Bidding farewell to three of golf writing’s greatest

I am, at my core, a disc jockey. Playing music on the radio was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I’ve known this since I was 15 years old.

I did it, too. Radio, in fact, has been the only thing I’ve ever done. I was a disc jockey from 1977 to 2003 - 25 years. In 2003, however, things began to change. I was taken off the air, given different responsibilities and embraced the new challenges.

Then, in 2008, things changed again. I had been dismissed from those new and different responsibilities and was a little unsure as to the future. Fifty year old disc jockeys were not in demand. A friend approached me and asked if I would help launch a radio show devoted to local business. I said yes and, in doing so, began my career in talk radio. Goodbye to Michael Bolton and Phil Collins, hello to 17 years of talk radio.

I’m telling you all of that, to tell you this. In the nearly fifty years in the only industry I ever wanted to be a part of, one of my proudest accomplishments has nothing to do with radio.

 A couple of years ago, I became a member of the Golf Writers Association of America. I talk. I don’t write. This organization was and is home to some of the most talented professionals you will ever come across. Their descriptions through the years of the game I love brought it to life. They wrote stories about people I never thought I’d have the chance to meet and places I never thought I’d have the chance to see. I was transported by the likes of OB Keeler, Grantland Rice, Herbert Warren Wind, Dan Jenkins, Furman Bisher - giants in writing about the game.

My association with the Masters has allowed me the opportunity to meet some of those giants of years gone by. It has also allowed me to meet and become friends with some of this generation’s best.

And that is why I’m writing this today.

It’s been a very tough start to 2025 for many of us as We have lost three of the best - Jeff Babineau, Steve DiMeglio and just recently John Feinstein. Babineau and Feinstein died unexpectedly, suddenly, and without warning. DiMeglio left us after a long and difficult fight against cancer. I knew all three and deeply respected their work. I knew Feinstein the best. We shared a love of Duke basketball. He was on my golf show numerous times. We would speak four or five times a year outside those appearances. He was, as all three of them were, dedicated to the craft of storytelling and, hopefully, telling the reader something they didn’t know. They often succeeded and were some of the best at it, racking up fans and awards in the process. We will not see their likes any time soon.

I am honored to be a member of the same organization. I take it very seriously. I will miss them terribly. I harbor no illusions - I do not hold a candle to their immense skills. I am a disc jockey, and I am blessed to have known them.