He won 25 official events on the PGA Tour, and placed in the top ten of major championships a total of 17 times.

He emigrated to the United States on March 8, 1908, at age 17 to seek better golfing opportunities, which he eventually found in America.

He applied for, and was granted, American citizenship on July 31, 1918, from the Superior Court of San Diego County, California.

Smith suffered a heartbreaking near-miss at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland in the 1925 Open Championship, when he was the 54-hole leader.

He shot a disappointing 82 in the final round and finished three strokes back, in fourth place; Jim Barnes won.

Crowd control broke down (with too few marshals and no gallery roping), with the numerous spectators, many of whom had traveled to watch him, invading the playing areas, causing delays, chaotic conditions, and deflected shots.

[8] Smith related to the teacher and author Harvey Penick an unfortunate story about another near-miss in an Open Championship.

Smith believed that bookies who had taken bets on him at 5–1 odds were running ahead and tampering with his ball location, making it tougher for him to hit good shots.

[10] Smith employed a strong grip, with both hands turned more to the right on the club, which produced a draw on the majority of his full shots.

[13] In December 1922, he was married to Louise A. Cahill (1876–1952), a woman 14 years his senior who had been widowed in 1907 when her first husband, Joseph Harvey, died.