The Origin of Baba-Booey

“Baba-booey!” I hear it all the time out on the golf course. Right after a long drive, someone in the crowd yells out the nonsense words scattered amongst the “Get-in-the-hole’s” and “You’re-the-man’s”. But what exactly is “baba-booey,” and how did a mangled cartoon reference end up as a fixture at the biggest tournaments in the sport?

What Does “Baba Booey” Actually Mean?

It originated on the Howard Stern radio show, when executive producer Gary Dell’Abate was discussing the cartoon Quick Draw McGraw. In an attempt to name McGraw’s sidekick, Baba Looey, Dell’Abate misspoke, and Baba Booey was created. He defended the name, convinced that Baba Looey was in fact Baba Booey. In true Stern Show fashion, everyone started to make fun of Dell’Abate, but he joked that no one would even remember his error the next day.

He was wrong about that. By the end of that same show, Dell’Abate told Stern he figured the bit had run as far as it could go. Stern told him they had only scratched the surface. Dell’Abate has produced the show since 1984, he still answers to the nickname, and when he wrote his memoir in 2010 he titled it They Call Me Baba Booey.

That was 1990. More than three decades later, Baba Booey is still going strong. So why do Howard Stern fans yell it on the golf course, and how did the tradition take hold at some of the sport’s most prominent tournaments? The whole story explains how the phrase found an unexpected home in the silence after a golfer’s shot.

How an Inside Joke Became a Battle Cry

Following Stern’s ridicule of Dell’Abate, the show, notorious for prank phone calls, used the Baba Booey joke in numerous pranks on Dell’Abate himself. Eventually, Stern and his colleagues encouraged fans to get creative with it by yelling it out on live newscasts or recording their own prank phone calls. Baba Booey gained a following of Stern fans.

That is the part that matters for what came next. Apart from being a nickname for Dell’Abate, Baba Booey was being yelled out at all types of events across the country. It had stopped being about Gary at all. It had turned into a signal, a way for one Stern fan to let every other Stern fan within earshot know he was out there.

The Prank Call That Put Baba Booey in the History Books

Then, on June 17, 1994, Baba Booey landed itself in the headlines. In a well-orchestrated prank, a man calling himself “Robert Higgins” called into ABC News during the infamous OJ Simpson car chase. “Higgins” claimed to be a neighbor of Simpson and offered up an insider’s perspective on the drama of it all. He had a conversation with Peter Jennings, who at the time anchored ABC’s World News Tonight and was giving a live update of the unfolding events. Before signing off, “Higgins” let out a Baba-Booey, propelling the phrase into the pop culture history books.

The best part is what happened next. Jennings did not catch it and kept right on going. Al Michaels, who was also on the air that night and happened to be a Stern listener, recognized exactly what he had just heard and stepped in to tell viewers the call was farcical. He did it without naming the show, telling the audience the caller had ended with something in code that pointed to a certain radio talk-show host. The Stern Show had a field day with this, using the topic as a talking point for years to come.

Baba Booey Bombs Arrive at the Golf Course

Eventually the phrase made its way onto the golf course, and the Baba Booey Bomb was born. Even Howard Stern himself was surprised by how far it had traveled, wondering on air whether people had started yelling it without knowing anything about his show at all, just doing it because it seemed like something you do. At one point the bombs had gotten so big that the Stern Show collected the ones yelled at tournaments over the weekend, cut them into montages, and aired them Monday mornings as a regular segment.

What the Pros Think About It

Eventually, the yells caught the attention of golfers themselves. Jason Dufner appeared on The Howard Stern Show after winning the 2013 PGA Championship. Stern admitted he knew little about golf. He argued that he had brought a new audience to the sport anyway, saying he knew people who might flip through the channels and stop on golf just to see if they could catch a Baba Booey. Dufner said the bombs did not bother him. No one does it when we’re swinging or before we’re swinging, he said. It happens afterwards, and people are clearly trying to get noticed. Some of what they yell, he admitted, is pretty funny.

Not everyone is as relaxed about it. Ian Poulter took to Twitter after the 2013 PGA Championship to vent. He called on the PGA Tour to step in and stop the shouting right after shots, then asked his followers to send the Tour their thoughts. The Baba Booey and mashed potato business, he argued, would never fly at Augusta, at The Open, or at Wimbledon. He floated tasering the offenders. He was not entirely joking.

Why Baba Booey Isn’t Going Anywhere

Like it or not, Baba Booey has carved its way into history. It’s a staple on golf courses now, and Stern wouldn’t have it any other way. He has said on air that he would happily take it as the show’s legacy. He pictures a broadcast decades from now, where an announcer has to explain to viewers that the yell traces back to a popular radio show and has simply become part of the game.

Judging by the last three decades, he may be right.

Writer/Editor: Danny Kapp is a passionate golf enthusiast and a 10-year veteran golf blog writer for Rock Bottom Golf, offering his unique perspective on the game. With a keen eye for detail, he covers various aspects of golf, ranging from technical insights to the latest trends in golf equipment and golf technology.

Last Updated on July 17, 2026 by Danny Kapp