‘Steel Links’ Public Premiere and Q&A

The Lindsay is partnering with WQED to show a new documentary about golf’s deep roots in Pittsburgh.

Steel Links is an hour-long WQED documentary chronicling Pittsburgh’s industrial roots and its rise to the forefront of technology, culture and sports—including golf.

The film will play at The Lindsay on Sunday, June 8, at 5 p.m. and Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m. The June 8 showing is sold out, but general admission tickets for the June 9 event are on sale for $11. Both screenings are taking place ahead of the film’s WQED broadcast premiere on June 10 at 9 p.m. and before Oakmont hosts its 10th U.S. Open from June 12-15. 

Throughout the film, former Pirate Neil Walker leads viewers on this heartfelt tour of the Western Pennsylvania he knows and loves. Walker also will be present at the Theater on June 8 for a live Q&A following the screening. There will also be an in-person Q&A after the June 9 show.

In addition to Walker, Steel Links features segments with former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher; former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch; rapper and Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa; professional golfer and Greensburg native Rocco Mediate; World Golf Hall of Famer and Sewickley native/resident Carol Semple Thompson; and other local luminaries representing various facets of Pittsburgh.

“Steel Links pays homage to a city of grit, resilience and reinvention,” says Jason Jedlinski, WQED’s president and CEO. “It’s both a tribute to our past and a reflection of our future, chronicling the legacy and evolution of the Oakmont Country Club, the game of golf and Pittsburgh itself. It reminds us what makes Pittsburgh—and its people—so special.” 

Steel Links was created and executive produced by veteran filmmaker Brad Turkel. He also produced It’s a Beautiful Day in Pinehurst, a one-hour PBS documentary about that area of North Carolina’s rich cultural and golfing traditions. Turkel’s vision with Steel Links was to do the same for Pittsburgh ahead of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Western Pennsylvania became Turkel’s “home away from home” after frequent visits to his wife’s hometown. Through Steel Links, Turkel was able to dive deep into Pittsburgh’s modern tech, arts, music and sports scenes. He even united Walker, Batch, Mediate and Semple Thompson for 18 holes at Verona’s Long Vue Club.

In the film, “We hear stories sharing their individual experiences with their sports and Pittsburgh,” Turkel says. “Steel Links is told through the eyes and voices of well-known Pittsburghers. It’s like a love letter to the Pittsburgh that was, is and continues to transform.

“We want to showcase all the wonderful towns in and around Pittsburgh,” Turkel continues. “Premiering at The Lindsay in Sewickley kind of symbolizes everything this doc is about.”