This past weekend, I attended the Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. The club opened in 1909, and the first Walker Cup was held there in 1920. George Herbert Walker (grandfather to George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States) was a golf enthusiast and president of the United States Golf Association, and the Walker Cup is named after him (it was initially named the International Challenge).

The biannual match features top-rated amateur players from the United States against golfers from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Unlike the Ryder Cup, the match never expanded to include Europe. Since 1920, the U.S. has dominated the winnings but lost the cup in 2011 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. While we were watching the matches, the U.S. team surged ahead and took the win on Sunday.

During lunch, I had a chat with Sandy Saddler, who played in the Walker Cup for the U.K. in 1963, 1965 and 1967 and was the non-playing captain in 1977. I could tell Sandy was a golfer the minute he walked into the room. 

While on “the Island” (Long Island), I had the opportunity to play Hampton Hills Country Club in Westhampton and Nissequogue Golf Club. Nissequogue was the home course of the late Dixon Hunter, a key player in the launch of Global Traveler. Look to upcoming issues of Global Traveler for my review of Hampton Hills and Nissequogue.

— Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO