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Two weeks from now when the Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale, all the talk will be about the charms of golf in the British Isles. Crikey, don’t they still do it spot on! Yes, the game was invented there and thrives, but we Americans advanced the ball far, too. With The Fourth of July weekend and the 250th anniversary days away, we first celebrate America’s golf contributions in our July/August Issue.

Is there anything more distinctly American than the member-guest tournament format? The Scots have only recently caught onto the fun of low net boondoggles across multiple flights and multiple days.
In an impious but titillating exercise on property development, Managing Editor Stephen Hennessey explores how much real estate value is locked up in our nation’s top golf courses from sea to shining sea in “Protected Green.” You’ll notice some overlap with Architecture Editor Derek Duncan’s list of “The Most American Courses,” but there the focus is on golf that best reflects “our civic spirit and constant appetite for reinvention.” There’s a full video, too.
At the moment, such appetite is apparent in the 41 short courses that opened in the United States in the past five years, mostly at high-end resorts and private clubs. Is the affordable, executive-style par 3 on its deathbed? Contributing Editor Paul Sullivan answers the question in financial terms in “Should My Club Build a Short Course?”
Fear not, the American Golf Dream is still alive and well. As evidence see the story of Zach Bauchou, a Virginia kid who was “shooting in the 100s” after college but fought and clawed to earn his PGA Tour card. Bauchou tees it up in the John Deere Classic this weekend, and perhaps he’ll win a spot alongside defending Open Champion Scottie Scheffler at Birkdale. In our cover story, Writer-At-Large Jaime Diaz makes an eye-opening case for how this Texan is showing the world a new model of greatness.
Go America,
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