For the women who shared rounds of golf with Pat Smejkal at The Woodford Club, memories of her accurate shots and knowledge of the rules come with something more personal: the ways she helped them.
She welcomed newcomers, organized tournaments and kept friends connected through the game. Members remembered someone willing to help anyone and an organized person who took pride in creating the annual Oh! Susannah tournament.
“She was just the glue that kept us all together,” Cathy Weil said. “I’ve been thinking about that, and she really was the glue.”
Smejkal died Oct. 10 at age 89. Her friends are remembering their years together while preparing to continue the tournament that now bears her name.
“Pat was what you would call salt of the earth,” Polly Smith said.
Weil, who knew Smejkal for at least 30 years, said one of their hardest conversations came a couple of months ago, when Smejkal called to ask whether she would take over organizing the Oh! Susannah.
“The saddest day, for me, was just a couple of months ago, when she called me,” Weil said.
Weil wanted Smejkal to be able to continue. But accepting the responsibility was an honor, and turning down her friend was difficult to imagine.
“You never said no to her,” Weil said. “Whatever she asked, you found out a way to do it.”
At Smejkal’s funeral, Weil said, her children told her how difficult relinquishing the tournament had been for their mother.
“They both said that that was the hardest thing for her to give up,” Weil said.
Marsha Stark said she and Weil had helped Smejkal organize the event over the years. Stark played in the Oh! Susannah at the club “ever since I started playing golf here,” she said, “so it’s been a lot of wonderful years.”
Stark was especially pleased that the tournament was named for Smejkal in 2025, allowing members to honor her while she was alive. Health reasons prevented Smejkal from attending this year.
“We were so thrilled that last year, we named the tournament after her,” Stark said.
Smith remembered the organization and follow-through behind Smejkal’s work.
“She followed through with what she started,” Smith said. “I think she was in control of it, and that’s the way she wanted it.”
That care extended to golfers who were still learning.
Mary K. Woodrum had been a tennis player before taking up golf. When she began playing at the club, Smejkal helped her learn the rules and find her place among the women.
“When I started playing, Pat just kind of took me under her wing,” Woodrum said.
Smejkal invited Woodrum to ride with her and the other women to tournaments. Woodrum was unfamiliar with many of the courses and recalled making those trips before GPS could guide the way.
“She was always really sweet,” Woodrum said.
“She knew where she was going, so that always helped,” she added. “We did that for years.”
Stark, who met Smejkal after moving to the area in 1985, remembered similar care in her work with their Central Kentucky golf group. Smejkal kept members informed about where they would play and whom to contact at each course.
“She just always kept us informed,” Stark said.
On the course, she also helped friends navigate the rules.
“It was always comforting to play with her because she knew the rules,” Stark said.
Smejkal kept up as those rules changed. Stark recalled occasions when she questioned how to handle a situation, only to discover Smejkal had it right.
“The golf rules have changed on and off, and so she kept up,” Stark said.
Smith remembered teasing Smejkal about her insistence on putting out, even during casual rounds. Smejkal approached the game carefully, and her friends remembered the accuracy of her shots.
Weil said Smejkal had an unconventional swing that was recognizable from a distance.
“It was always long, and it was always straight,” Weil said.
For Stark and Weil, memories of Smejkal also included her husband, Bill. The couple regularly played early morning rounds together, with Stark recalling their arrival around 7:30.
“They played golf every morning, the two of them,” Stark said.
After Bill’s death, Weil said, Smejkal played more regularly with the women. Whatever the day brought, she remembered a friend who made a foursome enjoyable.
“She was just always fun,” Weil said. “You never knew if Pat was having a bad day because she always smiled.”
Stark remembered the same kindness.
“She’s always been the dearest, sweetest person; always cared about other people,” Stark said.
“Nobody could say an unkind thing about her,” she added.
Now, Weil and friends aim to continue the tournament that Smejkal entrusted to her. The Oh! Susannah has drawn golfers from Louisville and Cincinnati, including women who returned for years, she said.
“We have some people, ladies that come from Cincinnati,” Weil said. “And they have been coming for years.”
Her goal is to carry that tradition to its 50th edition and celebrate the milestone.
“We’re definitely going to get to the 50th,” Weil said. “Then we will keep it going but with some extra help I’m sure.”