Young Spanish sensation, David Puig once recollected about his start in the sport: “I first got into golf when I was six because of my dad. He was the one that took me to the course and I took up the game at the same time as my mum.” in an interview for Golf Digest Middle East. During this time, the family travelled from his birthplace to Club de Golf Masia Bach, which was over 24 miles away. While his dad may have pushed him towards golf, it was Juan Carlos Cuesta who molded him into the player he is today.
Now known as Club de Golf Barcelona, the golf club has Cuesta as one of its experienced coaches. During his time under the Spanish coach, Puig turned into an accomplished junior golfer. Representing his home country in the Junior Golf World Cup, the Fireballs GC player managed to win a silver medal in 2018 and followed that up with a bronze in 2019. Puig mentioned that he was always grateful to get the opportunity to train at Club de Golf Barcelona and under the experienced team of coaches that included Juan Carlos Cuesta. So it’s understandable why he was heartbroken when the news of his former coach’s passing.
As revealed by the Instagram account of Club de Golf Barcelona, “With deep sadness, I have to announce the death of our esteemed partner, Juan Carlos Cuesta.” While there is limited information about his background available online, the coach rose up the ranks due to his excellent skills. He last held the position of a member of the Board of Directors and President of the Competition Committee, as confirmed in the post as well. The club also shared another a showcase of its former players have paying their tribute to Cuesta.
One of them was David Puig, who is playing at LIV Golf Korea at present. The 23-year-old was seen wearing a black ribbon at the back of his cap and shared the picture of the same on his social media with a message, “Today for you, Juan.” He had also shared a story around the same time that read, “We will always remember you my friend! RIP.” It’s evident that despite being over 6,000 miles away, the LIV Golf pro only had his former coach in his mind while playing in Incheon, South Korea.
David Puig was not the only one who was devastated about the loss of his former coach. There were many more who also paid tribute to Juan Carlos Cuesta once the news reached them.
David Puig’s former coach is commemorated by other associates
Speaking about Cuesta’s loyalty and efforts in the golf club, Club de Golf Barcelona also wrote, “He will always be remembered at the Club for his commitment, dedication, leadership and love of golf, mainly in the area of organization and arbitration at the state level, lately also linked more intensely to the Catalan Federation.” Their last message for the veteran coach turned leader was a tribute to the person he was: “He leaves an indelible mark on us as a person. Our deepest condolences go out to his entire family. RIP.”
Besides David Puig, one of Juan Carlos Cuesta’s young students, Jan Farré was also anguished at his coach’s loss. Having celebrated a vital win alongside his Club Barcelona teammates in the Spanish U18 Interregional Championship 2025, the junior golfer would have probably shared his success with Cuesta a few days ago. In fond memory, he simply dedicated a picture of himself getting trained by the veteran.
Another individual who also dedicated a picture in the carousel to the Spanish coach is his friend, Xavier Susan. Susan was an employee of the club and was close to Cuesta. The two had also attended a committee meeting held by the late coach together where the attached picture was taken.
Thanking the storied man, Club de Golf Barcelona capped off the emotional tribute with a simple description from the journalists who had known and worked alongside JC Cuesta: “Dedication, commitment, work and leadership“. And that’s how he will be remembered – for his love of the game.
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