Orrin D. Vincent, the founder of OB Sports Management and a monumental figure in the golf industry, passed away from cancer on October 25, at his home in La Quinta, Calif. Vincent, who was 76 at the time of his passing, had a hand in developing and managing some of the top golf courses in the country. He founded OB Sports in 1972 and built it into one of the industry’s largest management firms before Troon acquired it in 2019.
“On behalf of the entire team at OB Sports and Troon, we are so grateful for the time that we all had with this amazing friend and mentor,” said C.A. Roberts and Phil Green, Orrin’s longtime partners at OB Sports in a press release. “Words cannot appropriately capture the charisma, enthusiasm, motivational spirit, and genuine compassion for others that Orrin provided to everyone he touched, both in and out of the golf industry.”
Vincent played a major role with multiple courses, including Edgewood Tahoe, Angel Park, Langdon Farms, Washington National, Gamble Sands and the recently opened Dumbarnie Links in Scotland. He also played on the PGA tour, spent years coaching and mentoring junior, collegiate, and professional golfers, and participated in golf course design and construction.
Vincent received many awards during the course of his life, including being named PGA Professional of the Year twice, as well as a seven-time recipient of PGA Merchandiser of the Year. He was the SNPGA Player of the Year seven times and was also inducted into the Seattle University Hall of Fame.
Vincent was a founding member of the American Junior Golf Association and always had an interest in junior golf. He received the AJGA’s “Digger Smith Award” and just this past summer co-founded Coachella Youth Golf, which focused on promoting golf in the Coachella Valley as well as the Pacific Northwest.
Vincent is survived by his wife, Barbara, three children, and six grandchildren.