From The
Editor
Bill Cromwell, Editor-in-Chief TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE™ Magazine
Celebrate Father’ s Day and the U. S. Open
We celebrate Father’ s Day on June 21 and the final round of the U. S. Open on the same day this year. If you plan the day well, you can take your dad, son, daughter, or anyone golfing in the morning and return home to gather around the TV for the final round. The perfect day!
The 2026 U. S. Open golf championship, June 18-21, will be the 126th tournament run by the United States Golf Association( USGA), which dates to 1895. It is one of the four major championships in men’ s professional golf and the second oldest after the British Open.
This year’ s U. S. Open will be contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, a private club founded in 1891. It’ s the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States and was one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA. The clubhouse, built in 1892, remains largely the same; however, it has undergone several expansions and renovations over the decades, including a major restoration completed in 2016. It hosted U. S. Opens in 1896( Horace Rawlins), 1986( Raymond Floyd), 1995( Corey Pavin), 2004( Retief Goosen), and 2018( Brooks Koepka). The 2026 U. S. Open Championship and the 2026 U. S. Women’ s Open Championship will be held at Shinnecock Hills, backto-back.
While I much prefer U. S. Opens to be held at public courses so all golfers can experience the course, it is, after all, an Open tournament where amateurs can qualify; the majority of the 126 U. S. Opens have been held at private golf clubs. The USGA does not specify the exact number of U. S. Opens held at public courses, but Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines are among the most prominent, with a total of 10 U. S. Opens hosted between them. In all, the tournament has been played at 52 venues, with a significant number of them private clubs.
Shinnecock Hills lists its distance from the tips( Red tees) at 6,940 yards with a course rating of 74.7 and slope of 145( see page 9 to learn more about course rating and slope). However, for the U. S. Open, it will, of course, move the tees back and play at 7,434 yards to a par 70. There will be some monster holes to challenge the best players, starting with the par-3 2nd playing 252 yards, followed by the par-4 3rd at 501 yards, and the par-5 5th at 592 yards— Yikes!
And the back nine doesn’ t get any shorter. Nearly all par 4s are long throughout the course, like the par-4 14th at 520 yards, and the par 5s will be tough birdie holes. The par-5 16th is a mere 614 yards. The only 600-yard par 5 I’ ve ever played was at Mules National in Warrensburg( it’ s a great course). The par-5 8th plays 612 yards from the tips( black tees) into a prevailing south wind. Sounds like fun! I’ m not a TOUR player, rather a mere mortal, so my math told me the best approach to making a par was to hit my 3-wood( which I hit around 200 yards) three times. Thankfully, I hit the green in regulation and settled for two putts. Par was good enough for me on this monster hole!
Also in June, Central Links Golf will host the 2026 Watson Challenge Championship on June 24-26 at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Kansas City, MO. Shoal Creek is the first public course to host the event. Learn more about the Watson Challenge and spectator information on page 20.
Remember, you’ re not playing in the U. S. Open, so don’ t let ego get the best of you— Tee It Forward, have fun, and find your perfect day on a golf course this Father’ s Day and every day.
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