Steve Darcey of Scottsdale Hails
Desert Mountain Geronimo Course and Paradise Valley in Scottsdale as Golf Mecca's.

November 14, 1998
If there is one thing that totally defines the life of Steve Darcey, head professional of The Foothills Golf Course in Ahwatukee, it's the word golf.

"It's my life," says the former Arizona State University student. "It's all I've ever known. It brings out the best in me. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. It defines my being and I would do anything to uphold the tradition. It is my career."

A country club kid growing up in Silver Springs Maryland, he began his golf career at the age of nine, practically caddying his way through Junior High School, High School and college.

"I was at that club 24 hours a day seven days a week when I was not attending school," Darcey said. "I played in every tournament I could, Junior Golf Tours, High School tournaments, everything including the local PGA circuit when I got my card."

A member of the PGA since 1987, the 35 year old golf pro described some of the steps he took towards achieving his goal.

"First I had to pass a test evaluating my skills," Darcey said. "Then I had to go through a PGA golf professional training program with many different levels and areas of study, very much like college. Afterwards I worked at a PGA recognized facility and then I achieved my PGA status. When I first told everyone that I wanted to become a golf professional no one really took me seriously but when I finally became a member of the PGA they all knew it was for real. It was and still is my passion."

As the head pro at The Foothills Golf Course, Darcey has many responsibilities.

"Basically I am in charge of the overall golf operations at my course," Darcey said. "It's a high-end facility and I place a lot of emphasis on customer and player services. We like to use the term 'Country Club For a Day Experience' when describing what we provide here. I wear a lot of hats. Once again, what is most important is overseeing our daily golf operations and maintaining excellent customer service."

Darcey also supervises the instructors on his staff. He believes in the importance of a strong mental game.

"The strengths and weaknesses of the mental game fascinates me," Darcey said. "When it comes to the swing there is no right or wrong way. Look at Lee Travino's swing compared to Jack Nicklaus', both totally different. The great players simply find the best way to put the ball in the hole in the least amount of swings.

"Amateurs focus too much on what they are doing wrong. They focus on the negative rather than the positive. The best players are the ones who could focus in on the task at hand. They are all very positive. People who are negative and pessimistic don't do well in golf. When people play a good round they don't remember what it was they did. When they play a bad round and you ask them what happened, they remember everything. They can give you enough information about what they did wrong to write a book."

A Scottsdale resident, Darcey has played some of the courses there and has been impressed.

"One of the best courses I've played there is the Geronimo course in Desert Mountain in North Scottsdale," Darcey said. "That was an awesome course. It's the only way to describe it. That's where The Tradition is played. Paradise Valley Country Club in Scottsdale is another beauty. It's an older style course with tall trees and palms. It's been there a while and its gorgeous."

Darcey also had words of praise for his Foothills Golf Club.

"I like the fact that even though this is a desert course there is a lot of room to land the golf ball," Darcey said. "The course is very forgiving. It's incredibly picturesque and it has great views of the South Mountains. With four sets of tees for every hole you can vary the difficulty to your own liking. It's challenging for beginners, women, men, seniors and advanced golfers."

Summing up his golf experience in Arizona Darcey had just one thing to say.

"I'm not in Maryland anymore."