by Dick Harmon
Dick Harmon is a sports writer for the Deseret Morning News and a frequent contributor to Fairways

Fall - November - 06
Utah PGA Section Honors Wesley Ruff

Peterson, affectionately known as “Pete” by friends, hasn’t missed a Beat the Pro in nine years and finally won the competition this year. Folks, that’s an obsession.

But that’s the popularity of Beat the Pro and its star host sportscaster Wesley Ruff. From St. George to Logan, Ruff shows up at a golf course and stakes out a par-3, arranges for a celebrity to post a “closest to the hole” shot and then leaves it for the regular Joe Golfers in Utah to try and beat the distance. For some it’s an obsession. The big winner, however, is always the charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which uses the money to send kids to a summer camp – a much needed respite for both kids and parents.

The Beat the Pro exposure doesn’t hurt the station, the golf courses or Ruff, who has become an icon across the state for his link to the game. He can’t even go out on a casual round without somebody asking if Beat the Pro was on today and could they sign up and play their shot.

You can’t dismiss the personality involved. Ruff, who grew up in Springville, is everybody’s best friend and neighbor, a sports personality whose affability, friendly demeanor and enthusiasm is contagious and inclusive. His on air exposure as a sports anchor, plus the Beat the Pro feature has made him a rock star in golf circles.

This fall, the Utah PGA awarded Ruff with its Bill Howard Award, given each year to the non-professional golfer who has contributed significantly to the game in Utah.

“Wes has been a friend to the game. He is recognized by our golf professionals as a guy who came up in local golf just like they did and he’s been devoted in emceeing our annual all-state golf banquet, which is a big part of what we do,” said Utah Section PGA executive director Scott Whitaker.

Meanwhile, Beat the Pro ended it’s 17th season this fall and Ruff and his producers are already looking at the calendar, lining up dates guys like Peterson are anxious to find.

“It’s a mixture of hard work and is something I enjoy,” said Ruff, who has been the only host the show has had since KTVX decided to obtain franchise rights and air the program. It is a tedious job. Ruff has to find celebrities, match their schedules with nearby golf courses and schedule a cameraman to be on the spot that day.

For years, this has meant Ruff has worked on his day off. And in recent years, that’s been a tough sacrifice because Ruff’s wife Valerie, who passed away on June 5, 2006, battled breast cancer for the last eight years.

“Just to line up the celebrities, is a tough thing to do because you have to find a day they can be there and then arrange all the other things that go into producing it,” Ruff said.

Those celebrities have included NFL Hall-of-Famer Steve Young, three governors of the state of Utah, ESPN’s Dan Patrick and players from the Jazz, Buzz, Stingers and Grizzlies.

All the money generated from Beat the Pro goes directly to the charity, said Ruff. “It’s 100 percent and each year we go to the camp and see these kids and shoot some film to put in our season-ending 30-minute special. Some of these kids are from small towns and they’ve never been around other children who have muscular dystrophy and it’s a chance to see how they do, how they get around and how they manage life. It’s also a time when the kids can have a break from their parents and those parents can have some time away from their kids, who take a lot of care with this disease.”

The Utah PGA’s honor to Ruff came after the sportscaster stood up and continued to keep his golf commitments despite the declining health of his wife. His efforts did not go unnoticed by local golf professionals, who have worked with Ruff at different times for Beat the Pro and the annual PGA banquet to honor high school players.

“The last few years, where his wife has struggled, Wesley has always been such a positive and up beat guy. Many of the golf pros have continued their participation with the show even though they had to pull some strings with city administrations. Wes has given a lot to us and with this honor we wanted to give something back in return,” said Whitaker.

The Bill Howard Award is named after a longtime KUTV sportscaster, the late Bill Howard, whom Ruff idolized. At nights, Ruff would crawl under his covers with a radio and stay up late listening to Utah Stars games and Howard, who inspired Ruff to become a sportscaster. When Ruff got his job at KTVX, he then competed with Howard for evening news ratings, something that determined their livelihoods.

“That award means more to me than anything I’ve received,” Ruff said. “Bill was my idol growing up. The other thing is, PGA golfers vote on this award and it is usually given to amateur golfers in the state, the very best, guys like Todd Barker, Boyd Summerhays and Ron Hitchcock.”

“That means a lot to me.”