James Achenbach, the equipment editor at US-based magazine Golfweek for almost a quarter of a century, has died at the age of 78.
After starting his journalism career in local newspapers in his home state of Florida, including a spell at the Sarasota Tribune, James covered a wide range of sports, including American Football. After penning a number of freelance articles for Golfweek in the 1970s, he began his full-time golf writing career at the magazine in 1991, specialising in writing about the equipment industry, reviewing new clubs and reporting on equipment usage on the professional tours.
In his role as a columnist and a reporter, he attended more than 40 consecutive Masters, earning a personal parking spot at Augusta National Golf Club in 2010 along with the club’s Masters Major Achievement Award. He interviewed all the greats of the game, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Byron Nelson and many others.
A winner of multiple awards from the Golf Writers Association of America, he retired from Golfweek in 2015, at the age of 72.
Former Golfweek editor Jeff Babineau, on hearing of Achenbach’s passing, said: “There was no one who ever covered this game more passionate about golf and more passionate about relaying his love of the game to readers. He took it personally. Writing wasn’t work to James, it was a calling. I’ve never seen a person so in love with his job. Covering a US Open or writing about hosel length and lead tape, he would vigorously chase any idea deep into a rabbit hole of research and personal testing. No topic was too big, no subject too esoteric.”
Among the many golf industry CEOs to express their sadness at Achenbach’s death was Chip Brewer, CEO of Callaway Golf, who said: “I met Jim during my early days with Adams Golf, probably around 1999, and stayed close to him after moving to Callaway up until his retirement. I always enjoyed being around him and was always impressed by his work. He was a true professional writer and a straight shooter — but also always had a smile on his face. Other than family, I don’t think he loved anything more than either writing about or playing golf. He will be missed, and, sadly, another of our legends of old-school golf writing is no longer with us.”
John A. Solheim, chairman and CEO of Ping Golf, added: “I’m deeply saddened at Jim’s passing. He was a great friend to myself and my wife, Sunny. Jim and I had a standing meeting every year at the Masters that I cherished. He loved talking all things golf. He was a great listener and very inquisitive. We spoke frequently during his amazing career, mostly about equipment as he was very interested in understanding how and why things worked or didn’t work. He was very curious and challenged the status quo to bring his readers stories that mattered to their games. He loved tinkering with his own equipment, whether trying longer shafts, different grips, or changing lofts. He embodied the term ‘gearhead’ before it was made popular.”