Jonathan Diianni

“I first began accompanying my Dad to the driving range when I was three years old. He had a right-handed iron cut down for me, but I refused to swing the correct way, flipping it over and hitting it with the backside of the club…I have been a lefty ever since that day.

When I was 8, my Dad would drop my brother and me off at Altavista Country Club at 7 in the morning and pick us up when he got off work late in the evening. There were only 9 holes, but two different tee boxes on each hole so you could mix it up on the “back nine.” The driving range was only 220 yards long and the tee box to hit off of was 15 yards wide and 30 yards long.

One Summer morning, my brother and I went straight to the range, determined to hit balls all day. We never stopped. When our hands blistered, we taped them up and kept going. I still remember the sweat pouring down my face, wiping it off and swinging some more.

When my dad came to pick us up that evening, the superintendent pulled him aside. He was not happy. Because of our day of hard work, he now had to close and re-sod a large portion of the driving range. My Dad wasn’t as upset as the super and my brother and I were proud of the work we had put in that day. I was just a young boy chasing a dream and I’m still chasing that same dream today.”

Jonathan Diianni, Son, Brother, Professional Golfer

Jonathan’s favorite Douglas Rose product is the Collier Black Calfskin Leather Bag.