Gone Fishing - for Good

By: Jeff Shelley

Everything must pass, George Harrison once sang. And so it goes for me.

After 15 years and 16,000 stories - about a fourth of which were written by our crackerjack group of freelancers and contributors - I will depart as the editorial director of Cybergolf, August 1.

The reasons are myriad for my departure, not the least of which is a changing industry that's experiencing significant compression via acquisition and dissolution, a diminishing role for golf journalism, and a golf market that's struggling on a variety of levels.

When I first joined Cybergolf in January 2000, as its first real employee, the company's founder and CEO, Dan Murnan, wasn't sure how the nascent enterprise would work out, saying my job could last three months or maybe longer. Well, somehow, through many shifts in our business model and sea changes within the golf industry itself, I somehow kept my job for nearly a quarter of my lifetime (I turn 65 August 4).

During this final month I'll write periodic recollections and anecdotes about my observations as a golf writer since 1987. It's been a wonderful 28 years, and I've seen a lot.

I may be leaving Cybergolf, but I'll never forget the wonderful people I've worked with through the years, as well as the keen-eyed readers who've made it a point to tip their caps Cybergolf's way. One of the more famous of those, Gary McCord, once called us "The smartest golf site on the Web."

The invigorating content that helped lead McCord to depict us as "smart" will remain in their respective sections, but Cybergolf's home page will be refocused on marketing our online products and services after August 1.

I'm very proud to have been part of helping make Cybergolf a viable source for worldwide golf news, while expanding the perspectives of how multifaceted the game can be viewed.

I will now concentrate on promoting the ninth book by my company, Fairgreens Publishing - "How Seattle Became a Big League Sports Town: From George Wilson to Russell Wilson" - written by Dan Raley, as well as continuing as board president of the nonprofit First Green Foundation, which continues to draw interest from the international golf and educational communities.

Over the years, I've had the pleasure to meet many wonderful people. Particularly special are the relationships I've made with our editorial and photographic contributors. Here's to those folks (see below - sorry if I missed anyone) who helped make me - and Cybergolf - look good.

Aidan Bradley, Allen Schauffler, Andrew Penner, Bart Potter, Bill Amick, Billy Bondaruk, Blaine Newnham, Bob Boldt, Bob Duncan, Bob Sherwin, Bob Spiwak, Bruce Babbit, Byron Kalies, Chiara Guerrieri, Chris Duthie, Chris Kretz, Crai Bower, Craig Smith, Dan Raley, Dan Shepherd, Dave Andrews, Dave Castleberry, Dave Droschak, David Wood, Dr. John Wagner, Dr. Larry Foster, Duff Rounds, Elisa Gaudet, George Fuller, Hal Phillips, J.D. Cline, Jackie Mueller, Jay Flemma, Jay Stuller, Jeffrey D. Brauer, Jim Moore, J.J. Gowland, Joel Zuckerman, John Torsiello, Kevin Belolla, Kevin Norby, Kiran Kanwar, Marcus King, Marino Parascenzo, Marissa Merker, Mark Leslie, Mark Miller, Matt Thurmond, Melina Meza, Michael Bade, Mike Orloff, Mike Wagner, Nancy Berkley, Nick Campbell, Paul Albanese, Paul Ramsdell, Peter Black, Richard Voorhees, Rick Corcoran, Rob Duca, Rob Perry, Robert Ronning, Sal Johnson, Shane Sharp, Simon Spratley, Spike Matau, Steve Habel, Tim Bibaud, Tom Cade, Tom Hoch, Tom Phillips, Tony Dear, Travis Cox, Tripp Davis, Wayne Mills, Wood Sobold and Zachary Michael Jack.

Also, many thanks to Dan Murnan and his wife Amy, who've done their damndest over the past 20 years to grow and maintain Cybergolf as a leading golf content and technology company, and the Cybergolf team, especially Travis Cox, Dan Porter, Jiwon Han, Paula Sullivan, Mailee Nguyen and fellow employees past and present who've made my job easier.

And, of course, kudos to my wife, Anni, who's stuck with me - and Cybergolf - through thick and thin. Onward and upward, Dear.

Finally, cheers to you, our loyal readers.

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