By Gail Wood
He realized it wasn’t just a matter of wanting to win.
Dom Francks, just like everyone else on the golf course, wanted to be a winner, wanted to be the guy pumping his fist in celebration after draining a 15-foot putt on the final hole to seal the win.
But unlike so many other golfers, he’s learned the price of winning isn’t just wanting to win. It also takes practice, hours and hours of practice. Practice harder, smarter and longer than the competition, then, and only then, would the winning come.
That pledge hasn’t disappointed Francks, a senior at Olympia.
Now, Francks, who won the 4A state championship last spring and placed third at the Junior World Championships in San Diego last summer, has done something no one else in his school has ever done. He’s accepted a golf scholarship to Stanford.
“No one works harder than Dom,” said Skip Fabritius, Olympia golf coach. “He’s willing to put in the time. He knows what he has to do.”
During his sophomore year, Francks’ dad told him about a book that talked about what it took to be a winner. It asked why was Michael Jordan so good? Why were the Beatles better than everyone else?
“It came down to 10,000 hours of practice,” Francks said. “They all put in more time than anyone else. You had to do that to be successful.”
And when he couldn’t get to the driving range or hit a round of golf, he smacked a bucket of golf balls into a net at his home, helping him to perfect his game. During the basketball season, Francks, a starting forward, will often squeeze in a round of golf before a Saturday morning practice.
Francks has learned to combine talent with commitment, getting the most out of his game.
“I don’t think you can go to Stanford and play golf without both talent and work ethic,” said Luke Salme, Olympia basketball coach. “He’s dedicated.”
During the basketball season, Salme knows Francks is committed to basketball.
“But I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that he doesn’t work on his golf game,” Salme said.
Francks has the complete game. With his new driver, he’s about 300 yards off the tee box. He’s accurate around the green, with an iron or a putter.
“What impresses me the most about his game is he’s got everything,” Fabritius said.
Fabritius remembers Francks accurately dropping iron shots from 40 yards out, working the spin to make the ball go where he wanted.
“He can hit a one hop stop. He can hop it left or he can hop it right,” Fabritius said. “He pulls out the shot he needs.”
Francks didn’t start golfing until he was 13. But by the time he was in eighth grade he was already showing talent. To improve his game, he began taking lessons from Joe Thiel, a local instructor who is rated among the best in the country.
“When I started golfing, I was already behind all the other juniors,” Francks said. “I had natural talent from being athletic and playing baseball. But I knew I needed to workout if I was going to pass the test.”
After a successful summer, Francks emailed the Stanford coach, telling him he’d love to play golf there.
“I’ve talked with him every since,” Francks said. “Went down last November for a visit. It was always my No. 1 choice.”
Francks has the golf game and the grades to go to Stanford. He has a 3.9 GPA. His only “B” in high school came in ninth grade band. He played trombone.
“The teacher makes you keep a practice record,” Francks said. “My mom wouldn’t sign off on it because I didn’t practice.”
Despite his success on the golf course and despite the fact that he’s the only returning starter on the school’s basketball team, Francks doesn’t carry a chip on his shoulder, thinking he’s too cool or too good.
“He’s not the type that gloats,” Salme said. “We actually struggle with him taking enough shots. He’s not the type of kid who comes out and thinks he’s the only returning starter and that he needs to shoot 25 times.”
As the returning state champ and with a golf scholarship to a major college, Francks will come into his final high school season in golf with great expectations. But he’s not feeling the pressure. He’s taking the challenge in stride.
“Having success again last summer really helped,” Francks said. “After having success that one summer and winning state, I definitely improved and I took that next step. I feel like my game is only going to improve.”
