John Feinstein, one of the most prolific sportswriters in the history of American journalism and a longtime contributor to Golf Digest, passed away on Thursday. No cause of death was given. He was 69.
In a journalism career that began at the Washington Post in 1977, Feinstein wrote more than 40 books, of which nearly two dozen became best sellers. His books spanned all across the spectrum of sports, including golf.
On the Golf Digest masthead from 2004 to 2021, Feinstein was the author of A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour, a chronicle of the 1993 and 1994 seasons that featured profiles of Tom Watson, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Paul Azinger, Paul Goydos and many others. It reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and became the most successful non-instruction book in golf history.
Feinstein attained early fame with his first book, A Season on the Brink, in which he captured the brilliant and volatile Bobby Knight as he coached the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1985-86 season. The book spent 17 weeks at No. 1, and established Feinstein’s skill at attaining remarkable access and turning it into compelling storytelling.
Later in his career, Feinstein had success in the young adult category. His teen mystery, Last Shot, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and rose to No. 3 on the bestseller list.
Feinstein was a journalist of exceptional energy capable of tremendous speed. “If I’m writing and look and see I’ve written 2,000 words in that last hour, then I’ve done my job,” he told Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio in 2017 after completing The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup.
But it was the force of his personality that was the real engine of Feinstein’s work. He was brash and opinionated and enjoyed the challenge of a good argument, but was also self-effacing and compassionate.
“In the fist-to-fist combat of sportswriter’s trash talk, John was known to be un-insultable,” said Golf Digest Editor Emeritus Jerry Tarde. “When we’d imitate John, the usual line was ‘Enough about me, let’s talk about my book!’”
The combination was engaging and endeared him to most—if not every one—of his subjects and sources. His deep knowledge of sports and tough-minded but demonstrable fairness earned him trust and respect and elicited honest and revealing answers. After doggedly gathering reams of material, Feinstein would write with fearless conviction.
“On Golf Digest’s team of poets and essayists, the power of John’s reporting and his relentless pursuit of the story set him apart,” Tarde said. Added Rich Lerner, the host of Golf Channel’s “Live From” show, on which Feinstein was a regular presence for several years, “John was as confident as the athletes he covered.”
Feinstein was naturally drawn to underdogs and supporting actors. He would say his personal favorite book was A Civil War, a history of the Army-Navy game that never attained the readership of his larger scale books. His other golf books included Tales of Q-School: Inside Golf’s Fifth Major, and Feherty, a candid and poignant biography of David Feherty. After writing a Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story, an intimate portrayal of Tom Watson’s caddie and his battle with ALS, Feinstein and Watson founded a foundation in Edward’s name that raised more than $5 million for ALS research.
Feinstein’s many honors include the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. He’s also in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
