St. John's golf coach has made an impact on his alma mater

Coach Frank Darby knows golf inside and out, from gloves to greens to handicaps.

He grew up a golfer and played for St. John’s University from 1976-1980. In addition, he’s been a member of The PGA of America for 26 years.

In his 18th season as head coach of his alma mater, he says for his men’s team to reach the next level, they need to work on mental health as much or more than any other component.

“The proper support groups are the key to our success. I only recruit players that have a good swing instructor, fitness professional, and sports psychologist,” said Darby. “A lot of our success over the years can be attributed to Pete Solana and the mental wellness program he set up for our players. He worked hard with Keegan Bradley, who played for us and is in his first year on The PGA Tour.”

In addition to a great attitude, Darby says golf takes dedication and complete focus. He says his team needs to continue working together and respecting each other. He credits the fact that the players live together on campus as one feature that helps the team stay successful.

“The main thing I try to do daily is to make sure everyone stays positive at all times, to try and keep distractions away, to be prepared to play and practice, to stay organized and make sure they have fun,” said Darby. “We have great team chemistry as they all live in the GolfHouse. They are concerned about each other and that is big.”

Red Storm men’s golf had a “great Fall season” according to Darby. The team had two wins at Hartford and Yale, and Evan Beirne picked up an individual win at Mission Inn’s tournament. This upcoming season, Darby has even bigger goals for his golfers.

“For the upcoming spring season, which starts Feb. 11th in Tampa, our goals are to be ranked in the top 75, which will get us an NCAA bid. We want a Big East Championship and to win two more team titles,” said Darby.

When Darby thinks about the elements that make his program successful overall, he mentions a few key ideas that came to mind.

“In the St. John’s area, we have great golf courses that we switch off using based on where we are going to play next. You become a product of where you are playing. We have used Wheatley Hills, Sands Point, Pelham, Seawane, Rockaway Hunt, Glen Oaks, Friar’s Head, Piping Rock and occasionally Deepdale. It’s important to get used to different styles of courses,” said Darby. “In addition, the players work out on their own, even in the off season. Overall fitness and health is key. The best players know this and make sure to stay in shape.”

Darby has had much success with St. John’s golf throughout his time with the Red Storm.

“St. John’s golf has made numerous NCAA appearances and over 30 players have become PGA Club Professionals and aspiring tour players,” said Darby.

Again, Darby credits mental toughness, along with skills and technique as part of the reason for the great accomplishments.

“I teach them to stay relaxed, work on anger management while on the course, and to stay positive and confident. Our players are confident. And basics are really important as well. The skills and techniques are important at every level,” said Darby.

As Darby develops not only young adult athletes, but young adults that he hopes will succeed in life after college, he knows how important it is to work with the student athlete completely from day one.

“We expect a lot from our guys, but as coaches, you have to show you care and love your players first. We expect our freshmen from the start to step up. That’s why it’s important that the player is fully committed to coming here and working hard. As coaches, we support the guys but at the end of the day, it’s really how bad do they want it? What are the players giving up to get better? Are you eating better? Are you going to sleep on time? There are a lot of distractions for young athletes in today’s world,” said Darby.

Darby says looking forward he hopes to build up the great reputation of St. John’s golf even more and develop more players from “top to bottom” as he says, “You’re only as good as your fourth or fifth guy on the team.”

St. John’s golf has taken tremendous strokes forward since Darby’s reign of the team years ago, but he says he looks forward to using his “John Wooden like” coaching philosophy to lead even more teams to victory.

Said Darby: “I’m an old school kind of coach. I want to recruit the right players, be a great role model, care about my players, create an atmosphere where your student athletes can flourish both academically and athletically and work hard everyday.”