Bio

In 2025-26 Gary Peterson begins his 27th season as head coach of the College of the Canyons women’s golf program, and his 43rd 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 29 Western State Conference (WSC) Championships, 10 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Championships and a state record 12 3C2A State Championships (1993, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025).

Four men’s golfers have also claimed individual 3C2A State Championships under Peterson’s leadership, a group that includes Sidney Wolf (2014), Ben Campbell (2016), Nobuhiko Wakaari (2019) and Carson Diaz (2025).

The women’s golf team has kept the same winning tradition, with 13 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).

Prior to his retirement in late 2024, Peterson served as a faculty member in the college’s cinema department and coordinated 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. 2026