The golf media landscape lost a bright light last month when past Golf Writers Association of America President Jeff Babineau passed away unexpectedly of natural causes at age 62. Babineau covered more than 100 major championships and several Ryder Cups in a distinguished career and served on the board of Folds of Honor. “Babs” was a longtime writer and editor at Golfweek, which published a moving obituary penned by Jason Lusk. “Babs served as a coach to many, including this writer,” Lusk wrote. “He knew golf, he knew writing and he knew how to make people smile. He will be sorely missed.” Babineau was also a contributor to PGA Magazine and a friend to our editorial staff, and his loss is a heavy one for the golf media community. We send our deepest condolences to Jeff’s wife Jane and sons Keith, Derek and Luke.
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Ringing in 2025 means the start of a Ryder Cup year with the matches on U.S. soil. At last month’s Hero World Challenge, host Tiger Woods discussed the up coming Ryder Cup at New York’s Bethpage Black and his excitement that Keegan Bradley is captaining Team USA. “To where he’s from and what he’s meant to the Northeast, I think it’s a natural fit,” Woods told Golf Monthly. “I think that he has naturally been a very emotional and very fiery, opinionated leader, and I think that he’ll do really well at Bethpage.” Woods also sounded enthusiastic about the way New York fans will back the U.S. Team this September. “It’s going to be incredible. Our fans are going to be so exciting,” Woods said. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when they turn up for a Ryder Cup. It’s going to be slightly biased.”
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Speaking of New York, golf is making waves far from the fairways as simulators become more commonplace throughout the city. The New York Times recently ran a story headlined “Goodbye, Chain Drugstores. Hello, Golf Simulators.” The story points out the changing landscape of retail properties, with many familiar names and businesses exiting streetfront stores and new ones – like golf simulator bars and performance studios – taking their place. Businesses like Five Iron Golf and Golfzon Social are discussed in the story, with their locations hosting serious golfers practicing, team-building events, bachelor parties and first dates. It’s a good reminder of the popularity of golf, and how non-traditional facilities are helping the golf boom to keep rolling.
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This June will mark the first KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to be played at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco, and the excitement is already building. Cham pionship Director Jason Mengel recently did a live in terview on Dallas’ KXAS-TV promoting the event. Mengel points out that the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will mark the first time the event will be held in Texas, as well as the second major championship at Fields Ranch after the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. “Anytime you have a major championship in your community, it’s a special event,” Mengel said. “With the backdrop of everything going on in women’s sports right now, it’s going to truly be special.”
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