by Steve Turcotte

When I first spotted Jim Nickerson at a Northwest Athletic Conference college golf match last fall, I thought he was a fellow coach I had never met. I walked up and introduced myself.

“Hey there, good to meet you, welcome to the NWAC coaching party,” I said as I stuck out my hand.

“I’m not a coach,” he replied. “I play for South Puget Sound College. I’m just a little older looking than the other kids around here.”

At age 52, Nickerson didn’t look the part of a college player – more like the look of a coach or a dad of a player in the tournament. But there he was, decked out in his South Puget Sound golf gear getting ready to tee it up against the kids.

So, what gives? What in the heck is an over-50-year-old guy doing teeing it up with the youngsters? Well, there is a simple explanation.

South Puget Sound was a first-year program and Coach Russ Olsen needed players. He knew Nickerson from working with him at Mint Valley Golf Course in Longview, Wash. Knew he could play. And knew he was interested in helping to get the program off the ground. In fact, he had a letter of intent signing party with his coach and wife Ellen all by his side.

So, there was Nickerson last fall, in his first college golf tournament looking a bit out of place but also looking like he fit right in all at the same time.

Nickerson might not have found himself at the top of any leaderboards during his time with South Puget Sound, but he did make an impact. The younger kids enjoyed playing with him and he was able to impart some wisdom when it was needed.

But Nickerson felt the nerves when he teed it up despite looking like a veteran.

“The first tournament at The Home Course I snapped it straight left,” he said. “I did find the ball and made a double.”

Then there was the time his job at Mint Valley got in the way and he was late to his tee time to a tournament at Indian Summer. He ran to the first tee box with his clubs over his shoulder and tennis shoes on his feet. He smoked the drive down the fairway, changed his shoes and was on his way.

Nickerson said he enjoyed his time playing NWAC college golf. He was able to juggle the golf, the classes he took and his superintendent job at Mint Valley.

With his pleasant demeanor and his ability to talk to anyone about anything, Nickerson fit in quickly with the younger set of the NWAC. In fact, he said the “kids started calling me the Mayor of the NWAC.”

“It became more of a mentorship with most of the kids,” he said. “I actually became one of the kids and didn’t feel my age when I was out there. Met a lot of nice parents and coaches. After I got over the shock and awe of the first tournament, I felt right at home playing.” 

Nickerson’s best round during his stint at South Puget Sound was a 75 at The Home Course with five birdies and three doubles. He didn’t finish in the top 30 to qualify for the NWAC Championship, but he still felt like he had proved plenty.

“I was playing with a kid from Skagit Valley toward the end,” Nickerson said. “And he said “Jim, thanks for the round. It was the most fun I have had. It was like playing with my friends.”

Conversely, Nickerson did see some players with anger issues and he always found a way to deal with those as well – usually cracking some kind of joke after a bad shot.

Nickerson came to Mint Valley back in 2001 as a mechanic for the golf course. He eventually ran the golf operations when the city of Longview took over the course in 2019. The superintendent at the course retired in 2023 and Nickerson went back to working the grounds, leaving the pro shop to someone else. In fact, getting out of the pro shop and its 80-hour weeks helped him go from 225 pounds to 175 with some walking, running and finding the right foods to eat.

Nickerson is done with the college golf part of his life but not at Mint Valley. He still has unfinished business at the course, but for now, college golf is in his rearview window.

(This article first appeared on InsideGolfNewspaper.com. Used here by permission.)