Pat Diaz Golf

Inspiring Conversations with Pat Diaz of Pat Diaz Golf

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pat Diaz.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Homegrown, I started playing golf at the age of 13 at Mission Trails Golf Course. It is where I took my first lessons and learned to love the game. I went on to play varsity golf at Patrick Henry High School all four years earning my way to the role of team captain my senior year. After high school I then went on to play at Cuyamaca College for coach Louise Parks. I began to realize that my passion was transitioning over from competing to coaching and I never looked back.

My now 20+ year teaching career started right after high school. I had been taking lessons at Riverwalk Golf Club the final two years of high school where I not only bettered my skills as a player, but started to understand the game in a more in depth way. My instructor at the time knew that I was interested in golf as a career and offered me a job helping him with Nike Golf Summer Camps. I graduated high school on a Friday and was working that following Monday not yet knowing that it would be the start of a wonderful career.

At first I was just helping make sure that the balls were stocked for the players and that no one was getting injured. I quickly worked my way into helping the younger students and building my confidence on the instructional side of the game. Fast forward 3 years later and I was taking over the whole Junior Golf Program at Riverwalk Golf Club at the age 0f 20 years old. Junior golf had become my passion and I loved it!!

Fast forward a few more years and I found myself helping build an even greater junior program and helped develop the adult programs at Riverwalk as well. Honing my skills as an instructor and learning the business side of coaching led me to gain the title of Lead Teaching Professional, but I had my sights set higher for my future. In 2017 I made the scariest and best decision of my career to date, and that was transitioning over to my old home course of Mission Trails as the Director of Instruction.

I was so excited to be able to teach at the same course that I grew up in the game. It was already a second home to me and I quickly grew my new business there. At both Riverwalk and then Mission Trails, I was an employee working on the clock and receiving commissions for lessons taught. It was great to be able to run programs and lessons like I wanted and create relationships with new students. I had just started to hit my stride as building a new instructional program from scratch took more work than I had anticipated, and then in 2020, my world got flipped upside down.

Like most people, the Covid pandemic put a lot of stress on me and my family financially, and the peace of mind that I was starting to gain was no longer as strong. Mission Trails remained closed for almost 2 months during the Covid shutdown. When they resumed letting people play, it still took time to get to a place where the course was comfortable getting the driving range open and operational. That did not happen until almost July that year. I thought that once the range was back open, then I would be allowed to teach again. Unfortunately, it would not be until October of that year that teaching golf would be an option again. Nearly 7 months had past without officially teaching any lessons, but it was at that point that the management team asked me if I would like to become an independent contractor instead of being an employee. It was the best thing to happen and so then Pat Diaz Golf officially started in November of 2020, where a new chapter in my story would begin.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Transitioning from being and employee to then becoming an independent contractor was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be, but we learn from our struggles and that is what makes us stronger. I had been an employee for 18 years prior to starting my own business. I had never really thought that I would start a business since being an employee came with the comforts of knowing I had a paycheck coming, knowing that the course took care of everything, and all I needed to do was make a schedule and promote lessons.

Starting a business then took time. Time to get my logos created, business licenses, advertising, etc. Expense, after expense, after expense. It was all on me to make sure that I was teaching enough lessons to pay my rent to the course, but still make enough to support my family. There was a lot of pressure for sure.

As tough as times were during the pandemic for peoples health and finances, golf then hit a massive boom in popularity as it was something that people could enjoy outdoors with less worry of getting sick. People from all different ages and backgrounds started flooding into golf courses. The golf boom definitely helped settle those initial struggles as I was soon booked out nearly a month in advance with a full schedule of private lessons and junior golf classes.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pat Diaz Golf?
I consider myself to be a coach and not just a golf instructor. I help my students in all aspects of their games both on and off the course. Whether it is using video analysis to show my students what they are doing, or using other technologies like my Foresight Sports GC Quad launch monitor to give my students quantifiable data on what exactly is happening when they strike the ball, I make sure to help all my students understand their game in a easy and positive manner so progress can be continually be made. I work with students of all ages and skill levels and love building relationships with each and every person I teach.

My passion for Junior Golf has definitely become my calling card as I am most known for the work I do with young players. I have junior golf classes for beginners, intermediate, and high school players, as well as summer camps. The group classes and camps help young players build relationships and get the players honing their skills in a fun, yet, competitive environment where skill building and learning to love the game go hand in hand.

I also enjoy traveling with my competitive players to various competitions around the country. I have caddied for a student in the US Kids Junior World Championships in Pinehurst North Carolina, I have accompanied one of my players to the National Drive, Chip, and Putt competition at Augusta, and have helped my students get college scholarships to play as high as Division 1 Golf.

I also run one of the largest PGA Jr League teams in Southern California clocking in with nearly 90 players this season. My PGA Jr League All-Star teams enjoy rising to the competition as my 17u Teams have won the 2021 and 2023 Southern California Sectional Championships. My 17u Teams have also qualified 4 years in a row for the PGA Jr League Regional Championships where we have traveled to Tucson, Santa Rosa, and even as far as Maui to compete and represent Southern California in the 17u Division.

These accolades only come with the hard work that my players put in. For me, it is super fun and I think the players truly enjoy playing for me because they know that no matter how we perform, I am proud of each and every one of them. It is their hard work that allows me to be the coach that I am today. Some say that it is me and my coaching that helps the players, but in all honesty, it is the players who drive me to be the best coach I can be for them.

What matters most to you?
The legacy I leave behind is what matters most to me. Knowing that I have some impact on a persons life positively means everything to me. I constantly go out of my way to answer texts or phone calls to help a student who might be struggling. I have gone to my students homes to do in-home lessons and have had students come to my house to do back yard lessons as well.

I always tell my students that every swing matters and that the effort and focus they put into every shot will reflect in their game. For me however, every swing matters because if I can get someone to hit that one shot, make that one swing that in that moment, everything was perfect, that is what drives me everyday and that is the legacy and impact I try to leave with every individual I work with.

Also speaking of legacy, my family is who truly inspires me. My wife Laci is beyond supportive and without her, I would not be where I am today. I know that my sons, Frankie and Eli, look up to me not only as dad, but as a coach as well. They love golf as well and the fact that they can be with me at the golf course and be a part of the game that I truly love is how I know that the legacy I am leaving will inspire them to find what they are passionate in and to strive for greatness in everything they do.

There is no greater honor as a coach, as a husband, as a father than to create a positive, lasting impact in someone’s life. That is the legacy that Pat Diaz Golf will be known for now and for as long as I am blessed to be able to do so.

Pricing:

  • Junior Groups – $25/class
  • One Hour Private Lesson – $115
  • Junior Summer Camp (5 days) – $400

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Samantha Bonpensiero Photography