Publisher’s Pitch

Seattle’s Rob Perry is one of our heroes and is the best at what he does behind the camera lens

I’ve had a special time with the sport of golf this year. One I’m sure to never forget. I’ll touch on our summer journey to Ireland in this issue, then take you on our trip around the whole of the Emerald Isle in the spring issue.

To play golf anywhere is a blessing. To play it here in my home state of Washington is a privilege. And, to work and interact with the sport on so many levels — well, that’s an honor. And one I don’t take lightly.

I travel a lot for work and find that the best time to write is when I am up in the air so to speak. Perhaps the quiet droning of the plane’s engines is what allows me to open my mind, heart and laptop. Or maybe not being tethered to my desk or Earth is what lets my thoughts run wild.

But, for the nearly 20 years I’ve been writing this column, it’s always seemed to happen from the seat of an airplane. One thing is for sure, when I fly, I always seem to be a bit more grateful and a touch more romantic about my appreciation for golf as it’s given me my lifestyle, career and, more importantly, lifelong friendships and bonds with some special people on and off the course.

The business of golf is more like a community and, like I’ve always said, if you play nice, and work, and do all you can, you keep bouncing into the same cast of characters year after year. Some stay where they are, some move on to the next thing, and some leave before eventually coming back to the golf biz.

The sport is filled with good, soulful people. I love what I do even when it gets stressful. Given that, I want to write a little prelude here about one of the features in this issue written by one of our amazing storytellers, Bob Sherwin.

For our lead story, we’re turning the spotlight on one of the shining stars in the golf world who is a Seattle man through and through. Rob Perry of Rob Perry Photography is, to me, not only one of the finest shooters in the industry, but also one of the nicest and most grounded dudes you will ever come across.

I don’t want to do anything to take away from Bob’s story about Rob in this issue, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tee it up a smidge. I’m such a fan of his and deeply grateful for his photographical contributions to Cascade Golfer and Destination Golfer magazines over the years.

I don’t want to do anything to take away from Bob’s story about Rob in this issue, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tee it up a smidge. I’m such a fan of his and deeply grateful for his photographical contributions to Cascade Golfer and Destination Golfer magazines over the years.

I first met Rob nearly 30 years ago at a meeting along with our company founder Ozzie Boyle, the then PNGA Executive Director John Bodenhamer, Broadmoor GC’s Bill Tindall, and a couple other folks. We were discussing the 1996 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship program, which we were honored to publish.

During the meeting, Rob came into my focus as a peer and a friend. I knew of him, but it was there that we first met, and I have been impressed with him ever since. In our time here at Varsity, we’ve published countless images Rob has ‘made’, and no issue is complete without him being a part of it.

Note that I used the word ‘made’ here — not ‘taken’. I’ve known many great photographers through my time in the trenches covering golf, soccer, college sports and culinary productions. Honestly, I am always impressed with the general demeanor of photographers. Rob, though, is special.

He ’makes’ pictures using a combination of his trained eye, and a thorough understanding of golf course architecture, the environment, and light. Then, when the shutter clicks, he coaxes a golf course into its finest expression.

Rob always greets me with a real, genuine, heartfelt handshake with eye contact, and a relaxed graciousness that makes you happy to reconnect with the man. Trust me when I say I don’t make that compliment often. But I make it here with ease and sincerity.

Rob is a gentleman. He does good business and tells stories with relaxed gusto, panache, and in a vivid way that has taken him around the world.

His work requires patience, persistence, and personality. If the top five golf photojournalists all took a shot of the same hole, I’m certain I could pick out Rob’s every time.

His images have a signature that stands out. His use of light, lens work, and negative and positive space around the focal point of what he takes aim on is magical. The pictures he makes tell a story of what a course and a hole is, can be, and will be for you as a player.

When I have played holes he’s shot, it makes the experience more interesting for me (now, some of these amazing holes he’s shot I am playing from the rough or woods, but you get the gist of what I mean).

It’s my honor to call Rob a friend and an invaluable part of this magazine.

I hope you enjoy Bob’s glimpse of Rob and check out all the Puetz Golf goodies in this holiday issue. I will meet you all again right here in the spring. AND AS ALWAYS, TAKE IT EASY.