At 60 years old, Darius Alexander Ross has built a life defined by resilience, discipline, and perseverance. Splitting his time between Fort Kent, Maine, and Manhattan, New York, Ross has transformed personal hardship into a philosophy that shapes both his golf game and his approach to mentoring others.
Born on July 16, 1965, Ross first discovered golf at age 13 using yellow plastic clubs and white practice balls purchased from Woolworth. Years later, while working as a banking intern in Chicago, the game re-entered his life in a more serious way. Today, he is a member of both the United States Golf Association and the New York State Golf Association and proudly plays as a scratch golfer.
“My first exposure to golf came when I was 13 years old,” Ross recalled. “Then again as a Banking Intern in Chicago. Golf kept finding its way back into my life.”
Ross credits years of relentless dedication for helping him master his game. His home course is the Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course, where he continues refining his skills after more than two decades of practice.
“My Golf Handicap is in the 0 range as a scratch golfer,” he said. “After 20 years of practicing, I started to master my strokes.”
While Ross takes golf seriously, some of his most memorable moments on the course have come with humor. One unforgettable experience occurred in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at Forest Akers Golf Course, where he nearly flipped a golf cart while driving with his mother riding alongside him.
(Lives in NYC and Maine, was raised in Chicago)
“I almost flipped the golf cart over, driving at a high speed with my mom in tow,” Ross said with a laugh. “I didn’t tell her I had only driven a cart once before.”
Beyond golf, Ross’s life story includes extraordinary adversity. Growing up amid violence in Chicago during the 1980s and 1990s, he says he lost more than 200 friends during what he describes as urban warfare. He also endured financial instability and personal abandonment by his father. Rather than surrender to those struggles, Ross developed what he calls a “Guerrilla Mentality” — an unbreakable mindset rooted in endurance and survival.
“What sustained me through difficult times was developing a determined, unstoppable mindset,” Ross explained. “I tell myself that I can’t fail, that failure is unacceptable, and that I will overcome any obstacle.”
Those life experiences now influence the way Ross mentors and coaches others, especially those facing setbacks or emotional hardship. Ross has authored six books including Mastering the TPS Blueprint: Transforming Trauma into Triumph and Leadership DNA: Building a Thriving Business Culture. including his soon to be released Dating at 50 “My life experiences shaped the way I approach coaching because I can relate to the suffering and setbacks of others,” he said. “I stand as proof that people can overcome those struggles and attain real success.”
Ross believes golf offers more than competition. To him, the game provides peace, self-discipline, and emotional release. “With golf, as a pleasure and a passion, you can release so much intensity and begin to find peace on the greens,” Ross said. “The tranquility in the game is like chess. It’s a game of self-challenges that creates discipline and patience.”
For Ross, golf mirrors life itself — demanding focus, resilience, and patience with every swing.
SOME BOOKS BY DARIUS RUCKER:
