smith, including no annual dues except U.S. Golf Association and Arizona Golf Association dues, tournament prizes, year-end banquet and optional club shirts and hats.
Other positive aspects of joining this new associate golf club is players will get to travel and play at different courses throughout the year, everyone will have a national handicap and golf days will be planned during the week. If members accept, play during the weekend can be had as well.
“Some of the goals are to establish the club first. Then once we do that, we can improve the club including our skills. Two, I’d like to conduct charitable golf tournaments like [those benefiting] prostate cancer or the local library. We can look for other worthwhile activities as well,” Smith said.
Smith said he belonged to a club similar to this in California for 18 years which had nearly 80 members from the surrounding area.
“Golf courses welcomed us, gave us better rates, gave us merchandise so that at the end of the year we had raffle prizes and gifts to give out. The same thing can work in Sedona,” Smith said.
Right now, Smith said there are seven players on board and ready to go, but 25 are needed to have an official club, according to USGA and AGA bylaws.
Once the group has 25 members signed up, Smith said the club can focus on other things like the name of the club, election of officers, ratifying a constitution and bylaws, establishing a banking partner, determining range of travel for golf tournaments and any other questions that need to be answered.
Smith plans on using a points system to keep track of how players are doing within the associate golf club, and at the end of the year, a three-round tournament can take place to decide a yearly champion.
In the end, Smith is glad to be in Sedona and hopes this associate golf club idea can take off.
“I like Sedona, my family likes Sedona and we’re excited to be here. I hope this golf club takes off because it can be a rewarding and worthwhile experience,” Smith said.
For more information about joining the club, contact Smith at (707) 334-7059 or e-mail him at edward.smith8789@sbcglobal.net.
