Royal Colwood’s New Head Professional Brings Impressive Resume
Victoria-born Gordy Scutt’s career has been one of steady and impressive progression…
When Rich Chlopan announced his retirement after five years as Royal Colwood’s Head Professional, the Club started the search for his replacement.
As it turned out they would not have to look very far.
The Club has brought on well-respected hiring company Fresh Golf to conduct the search and more than 40 professionals from across the country applied. Fresh Golf’s Scott Kolb worked with the Club’s search committee. When all was said and done, it was clear that Gordy Scutt was the right person for the job.
In an email, Kolb said of the decision, “I was very pleased to see Gordy emerge from the many qualified candidates to excel through the very extensive search process. His career path perfectly aligned to prepare him for this new challenge. Combined with General Manager Winston Michell, I look forward to seeing the future of Royal Colwood.”
The job description Michell put in the posting called for “… a charismatic, engaging PGA Head Professional with a passion for golf and a standard of excellence in leadership and managing memorable experiences.”
Michell felt Gordy ticked all the boxes, "When you look at Scutt’s career trajectory and resume, the appointment seems almost meant to be."
Scutt hails from Victoria and started his golf at Cedar Hill at the age of five. He has lived in the Capital region ever since and currently resides right in Colwood with his wife Taryn and daughters Sloan and 5-month-old Josephine.
As an amateur, he won both the Canadian Junior and BC Amateur Championships in 1998. Then, while earning his degree in Sociology at the University of Washington, he won back-to-back NCAA Div 1 tournaments.
Scutt During The Final Round Of The 2016 PGA Of BC Championship
After turning pro in 2003, he would compete on the Canadian Tour (now PGA Tour Americas) for four years before deciding to embrace the life of a Club Professional.
Gordy would learn the retail side of the business working at the Langford Golf Town from 2006 to 2011 before moving on to GolfBC’s Olympic View Golf Club. It was here that Scutt honed both his teaching skills, (particularly in the short game), and golf shop knowledge working initially as an Assistant Professional for five years followed by another five as O.V.’s Golf Shop Manager.
Gordy Scutt During His First Year At Olympic View
Long-time O.V. GM Randy Frank saw the growth in Scutt, “He was always a great player but through our time together I watched a young man develop into a passionate golf professional. I feel his authentic and genuine personality is the catalyst to his success. It was a pleasure to work with Gordy for a decade and he will be a great addition to the Royal Colwood leadership team. "
In 2020, he moved to the Victoria Golf Club. Here Scutt continued to acquire the skills necessary to move on to an HP position. While volunteering his time on a number of committees, Gordy balanced his time in retail, PGA coaching (see his tip on playing in the wind HERE) event management and member onboarding programs.
Victoria Golf Club’s Head Professional Lindsay Bernakevitch sees Scutt as ready to take on this new role, “I have known Gordy for many years, growing up, we played junior golf against each other and then had the privilege of playing on the National (amateur) Team and Canadian Tour together. During this time, I have developed a deep respect for Gordy as a person and as a professional. He has an amazing work ethic and an endearing personality, that lets him lead and care for people in a truly special way. He has developed his skills as a PGA of Canada professional over the years and he is one of the most well-rounded professionals I have ever known. He is more than ready to handle the joys and challenges of being the next Head Professional at Royal Colwood. I have no doubt in my mind that he will excel in leading their Golf Operations team and that the Club will continue to be one of the top clubs in Canada."
Gordy has earned many accolades from his peers at the PGA of British Columbia including the prestigious province-wide Class “A” Professional of the Year award in 2021.
He was also named the PGA BC Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016 winning the PGA BC championship in both years. Interestingly, the second win came at Royal Colwood where Scutt would duel with Phil Jonas before eventually beating the tour-tough South African by a single stroke. See his post-win interview video interview HERE
Scutt With The PGA of BC Championship Trophy
Scutt began this new chapter on March 25th and is looking forward to his new role, “I am super excited for the opportunity at Royal Colwood. I have always enjoyed playing here, it is such a great course in design, beauty, and overall test. Living in Victoria my entire life, I have been lucky to get to know so many of the members when playing and competing here and I look forward to meeting the rest. My family and I are so excited to be close to home and be a part of the Colwood community."
Gordy Scutt can be reached at his new email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
THE SCUTT BIO
PGA of Canada Qualifications
PGA of Canada elite professional
Levels 1-4 PGA of Canada teaching certificate
PGA of BC Apprentice of the Year 2013
Class ‘A’ Professional
Regional Class “A” Professional of the Year (2017, 2020)
Province-wide Class “A” Professional of the Year (2021)
Certified Fitter PING, Taylormade, Titleist
Amateur Career
Canadian Juvenile Champion 1996
BC Junior Champion 1997
Sport B.C. Junior Athlete of the Year 1997
Canadian Junior Champion 1998
BC Amateur Champion 1998
Played 4 years at the University of Washington
Two NCAA Division 1 victories
Professional Career
Played 4 seasons on Canadian Professional Tour
VIPT 2010 Order of Merit Champion
PGA of BC Player of the Year (2014, 2016)
Winner of the PGA of BC Championship (2014, 2016)
Work History
Assistant Manager, Golf Town, 2006-2011
Assistant Professional, Olympic View Golf Course, 2011-2015
Golf Shop Manager, Olympic View Golf Course, 2015-2020
Associate Professional, Victoria Golf Club, 2020-2024