Meet Bill Huffman, Golf Writers Association of America

Bill Huffman, GWAA

When Arizona golf is the topic, Bill Huffman is the guy who knows all the news before it’s broadcast.

We hear the same telephone conversation around the Arizona Golf Authority office all the time; someone telephones Bill with what they think is insider information only to be told, “Yeah, I know.”

Then Bill goes on to provide the whole story, including all the behind the scene details the caller had no clue about. After all, Bill authored the book “Arizona’s Greatest Golf Courses” in 1999 and he’s been reporting on Arizona golf for longer than you may get him to admit.

Huff Daddy, as we fondly call him, can’t help it. He has a natural nose for sports news and it all started with his first “real’’ job covering high school football for the San Antonio Express-News, where he eventually became the assistant sports editor.

From 1977-82 he was the copy desk chief/assistant sports editor of the Des Moines Register — “The Big Peach.’’ In the fall of 1982 he moved to Arizona as the copy desk chief of the Arizona Republic. In 1985 he became the assistant sports editor. Among his other accomplishments, Huffman served as the national president of the Associated Press Sports Editors Association in 1995, and was a member of the executive committee of the Golf Writers Association of America from 1996-98.

The first major golf championship he covered was the 1988 U.S. Open at Brookline near Boston, and he has covered 48 majors and Ryder Cups since, including 20 Masters.

In addition to riffing in his Huff’s Stuff Blog for the Arizona Golf Authority, he writes about golf for the Arizona Golf Association, as well as publications like Arizona the State of Golf, Avid Golfer, Stratos, Luxury Resorts & Courses, and many more. And if that isn’t enough, he and partners Corey LaRusso and Rick Levy have hosted Backspin the Golf Show since 1999.

Bill was born in Iowa City, Iowa, graduated from City High School in 1969, and from the University of Iowa in 1973 (bachelor of general studies) and 1975 (masters degree in journalism). He has three grown children — Kristen, Sky and Meghan — and lives in Tempe, Arizona surrounded by an assortment of cats and dogs. He plays out of Whitefish Lake Golf Club in Montana, his “second home’’ and favorite place on Earth.

When Huff Daddy’s not on the beat, he’ll be on or near a golf course, and a fine bottle of red won’t be too far away.

Visit the Arizona Golf Course Reviews to read Bill’s reviews of Arizona golf courses; click www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/.