Jeff Babineau's Death is a Loss to Golf

Smiling and jovial with a New England accent, Babs' early life on Cape Cod was part of his DNA, and he never left it, even though he lived in Florida for most of his adult life.

He always used a reasoned voice in his writing, sprinkling humility and deference to the story. His favorite phrase was Tight and Bright, which meant get to the meat of it and say it succinctly.

That had always stuck with me when I first joined the staff at Golfweek in the 90s, and Babs was my editor.

For 25 years, we worked together and became very close friends.

Learning that one of your best friends passes is never easy, and for me, I’ve only lost one other very close friend and now a second.

Passing away at 62 is just criminal.

As I reflect on the times I spent with Babs playing golf, covering events, and working on stories, I remember great times and then realize that those memories are all you have left of a person who, in many ways, was larger than life.

You so desperately want to turn the clock back, not that much, maybe a week or a month, to get the last little bit of time with one of your best friends, but that’s not to be.

I’ve talked to many colleagues in golf media about Babs loss, and they all feel the same way: We’ve lost an essential part of our industry, a cog shaped by newspapers, and eventually transitioned to the digital era.

He was someone you could go to and who was genuinely interested in helping you with your issue.

Babs institutional knowledge is also gone, and golf has lost a part of its soul. He will no longer be a writer, resource, or interviewer in the press room, always looking to get the story.

It’s hard to shake the profound sadness of the loss, but then you reflect on all the good times, the friendship, and the comradery; you can’t let those fall by the wayside.

Death is inevitable, but good friends are not.

When you find one, you should cherish that friendship and remember it like life is finite, so don’t screw it up.

Jeff Babineau was so much more than these words can convey, but using the Tight and Bright mantra, let me say that the world is a lesser place with his passing.