We’ve said it before in this space but it bears repeating: the USA’s 250^th anniversary this July 4^th seems to be, at best, lurking on the sidelines.

If you’re old enough to remember the Bicentennial in 1976, you remember that celebration had a full two-year run-up, with Bicentennial Minutes every night on TV, a massive observance in 1975 at the Old North Bridge in Concord, Mass., and the biggest party the country had ever seen on July 4^th a year later.

Times change.

Anyway, enough of that. Let’s punch Bridgestone’s ticket to the 250^th celebration. Bridgestone Golf does limited-edition/special-event drops as well as anyone. Some are simple, some are fun and some, like the new USA 250 patriotic “capsule,” get right to the point.

Bridgestone Golf USA 250 “capsule”

The Bridgestone Golf USA 250 capsule is as straightforward as it gets. The products in the “capsule” (a trendy name for a special limited-edition package) include a dozen Bridgestone TOUR B RX golf balls, a collectible 250^th ball marker and a pretty slick USA snapback cap.

The TOUR B RX golf balls are the same as non-USA 250 golf balls. The packaging is decidedly retro, though, even with some deliberate weathering on the box and sleeves (Hey, you don’t get to 250 without a few bumps and scrapes). The balls themselves feature Bridgestone’s USA 250 logo and the play numbers are all 250 instead of the traditional – and boring – 1 through 4.

The heavy-ish ball marker also features the 250^th logo while the USA snapback resembles an NFL sideline hat from the mid-90s.

Not that that’s a bad thing.

Price and availability

The thing about a “capsule” is that it’s sold as a, well, capsule. Perhaps “package” would be more descriptive. In other words, the pieces aren’t sold separately.

The capsule will sell for $99.99 starting Monday, June 15, just in time for the U.S. Open. It will be available exclusively on the Bridgestone Golf website.

The golf balls, however, are available now.