Bio

In 2024-25 Gary Peterson begins his 26th season as head coach of the College of the Canyons women’s golf program, and his 42nd season with the men’s golf program.

Peterson, the longest-tenured coach at College of the Canyons, had his start at the college in 1979 and has held a variety of positions along the way.

His success rate at COC has been unsurpassed, as he is the winningest coach in California Community College golf history.

Under Peterson’s leadership, the men’s golf program has won 28 Western State Conference (WSC) Championships, nine California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Championships and a state record 11 3C2A State Championships (1993, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024).

Three men’s golfers have also claimed individual 3C2A State Championships under Peterson’s leadership, a group that includes Sidney Wolf (2014), Ben Campbell (2016) and Nobuhiko Wakaari (2019).

The women’s golf team has kept the same winning tradition, with 12 WSC Championships, four 3C2A SoCal Regional Championships and five 3C2A State Championships (2001, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2023).

Peterson has also coached four individual state champions on the women’s side in Jenny Lee (2007), Kris Grimes (2011), Haruka Koda (2019) and Sahya Kitabatake (2024).

In addition to his head coaching duties, Peterson serves as a faculty member in the college’s cinema department and coordinates the annual Friday Night Film Series, which brings films that are not released in large distribution to the Santa Clarita Valley.

In his free time Peterson enjoys spending time at home with his wife and two children.

— Bio current as of Jan. 2025