Derek Johnson leaves Sisters Country

Aspen Lakes golf professional Derek Johnson has traded Central Oregon for Texas. He left his job at Aspen Lakes near the end of May and will be located in Dallas, Texas.

Johnson will sell electricity for a company called Affordable Power. The company buys blocks of power and resells the energy to commercial accounts.

He hopes to work in California at some point when energy is unregulated.

The 40-year-old teaching pro has had a life-long love of golf, with a passion for teaching the game.

He has been in Central Oregon for 20 years, with four years at Aspen Lakes. He was Director of Golf Schools at Black Butte Ranch at the age of 21. He worked there a total of 14 years.

Johnson's approach to golf instruction is to keep it simple and use humor as a part of learning the complicated game.

"I'm going to miss it like crazy. My last day was heartbreaking," he said.

One student on that day was teenager Nathan Pajutee.

"He improved 25 strokes and grew a foot since I started working with him," Johnson chuckled.

He hopes to continue golf instruction on a part-time basis along with his new position.

A specialty for Johnson are "mini-schools" for small groups. He is known for performing golf tricks at instruction clinics.

The job became hazardous for Johnson once, when a 10-year-old swung a seven-iron just as the pro was teeing up a ball for him. His wrist was broken.

Johnson grew up in Albany and took up golf at the age of seven. His mother was active with the junior program at Spring Hill Country Club and got him started.

She later took him and other juniors to tournaments all over the Northwest.

A typical summer day started at 7 a.m., with four hours on the putting green with his buddies playing for quarters.

At 11, they would go to the driving range for two hours. They weren't allowed on the course until two in the afternoon.

After lunch, the youths would play 36 or sometimes 45 holes.

Johnson said he regretted not being able to say goodbye to everyone.

"Some of my adult students I started with when they were 11. It's something I just love."