Robert Michael Benning

Bob Benning passed away peacefully on Monday, December 15th, 2025 in Ashburn, Virginia. Bob is survived by his wife, Sue, children Stacy Loutzenheiser (Ty), Mike Benning (Katie), Joni Orr (Bryan), and Jon LeSage (Anne), as well as six grandchildren, Joseph LeSage, Louise Benning, Tommy Loutzenheiser, Sam Benning, Luke LeSage, Hannah LeSage and niece Kathy Thuermer. He is predeceased by his wife Ellen Benning and his brother, Paul A. Benning.

Bob was a Golf Professional and began his journey in golf at age 11, as a caddy at Miami Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Ohio. Between loops, he knocked golf balls around in the caddy yard with a wooden shafted 7-iron. When he played the golf course for the first time, he shot a 133 for 18 holes… and he was hooked!

Bob earned a scholarship to Purdue University where he also served in the Naval ROTC program. He graduated in 1955, while winning runner-up honors in the Big Ten Championship in his junior year and capturing the individual Big Ten Championship in his senior year.

Upon graduation, Bob was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps, and served for three years at Quantico, VA and Camp LeJeune, NC. While in the Marines, Bob won the All-Marine Championship, then went on to finish third in the Inter Service championship (playing on the same team as Tony Lema). Realizing he wanted to make golf his lifetime work, Bob turned professional in 1959. He then worked as an assistant professional in Dayton OH, Glendale, CA and at Mountain Ridge CC in Caldwell, NJ. Bob earned his PGA membership in 1964.

While competing in the Metropolitan Open at Plainfield CC, Bob was paired with Claude Harmon, who was then the summer Professional at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York. Shortly after, Mr. Harmon invited Bob to be his winter teaching assistant at Thunderbird CC in Palm Springs, CA. It was there he truly learned the best in professional teaching, as he observed Mr. Harmon work with many of the best touring professionals as they traveled through and competed on the western leg of the PGA Tour. It was also there that Mr. Harmon’s four sons, including the future teaching great Butch Harmon, were working for him on Thunderbird’s driving range. Claude Harmon at that time was one of the most influential professionals in the nation, moving many of his assistants into positions at top clubs throughout the country. While at Thunderbird, Bob applied for and, with Mr. Harmon’s assistance, was selected for the Head Professional post at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey.

At Plainfield, Bob performed the many duties of a Club professional, while finding time to compete in local professional tournaments. He finished second in the New Jersey Open, losing in an 18-hole playoff, and was runner-up for the New Jersey PGA Championship. He qualified for two U.S. Opens, at San Francisco’s Olympic Club (1969) and Congressional Country Club’s 100-degree steam bath of 1964, as well as two PGA Championships in San Antonio, TX (1968) and 1976 (Congressional). He was named the New Jersey PGA Professional of the Year in 1968. He would later serve as their Section President in 1972.

At Plainfield, Bob maintained a heavy teaching schedule and began his strong interest in Junior golf. In the 1960’s he started the Plainfield Junior Golf Classic, an 18-hole stroke play competition that attracted some of the best young golfers in the east for many years. After enjoying nine years at Plainfield CC, Bob became the Head Professional at Congressional Country Club in 1973, including the opportunity to host the 1976 PGA Championship and the 1980-82 Kemper Opens. When he first came to Congressional there was little encouragement for Junior golf, with only a handful of youngsters allowed to play very late in the day, after adults’ starting times. But with the assistance of several parents, he created a Club Junior program that quickly grew to well over 100 youngsters and produced many of Washington’s top golfers. Congressional’s Junior program is still copied and remains one of the best organized in the Washington area. After moving to the MAPGA, Bob served as the Education Chair and on the Section Board of Directors. Bob remained at Congressional through 1983.When the new Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club was opened in 1991, Bob became its first Director of Golf, and teaching golf to adults and juniors was a part of his many duties at the new Club. A good atmosphere for Junior golf was created, and Junior competition flourished. Bob became a recognized and successful instructor to youngsters in the area. Many of his students moved on to successful records in high school, and later with prominent college teams. As the Club grew, Bob elected to focus exclusively on golf instruction and formed his Bob Benning School of Golf in 1997. His contribution to Junior Golf in the Middle Atlantic Professional Golf Association (MAPGA) was recognized by creating the MAPGA Junior Bob Benning Championship, which is still hosted annually at Stoneleigh. Upon retirement, he was named Pro Emeritus at Stoneleigh. He had great love and appreciation for the Stoneleigh membership.

The camaraderie of golf was a driving force for Bob’s enjoyment of the game. His favorite quote was from the famed PGA instructor Harvey Penick, “If you play golf, you are my friend.” While Bob had an illustrious career in golf, the most important aspect of his life was his faith, love of God, and his family. He had great pride in all four of his children and his six grandchildren. He loved attending Cornerstone Church and took great joy in participating in small church groups. While recovering from a multitude of strokes, his speech therapist was always amazed at his perfect delivery when reading from the Bible.

Services will be held at the Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va at 11am on January 15, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that instead donations be made to PGA HOPE Middle Atlantic to help our veterans learn to play golf and establish a community. https://www.pgareach.org/