From TheEditor
Bill Cromwell, Editor-in-Chief TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE™ Magazine
Celebrating Our Independence & The Open
This month, we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and our country’ s independence from British rule. It’ s also the month we return to Europe for one of golf’ s oldest and most prestigious tournaments, The Open Championship.
The Open Championship, often incorrectly referred to as The British Open, was founded in 1860. The Open Championship is the oldest golf tournament in the world and was originally held annually( for 12 years) at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, except for 1871, when the Championship was canceled as no trophy was available because Tom Morris Jr. had retired the famed Challenge Belt made of red Moroccan leather. Under The Open rules, the belt became Morris’ s property, having won three consecutive titles. The Claret Jug was introduced in 1872 when Tom Morris Jr. won again. From 1915-1919, The Open was canceled because of World War I, and from 1940-1945, due to World War II.
Organized by the R & A, the tournament later rotated venues between an elite group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom. In 1873, the days of wood shaft clubs, the famed Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, considered the oldest golf course in the world, was the first course outside of Prestwick to host the Open Championship. It wasn’ t until the early 1890s that hickory was the primary wood used in golf shafts. Imagine playing with wood-shafted golf clubs today. I’ d rather not; I have enough challenges with graphite shafts!
The 153rd Open Championship on July 17 – 20 will return to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, and players will use modern-day golf clubs with steel and graphite shafts to tame the course. Royal Portrush hosted its first Open Championship in 1951 and again in 2019 when Ireland’ s Shane Lowry claimed the Championship. Could this be Lowry’ s repeat year? He has been playing well and ranking high on the leaderboard of late.
If his putter is working, you can’ t count out Northern Ireland native Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open Championship winner at Royal Liverpool. McIlroy’ s home turf is the links courses of Northern Ireland, and Royal Portrush Golf Club is no stranger, but there’ s another guy, Scottie Scheffler, always lurking atop the leaderboard. Can he conquer the links at Royal Portrush, or will Xander Schauffele claim back-to-back Claret Jugs? I’ ll be watching!
Meanwhile, July is a great month to celebrate your independence by hitting the links to try out your modern-day clubs, but you will need good wedges, so check out page 10. Equipment writer Eddie Hall brings us the latest in new wedges, sure to stick it close to the pins. Once you’ ve reached the greens, you’ ll need a solid putting game. Learn to putt like the pros( hickory shafted putter optional) and capture the Claret Jug on page 30. Gianna Augustine, PGA, offers tips on putting like the pros and how to increase your drained putt percentages. We all want that!
Celebrate your independence, enjoy The Open Championship, and drain a few more long putts this month.
6 July 2025 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE
Kansas City’ s Longest Running Monthly Golf Magazine
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