The U.S. Open is looming on the Californian horizon marking golf’s high season. For me, that means it’s time to settle into an Adirondack chair at the Inn at Bay Harbor with a good book after a round of my own. It's an annual tradition that I highly recommend.

If you're looking for a good read, here's something to tie the two events together:
Open by John Feinstein gives a behind-the-scenes look at the 2002 U.S. Open held at Bethpage State Park in New York. Feinstein does a fine job of delivering many hidden stories from planning stages to tour players’ perspectives.

This was the first time that tour players found themselves on a course where most of the people in the gallery had probably played it more. Because of this, it has been heralded by many as the truest U.S. Open. It marked the beginning of a trend to hold our national championship at great public venues.

With the Open at Torrey Pines this year, we have another U.S. Open at a “muni”.  A number of other public-access courses are now on the Open rota. Look for more to follow.

It’s always staggering to see the numbers pros can put up on tracks that you have intimate first-hand playing knowledge.  That’s why I always get a kick out of the Tournament of Champions on Boyne Mountain’s Alpine and Monument courses every year.

It's hard to not be impressed when you see somebody go low on a course you've never been able to crack.

-JJ

It’s too bad that the modern political season is longer than ski and golf seasons combined. Since we’re stuck in it for a while and we've got 9 days till the BOYNE courses open, you might want to check out:

First Off The Tee. Presidential Hackers, Duffers and Cheaters from Taft to Bush by Don Van Natta Jr.
It’s a few years old, but it chronicles America’s golfing presidents.  Their approaches to golf gave very telling insights into the underpinnings of their administrations. Some of the read is a snooze, but the high points more than make up for it. Gerald Ford was a good friend of BOYNE and the book shows how he used golf to steady himself as he worked to heal a wounded nation. Bill Clinton, on the other hand was the inspiration for the book and a new golf term- The Billigan.

This year’s crop of candidates is lean on golfers. Still, their relationships to the game give some insight.
Barack Obama is the only golfer of record. He started golfing and playing poker in the mid 90’s so he could bond with his congressional colleagues. Reports list him as a 16 handicap, otherwise his golf persona is vague and ill-defined. 

John McCain is quoted as hating golf, preferring “real sports like football” instead. I bet he ripped that stance right out of his “What Would Teddy Roosevelt Do?” playbook. BULLY!

Hillary Clinton doesn’t appear to have any affinity for the game.  Can you blame her? Why would you want to get into another arena where your husband is a legendary cheater?

Read the book and you’ll have plenty of conversation fodder for cocktail parties and between-shot banter this summer.

-JJ