Ray was born and raised in the heart of the Southside of San Antonio. He is a graduate of Harlandale High School where he was a three-sport student-athlete playing football, baseball, & golf. He attended Texas Lutheran University on a golf scholarship and earned a degree in Business Management. As a golfer, he was named conference player of the week four times, won the American Southwest Conference Golf Championship in 2002, and was recognized as the TLU Athlete of the Year. In 2008, he started his nearly three-year stint on the pro golf mini tour circuit which included a trip to PGA Tour Q-School in 2010. In August of 2011, he began his career in education as a teacher and golf coach and helped establish the district wide middle school golf program that exists today within Harlandale ISD. He also served as the Head Golf Coach at Harlandale High School. Garza is still an avid golfer who actively competes in professional golf events, which most recently includes joining the PGA of America Associate Program.
In June of 2018 Coach Garza had a vison of starting a golf movement and launched On Par Golf. As the owner and founder of On Par Golf, he was driven to develop a golf business built on making quality golf instruction accessible to all with a focus on the growth of youth golf in the San Antonio community. The business partnership forged with Alamo City Golf Trail in June of 2019 helped shape what On Par Golf looks like today with its flagship location at Mission Del Lago Golf Course, a second location established in March of 2021 at Cedar Creek Golf Course, and a third location in August of 2023 at Northern Hills Golf Course. In July of 2020 Garza had an opportunity to enhance his Southside location and opened Rockin’ G’ Grill at Mission Del Lago Golf Course. A full menu restaurant offering a fresh made-to-order food and beverage establishment for not only the visiting golfers but the deserving area residents. In December 2023 On Par Golf expanded its brand by launching an online apparel store. OnParGolfApparel.com offers a variety top quality Men’s, Women’s, and Youth apparel. To expand on the success of the apparel line, Garza’s vision behind his clothing was to help provide youth golfers with new golf equipment and access to area golf courses. To execute that vision, Ray founded a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization called the Flamingo Club. So, a percentage of sales from On Par Golf Apparel in addition to area donors and businesses help fund the Flamingo Club. In the inaugural Flamingo Club celebration in June of 2024 the organization was able to give away nearly seventeen thousand dollar’s worth of new equipment, apparel and access to area golf courses. The mission of the Flamingo Club is to help remove the cost of golf equipment that might otherwise keep our youth from playing golf.
The commitment to his community and humble Southside upbringing drives him everyday to strive for equal opportunity for all and the belief that anything is possible if you can dream it.