ABSTRACT
When the United States Open begins at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh, a challenging, manicured golf course will be only part of the scene. More striking will be the transformation of the grounds into a temporary metropolis of corporate tents, merchandise vendors, provisional roads, grandstands, concessions, hospitality centers, news media facilities, security outposts and every conceivable public service from baggage claim to bug-bite care. Supervised by a staff numbering in the thousands, the United States Open is far more than a golf tournament; it is an extravagant American sporting spectacle rising out of a lush field like a mirage. The Open is primarily about identifying a national champion, but it is also a perfect merger of powerful entities: golf culture and corporate America. The Olympics is obviously bigger, but each of their venues is like putting on a US Open. And probably like a successful Olympics, it only works if the community hosting things buys into it completely".
