It was announced on Wednesday by Director of Athletics Jeff Martinez that Butch Edge has stepped down from his coaching responsibilities with the highly-decorated men's golf program at the University of Redlands, effective immediately. After originally working as an assistant coach for three seasons, Edge has served as the Bulldogs' head coach since 2009. He now looks forward to pursuing new opportunities while allowing for more time with his family.
As of the 2015 season, Edge had amassed more than 500 head-to-head wins for an impressive winning percentage of .781.
During his head-coaching career at Redlands, Edge guided the Bulldogs to phenomenal success, including the program's 25th overall conference championship in 2015, which came by a 19-stroke margin. That year he was also named the inaugural SCIAC Coach of the Year by his conference peers. Since 2009, the Bulldogs have notched four second-place finishes and one third-place showing in conference under his direction.
Overall, Edge's program has produced 21 All-Conference competitors, including the 2014 Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Beyond the conference, Edge received the honor of being named a finalist for the GCAA National Coach of the Year in 2014 and again in 2015, while earning the West Regional distinction in his final year at the helm.
Redlands has qualified for the NCAA Championships every year since 2011 and finished among the top 16 in each of those seasons.
As far as student-athletes go, Edge has had the privilege of coaching some of the best in the nation, including 11 All-Americans, 14 All-West Region performers, and one NCAA individual champion. Furthermore, his players have garnered the honor of being named the Jack Nicklaus Division III Player of the Year (2014), the Phil Mickelson National Freshman of the Year (2013), and finalists for the prestigious Byron Nelson Award (2015) and Palmer Cup Team (2014, 2015).
Academically, the Bulldog men's golfers have been top-notch under Edge's tutelage. Since 2009, Redlands has been recognized three times as a Presidential Academic Team for a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, while receiving the distinction as an Outstanding Academic Team on two occasions for achieving a GPA above 3.0. Individually, the squad has produced nine Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars and two CoSIDA Academic All-America nods.
Furthermore, Edge embraced the Bulldogs' women's golf team and no doubt has contributed to the continued growth and success of that program, which won its first conference title and made its inaugural NCAA appearance in 2015.
"Butch Edge is a Bulldog in every sense of the word. He is a U of R alumnus and a member of our Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame. We thank Butch for his many years of outstanding service and commitment to the university, Bulldog Athletics, and both of our golf programs," stated Martinez.
The process for naming Edge's successor is ongoing.