Welcome to the first Golf Inklings blog post. As you’ve probably already figured out from the title, one feature of this blog will be book reviews. I’ve chosen to start with one of my favorite golf books because it tells the story of how the U.S. Open ended up being played at my favorite golf course, Bethpage Black, in 2002. You can find it here.
In the summer of 2004 I was fortunate enough to work as an intern in the golf shop at Bethpage. It was a fantastic experience that probably never would have occurred if the USGA hadn’t brought its signature championship to the country’s foremost municipal golf facility two years earlier. Open tells the tale of how that happened, and if you’re a fan of the U.S. Open, Bethpage Black, or golf in general it’s a fascinating story.
The book begins by explaining the night that former USGA Executive Director David Fay happened upon Bethpage State Park, a place he was familiar with, one fall evening on his way to a dinner party on Long Island. A dream began to take shape that night and the book tells the story of how that dream became a reality in June 2002.
In telling the story of the 2002 U.S. Open Feinstein explains the evolution of the championship over the years and how the USGA dealt with its growth and the opportunities and challenges that growth presented. In many ways, the book explains how Bethpage was the culmination of the USGA turning the U.S. Open into one of the nation’s premier sporting events for both spectators and the television audience.
Feinstein describes the process and backroom dealings that took place between the USGA and TV networks that eventually saw U.S. Open coverage move from ABC to NBC. He details Johnny Miller’s role in that transition and what led him to a position to talk about his 63 at Oakmont from the tower at 18 for so many subsequent years during U.S. Open coverage.
The book also explains the negotiating process with the State of New York as the owner and operator of Bethpage State Park. It describes the hiring of key personnel at the park in anticipation of the U.S. Open including Dave Catalano (the state employee in charge of the park), Craig Currier (the superintendent who would be responsible for bringing the golf courses to life), and Rees Jones (the “Open Doctor”).
Woven throughout the book are short biographies about key people at the USGA as well as other people who were integral to bringing the U.S. Open to Bethpage. These stories reveal the interesting paths taken to a place of influence in the game of golf. The motivations and priorities of people like Mike Davis, who is still a leading character in the U.S. Open drama each year, become more clear for better or worse.
One of the many unique aspects of the 2002 U.S. Open was that it was the first Open conducted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Not only that, but it was conducted in the shadow of Ground Zero. Feinstein describes the unique security challenges presented in the new post 9/11 world and how the USGA and various law enforcement agencies tackled them. Many first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11 were scheduled to serve as volunteers at Bethpage that summer, and Feinstein highlights that poignant reality.
Prior to recounting the story of how Tiger Woods won the championship, Feinstein describes how the field was chosen, or more precisely, how players qualify in local and sectional qualifying for the national championship. Feinstein does a fantastic job describing the long shot odds that lead to the exhilaration of the lucky few that make it through the two qualifying stages and into the nations premier golf championship. Throughout the book Feinstein drives home the point that Bethpage is “The People’s Country Club,” and one way he does so is to highlight the story of Brad Lardon who played Bethpage Black as a young boy and eventually qualified to play in the 2002 U.S. Open.
Throughout the book, Feinstein emphasizes how unique and special it is to contest a major championship on a municipal golf course. From a police officer asking a tour pro how to play different shots on the course because the officer plays it himself to the gallery’s pride in seeing pros challenged by “their” course, this book tells the story of “The People’s County Club” well.