Golf is Fun Again for Johnson

By Tom Aluise
Charleston Daily Mail
April 27, 2007

University of Charleston golf Coach Will Johnson talks straighter than a Fred Couples' tee shot.

Not long ago, the guy was burned out on golf. And he'll tell you about it.

Actually, the word Johnson uses is "fried."

The former Capital High and UC star was playing on some professional mini tours and failing miserably. Johnson rarely made a cut. And he made even less money.

"I realized after a couple of years I didn't have what it took to stay with it 24/7 and travel 24/7," said the 31-year-old Johnson, who turned pro in 1999 and gutted it out for a few years on the mini tours in Florida and elsewhere. "It's a lonely job."

A couple of years ago Johnson gave up pro golf and regained his amateur status. Then he took his clubs, stuck them in a closet and essentially abandoned the sport.

"I'd go out sometimes with my friends," he said. "I really didn't want to play. I wasn't as good as I was and I didn't feel like practicing to get better."

Then something happened to Johnson on his way to becoming nothing more than an A player in your typical weekend scramble.

He became coach.

Taking over UC's program gave Johnson a new perspective on the sport. It revitalized his passion for the game.

"I had no idea how rewarding it is when you see kids winning," said Johnson, who, in his second season at the Golden Eagle helm, has led UC to next month's NCAA Division II East Regional in Wheeling. "It's a lot of fun when you have some success. It's pretty satisfying."

Johnson, a former West Virginia Conference Player of the Year, played for Mike Good at UC and often brushed off his ex-coach when approached about assuming control of the Golden Eagle program.

"I played for Mike," Johnson said, "and he told me 100 times, ‘I'm not going to be here long, you ought to try this out.' I told him, ‘no way.'

"I knew it didn't pay real well and that was a big turnoff. But I also remembered all of those long van trips. I didn't want to go through that."

So, when Johnson walked into UC Athletic Director Tom Nozica's office two years ago to talk about the job, his mind was made up. Or so he thought.

"I walked in with the intention of telling him no," Johnson said. "I walked out the new golf coach.

"He (Nozica) was up front. That's all I needed. I just needed a little coercing. Everybody wanted me to do it, except me. Now, I'm glad I did it."

Especially when Johnson thinks about his team's success in 2007.

The Golden Eagles, who have only one West Virginian in their top five (Beckley's Brandon Reece), won the WVC Tournament earlier this month at Cacapon State Park, a victory that earned them an automatic bid into the East Regional, May 7-9 at Oglebay Park in Wheeling.

On top of that, UC senior and Ohio native Michael Todd was named the WVC's Player of the Year and Johnson the league's Coach of the Year.

Not bad for a guy who was "fried'' by the sport a few years ago.

Johnson, who works as a real estate agent for Dobbins, Fisher & Pittman when he's not at UC, is even getting out on the course again with clubs in hand. He hopes to compete in this summer's major events, such as the West Virginia Amateur and State Open.

"I've learned to play golf and have some fun, instead of playing for the sheer competitiveness," Johnson said. "It's a lot more enjoyable. It's not a grind."

He likes this coaching gig too.

"I'm getting ready to get married and have a family," Johnson said. "I need all the dimes I can get. I don't plan on going anywhere. I enjoy it a lot more than I ever thought I would."

Story courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail

                        Will Johnson