Untouched, the piece of paper sits to my right. It contains words to a poem that never had been read, but now eerily, yet soothingly, has a hold on me. “The Bridge Builder” is its title and through steady tears my gaze is mesmerized by the last of three stanzas in Will Allen Dromgoole’s poem.
The final lines of the poem are in response to a fellow pilgrim’s suggestion in the opening stanzas that the chasm “vast and deep” had been crossed, so the man did not need to pursue this action he was now undertaking. “Why build this bridge at evening tide?” the pilgrim asks at the end of stanza two.
The builder lifted his old gray head;
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.!”
^ ^ ^
With each reading – and there were four or five or fifteen more that followed the initial three – the impact was more profound.
Praise the Lord, this poem personifies what is central to Peter Broome’s life. It could be he who is speaking at the end of the poem.
That is because Peter Broome – even in the face of a courageous battle since being diagnosed with ALS in 2024 – remains what he has forever been. A masterful bridge-builder.
What resonates like a sonic boom is Peter Broome’s unyielding love for all that surrounds him – family, friends, golf the game, golf the business, golf the community – and most beautiful of all is the relentless spirit he is pouring into a mission of great substance.
There is a need to bridge the gap between research and patient solutions to ultimately create a future where ALS is a treatable condition. This is a contention many share, but it is one Peter Broome is determined to help facilitate. He is the founder of the newly formed ALS Bridge Foundation – alsbridgefoundation.com – and the symmetry to this drives deep into your soul.
That’s because who better to build a bridge than Peter Broome, he of the 30-plus years as a leader with the management team at Acushnet. As Senior Vice President responsible for Titleist Brand Management and Acushnet’s Industry Relations, Peter Broome fostered relationships with key stakeholders in the game, including the PGA of America, PGA Tour, and the governing bodies.
A consummate gentleman, Peter is beloved for always being that voice of reason in a world of emotional chaos, for reminding one and all that the future of the game is everyone’s responsibility.
In charge, also, for Acushnet’s operations in Latin America and Canada, Peter Broome galvanized those in the manufacturing community and governing bodies and will forever be beloved for leaving things stronger for those who follow.
To those who might ask why he would forge this Bridge Foundation, Peter Broome would likely answer as the man in Dromgoole’s poem: “Good friend, I am building this bridge” for those who might encounter this ALS chasm in the future.
^ ^ ^
Bridges form an intriguing fabric to Peter Broome’s most remarkable life. Born and raised in Montreal, he had a passion for golf at a young age and worked as an assistant professional while he attended McGill University.
Consider that spectacular route by automobile across the Thousand Islands Bridge above the St. Lawrence River, approximately an 8.5-mile span that Peter Broome navigated countless times.
Consider, too, his adopted home in Barrington, R.I., a state where they tell you to measure the beauty of the day by how many bridges you can see. Depending upon where you are standing in this section of the Ocean State, the choices are plentiful – the Barrington River, the Palmer River, the East Bay Bike Path, the Mount Hope, the Sakonnet River, and the Newport.
Then consider this man’s legacy at Acushnet where he earned the greatest compliment that can be bestowed upon a management leader – he was “a bridge builder.”
The bridge has always been Peter’s symbol for connection and progress. So let his legacy move forward with a new endeavor, the task to connect people to scientific solutions to the insidious ALS. Among the many goals is to accelerate the development of effective ALS treatments by funding early-stage drug trials and improving access to early diagnostics.
To grasp the magnitude of Peter Broome’s mission with The Bridge Foundation, devote some time to the website – alsbridgefoundation.com – and marvel not only at the stories of his beautiful life and family, but also of the medical communities that are at the forefront of ALS research.
Whether it's with his family on the famed Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course in Scotland (above) or with the great Adam Scott at the Presidents Cup in Montreal (below), Peter Broome has forged a beautiful life in and around the game of golf.
With unfailing support from his wife, Sandy, his three children (Matt, Bradley, and Valerie), and three grandchildren, not to mention an endless line of friends at Acushnet and within the golf community and its wide borders, Peter Broome insisted on delivering a message that is on the website.
Should you understand ALS, you know how it robs you of so much strength, thus will you marvel at the courage Peter found to to provide a message that touches your heart.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have the love and support of my family, friends, the golf community, and my new family, the ALS community,” he said.
Peruse the website, for it makes it abundantly clear how beloved Peter Broome is and how so many have lined up to help.
Featured on the website is a Board of Directors that brings incomparable depth and fortitude – PGA Tour veteran Brad Faxon being joined by leaders in the financial world (Paul Salem, Mark Flaherty, and J. Gill Broome), those with deep ties to the Canadian golf world (David Agnew, President of Royal Montreal GC), and a two-time Stanley Cup champion who embraces a number of philanthropic endeavors (Brad Richards).
Beyond golf, what unites all of these men is a love of Peter Broome and a commitment to help “the bridge-builder” succeed in his mission.
“The golf industry has embraced our family,” said Matt Broome, who recently attended the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., to accepted on behalf of his father the PGA of Canada’s highest honor for distinguished service, the George Cummings Award.
And last November, Peter Broome became just the 13th person to be named an Honorary Member of the PGA of America. (Previous honorees include three presidents and Bob Hope.)
When he walked around Augusta National last April during the annual Masters, Peter Broome was stopped nearly every step of the way, with hugs and tears and warm embraces exchanged with a wildly eclectic line of golf people.
In a world where clashes often arise between those who don’t love change and those committed to bringing golf to younger and newer audiences, Peter Broome has always savored friendships with all and forever been the picture of dignified comportment.
Love the man. Love his legacy. And above all, love his mission.
