In late 2024, Joe Loughran stood on the Old Course at St Andrews, just feet from the iconic Swilcan Bridge — one of golf’s most recognizable landmarks.
But the Western Pennsylvania author wasn’t chasing a souvenir moment or photo op. He was standing where centuries of golf history unfolded, gathering inspiration for his newest novel, THE OPEN: The Making of Golf’s First Major.
A retired shipping industry executive, longtime golfer, and member of Oakmont Country Club, Loughran has turned a passion for golf, history and storytelling into an unexpected literary journey.
His eighth book explores the creation of The Open Championship through historical fiction rather than a traditional historical account, bringing forgotten people, places, and stories to life.
“The deeper I explored golf’s past, the more I realized that much of the story behind The Open’s creation had been forgotten,” says Loughran.
“I’m a golfer, a golf enthusiast, and a lover of golf history. I’ve been reading about it for 40-some years. When you do that, you’re reading it for your own benefit. But with regard to THE OPEN, I feel there's a lot of content in the book that golfers would want to know if they had the opportunity to learn it. The book serves as a vehicle for sharing that knowledge.”
Rather than writing a conventional history of the championship, Loughran created a series of fictional narratives set against authentic Scottish places and events, beginning in 345 AD with the journey of Regulus, a Greek bishop who carried cherished relics to what is now Scotland and encountered the settlement that would eventually become St Andrews, the spiritual home of golf.
“It’s not a history book, per se,” says Loughran. “I have 13 chapters and each one is unique to a different era. I think of it as like a tree. You have the main plot or storyline for a chapter going up, and off that trunk of the tree, you have branches that are all these subplots. And you can think of the leaves on a tree as all the different people that impact the subplot.”
To bring those stories to life, Loughran spent years researching the game’s history and visiting some of its most important locations. During his final stages of research, he traveled to St Andrews, where he met with the director of The R&A Museum to better understand the evolution of the Old Course through centuries. He also spent a day at Prestwick Golf Club, walking the original 1860 course and examining scorecards from the inaugural Open Championship with the club historian.
“I had to know what it was like to walk Prestwick Golf Club,” says Loughran. “When you go to a place like that, it’s hard to explain, but there’s a spirit that comes through that club, through that course. When you stand there and contemplate all the great champions who competed there, it’s inspiring.”
Loughran’s novel moves through golf and non-golf stories as it examines the people, places, and circumstances in Scotland that ultimately led to the creation of The Open Championship. He believes golf's history provides a natural foundation for storytelling, a belief shaped in part by his decades-long connection to Oakmont.
“Augusta National has its annual tournament, but no course has had a greater impact on our nation's championship history than Oakmont," says Loughran. "And when you look at the men who won here—Tommy Armour, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan—it speaks to this nation's evolution in golf."
That connection to Oakmont also inspired Loughran to dedicate THE OPEN to the memory of fellow Oakmont member Frank B. Fuhrer Jr., the longtime advocate and supporter of golf growth in Western Pennsylvania who died in 2022.
“I don’t know of anyone else who committed more of his time, his financial resources, and his personality to promoting the game of golf in Western Pennsylvania,” says Loughran. “He did that willingly and he did that with great determination. Having been a friend of Frank’s, I felt no one was more deserving of the book’s dedication.”
Through THE OPEN: The Making of Golf’s First Major, Loughran hopes readers will come away with a deeper appreciation for the people, places and events that shaped golf’s oldest major championship and the game itself.
“I wanted to tell the story of how a game born on Scotland’s windswept links in the 15th century evolved and ultimately gave rise to golf’s oldest and most enduring championship,” he says.
“Once I understood that story, it deserved to be told.”
To learn more and order a copy of Loughran’s novel, THE OPEN: The Making of Golf’s First Major, click here. Loughran also hopes to connect with golfers in the region through book signings at local golf clubs. Those interested in arranging book signings may contact him here.
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
