When senior Aidan Smith first stepped foot onto Saratoga Country Club’s course as a Falcon golfer three years ago, coach Dave Gragnola guided him around the 18-hole golf course. After interacting with Gragnola for the first time while trying out for the golf team, he perceived Gragnola to have a somewhat gruff demeanor.
Fast forward three years, and the boys’ golf No. 2 player and Gragnola have grown to be close friends, enjoying numerous outings with the team. In Gragnola, Smith said he has found a coach with a direct and knowledgeable teaching style.
Gragnola, a longtime resident of Saratoga and an alumnus of the Class of ‘77, has remained an important part of the community, with all four of his children also attending the school around the early 2000s. He’s also maintained a close relationship with golf over the years, having played since he was 6 years old.
In his freshman year at SHS, he failed to make the school team, but made it onto the non-traveling roster the following season. Then, as a junior, he joined the SHS team. He holds fond memories of that season — they lost only one match to Los Gatos, while Gragnola individually qualified for CCS.
After graduating, Gragnola attended San Jose State University but decided not to play for the school, instead dedicating his time toward gaining work experience with a job. Still, he picked up golf again after earning his MBA. Since then, he’s scored eight hole-in-ones playing recreationally at courses like the Saratoga Country Club, where he’s also won eight adult club championships.
Hoping to stay involved with sports even at the age of 66, Gragnola still plays golf regularly with his friends — for instance, he has been competing with a weekly Saturday morning group for decades.
“I have a lot of friends that I play with, so it’s great to be out there competing against them and enjoying their time on the course, even though we usually bet play for money and have competitions,” Gragnola said. “It’s all about trying to do the best I can while I’m still having fun with the guys.”
Gragnola previously coached the school’s softball team from 2005 to 2010. He also currently coaches the Saratoga Country Club’s junior golf program and the local AYSO advanced soccer team. Outside of coaching, he has worked at Allstate Insurance as a personal finance representative for the past 48 years where he owns and manages his 41-year-old Cupertino car insurance agency.
Gragnola’s goal for the team this season is to perform well in the league, qualify for CCS — whether it be as a team or individual players — and, most importantly, defeat Los Gatos. He describes his coaching style as laid back, with less of a focus on the negatives and outcome of the game and more on positive encouragement.
“For the most part, I’m pretty easygoing,” Gragnola said. “[The players] do the best they can. I do not review what’s happened after a match until the next day.”
Gragnola enjoys coaching his students during day-to-day practices and spending time with them after games. Gragnola’s traditions have stuck throughout the years — the after-game fast food at In-N-Out, Chipotle or Chick-Fil-A and his annual, summertime reunions with past golf players.
“What I try to do is have an annual summertime get together for the boys’ and girls’ players that have graduated and are somewhere out there in the world, and just say: ‘Hey, we have mini golf — show up.’ We usually try to do that once a year, and then we have ice cream afterwards,” Gragnola said.
Above all, Gragnola appreciates the community he has built while playing and coaching the sport, whether it’s students from SHS or other players that he frequently plays matches against.
“We mess around and we just have fun out there,” Gragnola said. “I think that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less of an opposing figure — I don’t yell at anybody. I just try to stay positive.”
