Brian McCallen served as a Senior Editor at GOLF Magazine from 1987 to 2003, creating several major franchises for the publication and establishing himself as one of the top golf/travel writers in the nation. The Gold & Silver Medal Resort awards program recognized the nation’s (and later the world’s) leading golf properties, while Top 100 You Can Play was a definitive biennial round-up of America’s best public-access facilities. Both topics led to book projects at Harry N. Abrams. Golf Resorts of the World (1993) and Top 100 Courses You Can Play Can Play (1999), each a ‘Book of the Month’ club selection, are still in print. A third Abrams book, Golf’s Best New Destinations, was published in 2006. He also produced the Top Eighteen chapter of The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes book published by Workman (2000). McCallen recently completed Vol. 1 of The Nature of Golf, a book series that explores golf’s relationship to the environment.
While governing GOLF Magazine’s franchises, McCallen produced a steady stream of stories about established as well as up-and-coming destinations in the U.S. and overseas. Along with major features on Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, he authored second-home real estate features plus hundreds of profiles of new courses and resorts both at home and abroad. He has played golf on four continents and has appeared on CNN as a golf/travel expert.
In additional to his freelance output for numerous publications, including Town & Country, The Robb Report, Cigar Aficionado, Links Magazine, The Met Golfer and many others, McCallen works as a consultant for golf development companies, hospitality firms, residential communities and international resorts. He is also a partner in Attenta Group, a small PR/markeitng firm devoted to the promotion of blue-chip golf resorts and communities worldwide (www.attentagroup.com).
Prior to joining Golf Magazine, McCallen worked as a freelance travel writer based in New York City from 1979 to 1987. His work has appeared in Esquire, Travel & Leisure, Playboy, Golf Digest, numerous in-flight magazines and several major newspapers, including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and New York Daily News. He also wrote chapters for travel books published by the Sierra Club and Houghton Mifflin (Birnbaum).
Leading up to his free-lance career, McCallen worked for trade publications covering the travel industry, including Travel Weekly, Travel Agent and Travel Trade. He also contributed to ASTA Travel News, the official publication of the American Society of Travel Agents, and was a lead reporter for the Congress Daily at three major ASTA events from 1980-82, in Manila, Honolulu and Miami. He traveled to Pakistan, Colombia and Korea to produce sales guides for ASTA.
Previously, McCallen worked at a succession of daily newspapers, notably The Herald Statesmen in Yonkers, N.Y., his hometown, from 1975-76. He also caddied on the PGA Tour in 1973 while based in Berkeley, Calif. and the following year was a roadie for jazz great Miles Davis. He attended Marquette University (B.A., Liberal Arts, 1972).
McCallen lives with his wife and two daughters in Stonington, Conn. His home course is Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, Conn., a Donald Ross-designed municipal facility where he plays to a 12 handicap and serves on the Board of Advisors. He enjoys gardening, fishing, skiing and reading. He can be reached at mccallenbmc@aol.com.
