By Tom Lang
Michigan Golf Hall of Fame journalist Jack Berry passed away on Oct. 16 – just 9 days after his 95th birthday.
Jack saw it all and covered it all. From his earliest days at The State News at MSU, to his long career at the Detroit Free Press and then The News, Berry was disciplined, detailed, and a consummate professional in his work covering sports in Michigan.
His beat responsibilities ranged from Red Wings hockey to covering Bo and Michigan football, the Tigers 1968 World Series win, triple crown horse racing and multiple Olympics. But in the long run, Berry made his name covering golf – from the PGA Tour to the daily fee amateurs found on local Michigan links.
He covered the greats of the game at too many Masters to count. He saw Nicklaus win at St. Andrews. He witnessed Watson and Trevino earn multiple wins, including British Opens. He interviewed Hogan. He interviewed Snead and Byron Nelson and every golf legend you can name, even a young Tiger Woods.
Berry was not a direct mentor to me but was still was a great influence and offered supportive words. Golf media who knew him best share their thoughts below:
GREG JOHNSON:
“Jack was a great newspaper reporter and always seemed to have the story first because of his tremendous network of sources. It took time for a friendship to build, especially in the competitive environment of journalism in that era, but we became good friends and he became a mentor for me.
“We stayed in the same rental house when covering the Masters Tournament for several years, and it was there over morning cereal discussions, that we got to know each other well. Those discussions are great memories for me. I learned so much, and not just about golf. Jack kept his hand on the pulse of many things and had opinions on everything.
“Even into his final weeks with us, he sent me notes, usually about a golf story I had written. He was forever on my mailing list, and I will have a hard time deleting that address. Michigan golf lost one of its greatest storytellers.”
JANINA JACOBS:
Jack always stood up for the public golfer. He self-admittedly was not a very good player, and could certainly empathize with those 95 percent of golfers who don’t play very well either. And oh, how he hated those forced carries! He was not a fan of courses that were too tough or too long for the average player.
“For me, Jack was a hero. He promoted fairness for all, but especially for women in golf and was a fierce advocate for as long as I can remember…. and this goes way back to our first encounter over 60 years ago when he came to my house in Detroit to do a story about my golfing family.
“In his columns, he wrote about women as often as he wrote about men. Jack was also responsible for my first entry into the Women’s Michigan State Amateur in 1977. At that time, public players could not enter the tournament (only private club members) … That first year I made the quarterfinals, and in 1978 was runner-up to Patty Shook Boice…another hero of mine. I’ll always be grateful to ‘Mr. Berry’ – as my dad always addressed him – recognizing the value of women in golf and not being afraid to tell the world.”
TERRY MOORE:
“I learned so much from Jack. He was a generous mentor who showed me the ropes of golf journalism, including its politics and more challenging aspects. We became frequent traveling companions, making trips to the Masters and several Ryder Cups, as well as overseas golf adventures in Ireland, Spain, and Finland. The golf was a delight, but the people we met and the places we discovered were what stayed with me most.
“Whenever fellow golf writers saw me without my fellow Michigan golf writer, their first question was usually, “How’s Jack?”
Jack Berry: 1931-2026 – rest in peace sir.
