Inside Georgia football's surprising new secret weapon: a golf course

Inside Georgia football's surprising new secret weapon: a golf course examines how University of Georgia coach Kirby Smart incorporates golf into his competitive mindset. The story begins with Smart’s view of winning and his personal framework of priorities—behind God, family, and football—while describing an upbringing in Rabun Gap, Georgia. It depicts Georgia’s football program infrastructure as intensely performance-driven, citing training boards and sensors in the weight room and an on-campus practice setting referred to as the House of Payne. The article then ties Smart’s competitive nature to golf as the outlet he can control off the field, drawing comparisons to mentors like Nick Saban. It also includes a quote from Matthew Stafford, noting he played through Georgia football before Smart’s tenure and later became friends with him. The piece argues that golf has become part of Smart’s broader approach after building a high-pressure football identity at Georgia.