Jim Rutledge Working On The Course As Well As On His Game As He Chases Moe Norman’s Record
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Since winning his seventh PGA Seniors Championship of Canada last summer, Jim Rutledge has spent a lot more time working on the golf course than playing the game he loves.
A frozen left shoulder sidelined Rutledge for the better part of ninth months. He did not play a single round from late last summer until May of this year.
He did, however, still rise early five days a week and head to Uplands Golf Club to work with superintendent Brian Youell and the rest of the grounds crew at the highly regarded Victoria layout.
It’s something the recent inductee into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame has been doing for the past several years. “I have been there for a few years now just working Saturday through Wednesday mornings,” Rutledge says. “It’s good, I love it.”
With his shoulder now feeling better, Rutledge has taken to doing a little bit of practising before his early-morning shifts at Uplands. “I usually hit some balls in the morning or putt before I go to work,” he says. “It’s light enough that I can hit balls into the net there and swing. I am probably going to go out tonight and play a few holes. It’s nice to get back into it.”
The easy-going Rutledge does not seem concerned about shaking off any rust as he prepares for the upcoming PGA Seniors Championship of Canada at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford. This one has some extra meaning as Rutledge will attempt to match the record of eight wins set by the legendary Moe Norman.
“Oh yeah, I am anxious to try and get there,” he says of chasing Norman’s record. “And Moe would be, too. I know Moe would say, ‘go for it, son, try and pass me.’”
This year’s tournament, which goes Aug. 9-11, will be only the second event Rutledge has played in since recovering from his frozen shoulder. He was given a sponsor’s exemption into the Royal Beach Victoria Open on the PGA Tour Canada circuit at Uplands in mid-June. Rutledge missed the cut, but was not displeased with how he played after such a long layoff. “I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but I didn’t embarrass myself,” he says. “I was just glad to tee it up.”
Image courtesy CGHOF
Jim Rutledge Was Inducted Into The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame This Year With Robert Weir
Rutledge will enter the Ledgeview tournament as defending champion. He won the 2022 championship at Connaught Golf Club in Medicine Hat, Alta., by four shots over Phil Jonas of Saskatoon Golf & Country Club and Scott Allred of Elbow Springs Golf Club in Calgary. Rutledge’s six other victories came in 2019, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012 and 2010. It’s a tournament Rutledge absolutely loves to compete in.
“It’s always fun,” he says. “I love playing in the event because I get to see my buddies. I think (Bob) Beauchemin is coming from back east and Phil Jonas and all those guys. I think I am going to play a practice round with Tom Whittle and Phil. I just like seeing my old buddies. The golf is great, too. It’s fun.”
Rutledge has played Ledgeview once. “A long, long, long time ago,” he says. He recently checked out some drone footage of the course. “Thirty or 40 years later the trees are a little higher than they were back then,” he says. “It’s quite narrow and then it was not. The trees were smaller and you went over everything. Not anymore. I do remember a few of the holes, but I think there have been a few adjustments.”
Rutledge knows that Ledgeview is not a long course, so his strategy will be quite simple. “Just keep the ball in play,” he says. “Distance is not a priority. It’s just fairways and greens and some of those greens are a challenge as I remember, so it’s about positioning on the greens and giving yourself as many chances as possible.”
As his recent Hall of Fame induction would suggest, the soon to be 64-year-old Rutledge has had a remarkable career. During a media conference call earlier this year to announce his Hall of Fame induction, Rutledge joked that he has lost count of how many different countries he played in. “It’s a long list and I have the yardage books to prove it,” he said.
Rutledge won the Canadian Juvenile Boys title in 1975 and added the Canadian Junior Boys championship two years later. He turned pro, at the age of 19, in 1978 and quickly hit the road. He played on, among others, the European, Asian, Canadian and Nationwide tours before becoming at age 47 the second oldest rookie on the PGA Tour in 2007. He then went on to have success on the 50-and over PGA Champions circuit.
After all those years of competing, Rutledge says his work on the Uplands grounds crew has given him a much better appreciation of all the hard work that goes into getting a course into great condition. “After playing golf for so long I’m now on the inside looking out,” he says. “You get to see what a huge, huge job it is to get a golf course into really good shape. . .It’s been a really good learning experience and I couldn’t have a better boss than Brian Youell. If I want to go golf he just says, ‘get out of here.’”
CHIP SHOT: Fifty-nine players are scheduled to compete in the 54-hole event at Ledgeview and more than half the field are British Columbia-based players.