GOLF & INVESTING | 5 MINUTES WITH ...
Shay Smart For golfers and investors out there, you might find golf and investing share a lot of similar attributes. In this, the seventh in a series of interviews presented by Charles Schwab, Hong Kong, Ltd., Shay Smart – one of Hong Kong’s leading PGA-qualified instructors – talks about his favourite course, the investment lessons he’s learned over time and his respect for his mentor, Davis Love III. What connections do you see between golf and investing? Time and trust. Taking the time to plan how you want to invest – preferably in harness with a professional – also applies to golf: you need to spend time working on your game plan if you want to see good results. I place trust in the people who manage my investments; likewise, people put their trust in me and other qualified PGA professionals when they want to improve their golf.
Alex Jenkins
When did you start playing? I started playing at 13 in my hometown of Houston, Texas. My father was a caddie growing up and my great-grandfather was from St Andrews, Scotland and made golf clubs, so golf has certainly been in my family for a long time.
98
Who would be in your dream fourball? Davis Love III would be my first pick. I worked for him at Sea Island and I always respected the way he carried himself. He’s a tall guy, like me, and very much a man of his word. He was a great mentor. My second choice would be Bob Hope. He’d provide the humour but I also liked him because of all his charity work. Lastly, Lee Trevino. He came from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. He’s quite the character.
How often do you play? That’s the thing with being in the golf industry – you don’t actually get to play that often! If I get two rounds a month I’m doing pretty well.
How do you maintain focus during a round? To be honest I really only focus on what really means the most to me in life. When I play golf I realise how fortunate I am to be doing so.
What's been your best ever round? Under tournament conditions it would be the 70 I had when taking my playing ability test for my PGA certificate. This was back at Mississippi State University and the funny thing about the round was that I played the first seven holes with only one eye – one of my contact lenses had fallen out! Bizarrely, not being able to see that well – and not thinking about golf – seemed to help.
How would you describe your overall investment philosophy? Generally speaking I’m quite conservative – I place the emphasis on the long term rather than the short term. It’s also important for me to have a good understanding of the companies I am investing in.
Do you have a favourite course? I’m very partial to Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia. I worked there before coming to Asia and the Seaside Course holds a lot of good memories for me. It’s a great track. Originally designed by Harry Colt and Charles Alison in the 1920s, it was updated by Tom Fazio and is a delight to play. My favourite course in this part of the world is the North Course at the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau (pictured). It’s a very challenging layout and the views are great.
What key lessons have you learned through your personal investing experiences? It go e s back to t r u st. You need to b e comfortable with the people who are advising you. Without trust you can end up getting burned. You also need to stick to your plan. My investing plans now are all long term. Gone are the days when I tried to make a quick gain.
HK GOLFER・NOV 2013
HKGOLFER.COM