The Professional Golfer’s Association has been working over the last few years to grow the game—to make it more accessible and family-friendly. In December, it held its inaugural PGA Family Golf Championship at the La Quinta Resort and Golf Club in California, and the winners were from Utah.

Dave DeSantis, the PGA professional who teaches at Golf Galaxy in Murray, along with his wife Holly and grandson Gordie Gatrell, ran away with the title. Their team finished at even par for the two-day tourney played on the Pete Dye designed Mountain and Dune courses. Their closest competitors were a California father and son that finished at 13-over par.

“It was kind of a nervy format,” DeSantis said, “not a straight scramble. We could select the best drive on each hole, but then we played alternate shots, so it was a challenge at times.”

More than 150 golfers from 24 states participated in the event, which the PGA hopes to make an annual tournament. DeSantis said the PGA would like to develop local events that produce winners who would then qualify for the national championship. He said the PGA Tour will probably move the tourney around to different states each year—always warm weather states since it will be played in December.

The field consisted of 60-plus families, with teams composed of some combination of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, uncles, aunts and grandparents. Each team had to include at least one adult and one junior. DeSantis and his wife enjoy playing with Gordie, a 15-year-old high school golfer who lives in St. George.

“He loves golf and already has his sights set on being a pro,” DeSantis said. “It was really a great experience for all of us, playing beautiful courses with great weather.”

For participating, each player received Adidas pullovers and hats, and each team received a photo in a PGA Family Golf Championship frame. They also were treated to a pizza and pasta party after the first day of competition with a taco truck and ice cream provided at the conclusion of the competition. The division champions were awarded PGA West license plate plaques and bag tags.

DeSantis has been the pro at Golf Galaxy for the past seven and a half years. He’s also taught at a number of courses in the state, including at Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy and at River Oaks which he helped open. His first job was as the golf professional at the Palisades Golf Course near Manti. DeSantis and his family will be invited back to next year’s tournament as defending champions.

The PGA Tour has held events in Utah in the past—the Senior Tour (now called the Champions Tour) for golfers over 60; at Jeremy Ranch and in Park City for several years; and the Korn Ferry Tour for up-and-coming players or those hoping to regain their regular tour cards, which has been played in Utah for more than 20 years. This year, the tour comes back with a regular event for the first time in 60 years, playing at the new Black Desert Resort in Southern Utah. The same course will host an LPGA event in 2025.

Utah had a second team in the La Quinta tourney as well. Darci Olsen, PGA professional at Glenmoor Golf Club in South Jordan, along with her husband Joey and daughter Randli, also played. λ