Derek Deminsky, PGA
Director of Instruction at The Forty Niner Country Club in Tucson, AZ
Owner/ Director Of Instruction of Golf Better Tucson
– 2022 Southwest PGA Teacher Of The Year! –
Derek was born and raised in a golfing family in the great state of Minnesota. His career was off to an early start when he made the Elk River High School golf team (ranked #1 in MN) as a freshman. He went on to play collegiate golf at Central College (Pella, IA) for 2 years and was named the team’s MVP as a sophomore.
After working for a few summers at the beautiful Fox Hollow Golf Club in MN, Derek decided to follow his dream and pursue a serious golf career. He enrolled at the Golf Academy of Arizona (Phoenix, AZ) and took his golf game to the next level. He was a consistent tournament winner, leading the Academy with an average of 69.25. His passion for teaching was ignited when his first student made a 31 stroke improvement in under one year (shooting a 103 to 72). He graduated with an Associate’s Degree of Golf Complex Operations and Management with certifications in Teaching, Tournament Operations, Club-Fitting and Club-Repair.
After graduation, he went directly to work as an Assistant Professional at Pheasant Acres Golf Course (Rogers, MN) and was able to learn under one of the top teaching PGA professionals in Minnesota (Steve Fessler) who helped him become a true leader in golf instruction.
In the Fall of 2008 Derek moved to Tucson, AZ and worked as an Assistant Professional at the Forty Niner Country Club where he was quickly promoted to the Head Golf Professional. He gave numerous lessons and clinics over three years and found overwhelming success with his students. He decided to start GOLF BETTER TUCSON in October of 2011, to focus primarily on teaching.
Derek then chose to pursue an opportunity to sharpen his teaching skills with a brief stint at GolfTEC, while the Forty Niner was up for sale. Teaching hundreds of lessons, Derek saw his students reach and exceed their goals consistently, and he developed methods to simplify and expedite the improvement process.
Excited to be back as the Director of Instruction for the last 12 years at the new and improved Forty Niner, he is looking forward to helping you play the golf of your dreams! Winning the Southern Chapter PGA Teacher Of The Year in 2017, The Southwest PGA Teacher Of The Year in 2022, and having gained such a large following on social media, Derek is quickly becoming one of the most popular golf instructors in the United States and around the globe.
Here is his recent write up by the Southwest PGA Section on his 2022 Teacher Of The Year Award:
