Deven DeLuca began in his role as Academy of Art men's golf head coach in August 2021.
DeLuca's second season at the program's helm saw the Urban Knights continue to gain valuable experience as they worked toward a finish in the middle of the pack at the Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament by the year's end. There, Anson Pan delivered a top-10 result to make the
PacWest All-Tournament Team while Giulio Zanichelli, who eventually went on to be named
All-PacWest Second Team, turned in his fifth top-20 performance to wrap up the 2022-23 campaign.
Guiding a roster that featured three freshmen, the 2021-22 ART U season provided many learning opportunities while
All-PacWest Second Team and
PacWest All-Tournament Team selection Matthew Watkins closed out his collegiate career. Along the way, Watkins led by example, registering his 11th career tournament victory in the Urban Knights' third place finish at the
2021 Wildcat Classic. Additionally, four of the five team members finished as
2021-22 Academic All-PacWest Team honorees.
Working in various roles, DeLuca carries 10 years of golf instruction and 19 years as a golfer himself, joining ART U after previously worked for Presidio Golf Course starting in 2010. He began as an assistant golf pro for his first five years, managing reservations, merchandising, and assisting with lessons during that time.
In 2015, DeLuca was promoted to director of player development, beginning a four-year stint highlighted by his founding of the Get Golf Ready program which provided group lessons to an average of 60 students per week. In addition to founding and managing the club’s PGA Junior League team and writing a bi-weekly newsletter, he was responsible for creating and managing Presidio’s social media campaigns which grew to a following of over 9,000 users across multiple platforms.
After logging over 440 individual and group instruction hours in 2019, DeLuca became the head golf professional as well the marketing & social media manager for Presidio Golf Course. He had helped grow membership and participation in men’s and women’s club events by more than 400 percent by 2020 and was fulfilling duties as the men’s club tournament coordinator, a post-game banquet co-manager, and overseer of player assistants, driving range attendants, and outside staff.
Concurrently with his work with Presidio, DeLuca was the varsity golf coach at both Urban High School and Drew High School. He began with Drew from 2013-15 then led Urban from 2015-16.
DeLuca became a Class A PGA Member with the Professional Golfers Association of America in 2014 and is still playing competitively at Northern California PGA events.
