Source: Vermont Golf Magazine | Issue: Summer 2008 | Author: David Cornwell

Synopsis: This article talks about Bob Labbance and his influence on golf. It talks about him as a person as well as his work both playing and researching golf.

 

    Bob Labbance has been writing, researching, and photographing golf for more than twenty years. He’s served as an editor nearly as long or an increasing variety of golf publications and built a large research library in the process of supporting his extensive work. He formed Notown Communications Company in 1997. A committee member for the USGA Museum & Library Committee, he’s about to publish his eighteenth book with his partner in club histories. Patrick White, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. Early in 2008, he was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. Despite this life shattering news, he continues to carry on with his work. He took a few minutes to talk about his career in golf: 

    “My first memories of golf were in the third grade, playing in a friend’s backyard among the apple trees. I caddied at the Country Club of Fairfield (CT) from about age 11 to 13, 1963-1965. The highlight of that wa caddying fo rJulius Boros in 1963, and of course getting to play on Mondays when t was closed, I didn’t know whit about course architecture then, so little did I realize I was on a great old Seth Raynor course. I enjoyed playing golf from the get go. My high school sweetheart’s family belonged to the Patterson Club so I got to play there too. Played a bit in high school, but did not play on the golf team because it conflicted with baseball and baseball was my number on . Played a lot in the summers, friends worked at various clubs in the area so we could play around.”