Darren Falk’s journey in golf began when he was just five years old. He started playing at Osiris Country Club in Walden, New York.
“My father, Bob Falk, was (and still is) an avid golfer, so I grew up following him around the golf course,” Falk recalls. “I took junior golf clinics with PGA of America Golf Professional Jim Dwyer at Osiris, where the biggest treat was having a soda in the clubhouse afterwards.”
Falk credits a non-competitive golf environment when he was young with sparking his love for the game.
“As other sports phased out, golf became more of the focus for me,” he adds. “I began playing small local tournaments and was fortunate to attend my first PGA TOUR event, the PGA Championship at Winged Foot in 1997. Seeing the greats up close and personal lit the fire for me. I played tournaments throughout my summers. While not a golfer herself, my mother Linda spent many hours reading in clubhouses throughout the Hudson Valley waiting for me to finish my rounds.”
Today, Falk is a three-time New England PGA Section special awards winner, earning the Section’s Youth Player Development Award in 2019, Player Development Award in 2024 and Teacher of the Year honors in 2026. He is also a first-time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, being named to the prestigious list in 2025.
Falk started working at the Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall, New York, when he was just 15 years old. He already knew he loved the game of golf, but PGA of America Golf Professional John Schmoll helped him realize a love of working in golf.
“I remember waiting in the parking lots at 6:00 a.m. on the weekends, eager for someone to open the golf shop so I could get started,” he says.
Knowing early on that he wanted a career in golf, Falk enrolled into the Campbell University Professional Golf Management Program in Buies Creek, North Carolina. He was fortunate to work at some great facilities under some equally great PGA of America Golf Professionals — Dave Carazo at the Tuxedo Club and Jerry Yochum at Rockrimmon — in the Metropolitan PGA Section.
He landed an internship while at Campbell with Top 50 Instructor David Orr, now at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, North Carolina. It was under Orr’s direction where Falk’s love for coaching and instruction blossomed.
“I helped with the freshman PGM classes, observed David's private lessons and did anything else that I was I was allowed to do,” Falk tells us. “I just wanted to learn anything and everything I could about the golf swing. David’s influence led me to my biggest mentor in golf instruction, Andy Plummer. In my view, Andy is the brightest mind in golf instruction and someone that I am fortunate to call a friend.”
Darren’s final college internship was at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“Brendan Walsh is the consummate professional and a mentor to hundreds of golf professionals,” he says. “It was truly an amazing experience to be at a legendary facility with so many incredible golf professionals, many of whom I am still in touch with to this day.”
Jennifer Webster, PGA, was the first assistant at The Country Club when Falk was there and had already been named the head professional at Prouts Neck Country Club in Scarborough, Maine. As his internship concluded, Webster invited him to be her First Assistant at Prouts Neck, where he’d spend the next four years. He started teaching right away, which is a privilege not always afforded to a lot of young professionals.
“Initially I felt that I wanted to go the head professional route, so I slowly worked my way up in the business that way,” Falk details. “Winters in Jupiter, Florida at The Bear's Club and Ritz-Carlton, combined with stops at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut and Chevy Chase Club in Maryland. I was at a crossroads at Chevy Chase, as I had reached the point of interviewing for head golf professional jobs. However, the call to teach had grown stronger, and I wasn't sure the head professional route was one that I still wanted to pursue.”
Fortunately, fate intervened, as Falk got a call from his former boss Webster. She and her husband Joe O’Connor, PGA, had purchased Holly Ridge Golf Club, a Par 3 facility in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. They wanted him to join them, offering the chance to build up the teaching business while also being involved in the golf operation. Falk couldn’t pass up the opportunity!
“I divided my time between golf operations and teaching during those first few years while I grew the teaching business,” Falk recalls. “As Holly Ridge has flourished under Jen and Joe's leadership, I was able to move into teaching full-time five years ago as the PGA of America Director of Instruction.”
As a par 3 course, Holly Ridge hosts many beginners and juniors. As such, Falk’s junior program welcomes over 250 kids each year, while his adult beginner golf program brings in over 120 new golfers. The combination of a friendly, shorter golf course, with the welcoming vibe the O’Connors and their team have created, make it a wonderful golf environment on the Cape for everyone. Falk also teaches private lessons to go with his many clinics and group instruction offerings.
“For so many, golf is a social game, and they like learning with others nearby, sharing in the experience,” Falk explains. “Where private lessons can be intimidating for many, a group setting often makes them feel more comfortable. However, the individual instruction and personal touch can be lessened within a large group setting. I have created Full Swing and Short Game Masterclasses that provide quality instruction with the comfort of learning with others. Each class is two hours long with a maximum of six students per group. There are four classes — Putting, Chipping/Pitching, Driver, Irons — so many students will take each one throughout the year and achieve a complete game tune up. Each class provides a broad overview of the topic, while the small setting allows for a lot of personal attention.”
Falk is a big believer in video in his lessons — not only for his own purposes, but for his students, as well. He understands that most golfers learn visually, so the ability to see what is happening in their swing is paramount for making needed changes.
“I have found the biggest beneficiaries of video analysis are the beginner golfers, he tells us. “They have not developed a feel for the swing yet, so seeing what they are doing incorrectly, compared to what should be done, can make a huge impact. I use Onform and Skillest for analysis, and more importantly, communication with students. Keeping in touch with students in between lessons and making sure they are staying on track is so important.”
Looking ahead, Falk sees no pause in technology in golf instruction as launch monitors become more affordable and provide more data than ever. He says AI is going to play a role in helping students diagnose their faults.
“As golf instructors, we certainly must embrace the technology and find how it can best help our students. Some think technology and AI can potentially replace the golf instructor, but I am not sure I agree with that. While students might have more data available to them, that doesn't mean they know how to use it to better themselves. That is where the golf instructor will always have a place; creating that bridge between our students and what technology and data tell them. I think the value in technology is allowing for better and more constant communication with our students. Online instruction has become popular over the years and offers the ability for your students to work with you whenever and wherever. While this is great, I think the most success still comes from in-person coaching. A hybrid model of the two will allow instructors to work with more students while also allowing them to communicate and work with them away from the lesson tee. It will serve as a win-win for both instructors and students,” he concludes.