Folding my 6-foot, 4-inch frame into the passenger seat of James Achenbach’s tiny purple Pontiac Solstice convertible was almost impossible, as was reading the GPS screen after it flew off the dashboard and rolled under my feet as he made a sharp turn off International Drive in Orlando. After a few minutes in the car with the godfather of golf equipment writers, I was ready to hide under the seat, too.
We got to Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge safely that morning for the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show’s Demo Day, and we made it back safely that night after Jim and I walked around the massive circular driving range. Since 1975 Jim had been a Golfweek columnist – and for many of those decades he was the magazine’s equipment editor – and at every booth, all of them, people came out to shake Jim’s hand, chat and show off something new. He was available for all of them, speaking slowly and carefully, but enthusiastically.
Before in-hand photographs of the pros’ golf clubs and Sunday night “What’s in the bag” columns became standard fare for equipment reports, Achenbach developed a platinum-level Rolodex that included the direct phone numbers to CEOs, designers, salespersons, marketing managers and every key person in the golf equipment industry. He also had longstanding relationships with key people at the USGA and Augusta National Golf Club, and he was a fixture at major events for decades.
