Stafford, VA – A Middle Atlantic native, Jim was born in Washington D.C. to Jim and Marie Ducibella. His first exposure to golf happened at the age of fourteen when he was invited by a friend to play at Rock Creek Golf Course in the District. Little did Jim know, this “taste” of golf would become a part of his life and define his career.
With a Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jim went on to earn a Masters Degree in Journalism from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While at Marquette, Jim applied to join a journalism fraternity. Part of the process was to interview a journalist, so he called the sports editor of the Milwaukee Journal, Chuck Johnson. At the completion of the interview, Chuck offered Jim a job. It turns out, Chuck’s idea of a job and Jim’s were very different. Jim thought he’d have his own desk, write stories, and maybe cover the Green Bay Packers. Chuck’s idea was for Jim to come in at 6 a.m., fill glue pots, deliver papers to the editorial writers, fetch chocolate chip cookies for the editors, and basically do every job no one else wanted to do.
Although his experience with the Milwaukee Journal was not “ideal”, Jim chalked it up to experience and went on to work his first real job as a Copy Editor with The Washington Star in Washington D.C. At The Star is where Dick Slay gave Jim his first golf assignment and designated him as the person that the professionals would call their information into when Slay wasn’t available. Jim would then land a job with the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia where he spent the majority of his career as a golf writer. In fact, one of his first major assignments was to cover the LPGA tournament that was being played at Sleepy Hole Golf Club in Suffolk, Virginia.
Jim is a seven-time Sportswriter of the Year in Virginia, as voted by his peers and in 2010, and he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in the class that included Alonzo Mourning, Herman Moore, Jim Dombrowski and former Redskins assistant coach Larry Peccatiello. Jim has written two books on golf, “Par Excellence: A Celebration of Virginia Golf,” (2000), and “King of Clubs: The Great Golf Marathon of 1938.” (March 2012).
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
