Upcoming Book on Chambers Bay & 2015 U.S. Open - 'America's St. Andrews' - to be Featured in Washington State Fair Exhibit


Pierce County has created a new exhibit to be showcased at the Washington State Fair using photos, illustrations and other material from the forthcoming book, "America's St. Andrews." The exhibit is to be an interactive experience featuring exclusive photos, artwork and video.

The exhibit, entitled "Designed to be a Champion," asks visitors to take a short walk through historic moments of the U.S. Open and the making of Chambers Bay.

"America's St. Andrews" chronicles the improbable story of how Chambers Bay, a newly-opened and untested municipal facility built on an abandoned gravel mine, was selected as the first course in the Pacific Northwest to host the U.S. Open, which will be held there in June 2015.

Half the exhibit has been created using material from "America's St. Andrews," with the other half being created with material from the book, "Great Moments of the U.S. Open," which was produced in 2013 by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The Washington State Fair, which annually attracts over 1 million visitors during its 16-day run, is being held at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup, Wash., from September 5-21. The exhibit is located inside the Museum Building on site at the fairgrounds, and will be open every day during the fair.

The exhibit was produced under the direction of Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. "This Washington State Fair exhibit will showcase the incredible opportunities our region has as it hosts one of the top sporting events in the world," said McCarthy. "Visitors will see how Pierce County transformed a gravel pit into a park and golf course worthy of our national championship. And they will learn about champions from the past and relive memories of exciting U.S. Open in recent times. I encourage Fair patrons to stop by and learn more about the significance of hosting the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay."

Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to purchase "America's St. Andrews" before it is released to the public on October 1. Visitors can also purchase official 2015 U.S. Open merchandise. Pierce County staff and volunteers will be on-site to answer questions about the exhibit and championship. The exhibit was designed by JayRay, a Tacoma-based advertising and promotions company.

There will be a book-signing by the author, Blaine Newnham, at the exhibit on Saturday, September 20, from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Chambers Bay is owned by Pierce County, which has been working closely with USGA officials in preparing for what is expected to be the largest sporting event ever held in the Pacific Northwest, the 2015 U.S. Open.

Upon its release on October 1, "America's St. Andrews" will be available wherever books are sold, as well as online, and will be sold on site at the 2015 U.S. Open. It can also be purchased on the book's website at www.AmericasStAndrews.com.

Pre-Release Activities

Along with being featured at the State Fair exhibit from September 5-21, "America's St. Andrews" will also be included in a series of events during the month of September prior to its launch on October 1.

September 8 - The book will be given as tee prizes at the Evans Cup of Washington, an annual fundraiser for the Evans Caddie Scholarship Program, being held this year at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

September 9 - The book will be given as gifts and prizes at the "Fairway to the U.S. Open" fundraiser conducted by the Tacoma branch of the University of Washington in creating the "Robert Trent Jones Jr. Scholarship." The event will be held at Chambers Bay. Jones, who also wrote the book's Foreword, is the chairman and master architect of the design firm of Robert Trent Jones II, the architects of Chambers Bay.

September 17 - The Seattle Sports Commission will include the book as part of their prizes during their fundraising event, to be held at Chambers Bay.

September 20 -Newnham will be on hand at the Fair's exhibit to autograph books from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

September 28-29 - The annual Chambers Bay Member/Guest tournament will include the book as part of their gift packages.

Proceeds to Charitable Initiatives

A portion of the net proceeds of "America's St. Andrews" will be donated to a number of charitable programs and initiatives, such as the Patrons of Golf Program of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association; The First Tee of South Puget Sound, which includes Chambers Bay as one of the chapter's facilities; The First Green, an educational outreach program that uses golf courses as learning labs for high school students; and the Evans Caddie Scholarship Program, in support of Chambers Bay's caddie program which provides opportunity for young qualified caddies to earn a four-year college scholarship.

About the Author

Blaine Newnham was a sports editor and columnist for 11 years with the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard, and an associate editor and sports columnist for The Seattle Times for 23 years. He is a regular contributor to Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine and Cybergolf.com, as well as Golfweek magazine. He has authored two previous books, "The Running Experience" and "Golf Basics." In 2005, Newnham received the Distinguished Service Award from the Northwest Golf Media Association.

The book's editor and publisher is Tom Cade, who is the editor of Pacific Northwest Golfer magazine, which is published by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA). He is also the Sr. Director of Communications for the PNGA and the Washington State Golf Association. Cade is the current president of the Northwest Golf Media Association. Newnham and Cade are regular members of the Golf Writers Association of America.

The book is being published by Green Cloud Media, and in partnership with KemperSports, Heritage Links, Tommy Bahama, Robert Trent Jones II and Travel Tacoma + Pierce County.

St. Andrews is used in the title of the book with the expressed written permission of St. Andrews Links Trust, the charitable organization which manages the seven public golf courses in St. Andrews, Scotland. Creating golf's future by honoring its past, St. Andrews Links Trust is dedicated to keeping the game available and open to all.