Bob Labbance, R.I.P.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

I was just notified that Bob Labbance passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.

Bob was a wonderful person as well as a great golf historian and author. For me, he will be truly missed as a friend and mentor.

Brad Klein and I want to thank all you made a donation to the Bob Labbance fund, participated in the fundraiser golf tournament at Ekwanok or dropped Bob a note of encouragement. It was all appreciated. The money we raised made Bob's life significantly less stressful and painful. Maybe most importantly, it eased his mind to know that his family would not have a heavy financial burden after he was gone.

As of yet, no funeral plans have been made by the family. I'll post any information as it become available.

Anthony

[Tim Bert]

So sorry to hear about this.  Please pass along our individual and collective sympathy to the family.

[JMorgan]

My condolences to the Labbance family.  You will be greatly missed, Bob. 

[Mike_Cirba]

This is very sad to hear.   He certainly had a great love for the history of the game's playing fields and his research in that area has been tremendously beneficial to our collective understanding.

God bless him and his family.

[RJ_Daley]

Going back and re-reading Mr. Labbance's 2 interviews here on GCA.com, I felt that it would be fitting to note a couple of things he said that certainly reasonate with me and give me insight into his persona, as could be gleaned from those comments.

In speaking of misconcpetions of Stiles and Van Kleek's design philosophies and characterizing their courses...

But I would like to dispel one misconception about all courses: that golf has to be difficult to be good. Golf can be easy and be great at the same time.

That Mr. Labbance would feel that is a measure of S&VKs style and that Bob seems to ascribe to that measure is the sort of thing that I feel may be missed too often in the race to design the most bombastic and architorture hard modern tracks.  Golf for the people baby... 

and to put an emphasis follow-up to Mr. Labbances comments about lasting contributions:

They pleased their clients. They brought golf to locales that otherwise wouldn’t have it. They built courses everyone could have fun playing. They planned features that could be maintained with modest budgets. They gave other people credit when credit was due. They mentored. And they were good people.

It takes one to know one... RIP Mr. Bob Labbance.

[Ronald Montesano]

Bob gave me the reigns of NoTownGolf.com about two years ago...he had no idea how to update it and needed someone to do it for him.  This trust, for someone whose hand he would never shake, came out of some articles I did for him when he edited a bunch of the Divot Communications magazines.  The first upload I did, everything blew up!  I worked and I worked to recreate the site and finally got it up.  He loved the updates and gave me more to do, through the release of the two most recent books.

Bob sent some articles my way for publication on buffalogolfer.com, the website that I direct as a labor of love.  He became a contributing writer and will always occupy the top rung on our masthead.

Whether via email or...actually, only via email, he was a mentor, an editor, a colleague, a student, a compatriot.  I anticipate teeing it up with him one day soon on a course in New England.  That fortunate (or unfortunate) bounce will certainly be his handiwork.

[wsmorrison]

I am sad to hear of his passing.  It was a pleasure to meet Bob on a few occasions and to see him at work gathering information for his book projects.  My condolences to his friends and family.  Thank you Brad and Tony for your work on behalf of his family.

[Thomas MacWood]

A very sad day.

You and Brad should be commended for everything you have done to try to help. Thank you.

[RSLivingston_III]

Rest in Peace.
He obviously touched many lives, including mine.

[Willie_Dow]

Golf Collectors Society has also been thankful for Bob's life time of golf, and they have been close to his gift for the game and its beginnings.

May his familly share our pain for all they endured, and our wish that they keep close to all of us for what help they need.

Willie

[Brad Klein]

I hate writing obits; this is the part that is awful about our job and the amazing circle of friends that has evolved in the golf world. Bob went way too early, but because he worked so hard his life we are all the richer for our understanding of golf history, architecture and maintenance.

If it is not too crass, I'd like to make an additional appeal. While everyone has been generous and allowed the family to realize considerable assistance, more is still needed. We are still accepting donations that will go 100 percent to his family:

Labbance Family Fund
P.O. Box 53
Bloomfield, Ct. 06002

[Joel Zuckerman]

I wrote perhaps a dozen pieces over a couple of years for Bob back when he was the editor of the various New England golf annuals, but only met him once, very briefly, at January's PGA Show in Orlando.  We were introduced, I wanted to sit down and shoot the breeze for a few minutes, but was called away.  I came back to the table perhaps five minutes later, and he was gone.  It was later that year he had his accident, and though I never saw again in person, I always thought he was one of the nicest, most accommodating and most affable people in the golf-writing business.  His passing is a real loss.

[Paul_Daley]

The news of Bob’s passing is very sad. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. It was always going to be this year, but many of us will be caught off-guard by the suddenness of the final decline. RIP. Bob’s work was insightful, very consistent and highly regarded. 

I have a matched numbered set of 7 x leather-bound Limited Edition
books (No. 77/100) that I would like to donate, enabling the proceeds
to go directly to the Labbance family. As conveyed previously, the family
is burdened by financial need—over and above the grieving that family members will now be experiencing. I’ll pay the postage from Australia to the winning bidder’s address, so please open up your hearts and wallets.

*Links Golf: The Inside Story
*The Sandbelt: Melbourne’s Golfing Heaven
*Favourite Holes by Design
*Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective Vols. 1-4

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

For those wishing to send condolences to the family, the address is:

P.O. Box 709
Montpelier Vt. 05601-0709

Anthony

[Gary Daughters]

Can anyone tell me how old Bob was at the time of his passing?

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Bob just turned 56.

Anthony

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Here's a great piece on Bob by Kevin Mendik who coauthored the Wayne Stiles book with Bob.

Anthony

http://www.usgamuseum.com/about_museum/news_events/news_article.aspx?newsid=28

[PThomas]

i never met Bob, but from everything i've read about him he must have been a great human being

life sure makes no sense sometimes

[Ronald Montesano]

Thanks, Anthony.  I just received an email from the Travis Society on the USGA museum piece.  Long live Bunkie Foozie.

[Paul_Daley]

Anthony:

Thank you for sharing Kevin Mendik's wonderful tribute to Bob.