#36 (World) / #23 (U.S.) / #4 (Public) Bethpage State Park GC (Black Course)

September 16, 2014

When planning my trip to New York with Scott and Kelly, who I met and finished the back nine at Royal St. George's, I didn't think about Bethpage Black initially. Scott advised he had a contact that could help get me a tee time and it was scheduled.  I was very thankful as there are some hoops to jump through if you want to schedule a tee time earlier than day of play. For day of play, a single can walk up and usually get on any of the courses at Bethpage State Park.

I had an afternoon tee time at Bethpage as I was scheduled to play Garden City Golf Club in the morning. During that round, it had been a downpour for the back half. It also had ruined my first camera. Luckily, the photos were saved to a mini disc and I always carry a second camera just for this type of thing. Also fortuitous was that the sun came out on my drive from New Jersey to New York and I had some decent, but muggy, weather to play the black course.

Bethpage State Park is a mecca for public golf featuring five 18-hole regulation golf courses including the world-renowned Black Course which was the site of the United States Open in 2002 and 2009. The courses include the black, red, blue, green, and yellow. One day I hope to get back to play the other four.

In 1912, Benjamin Franklin Yoakum, a wealthy railroad executive, acquired 1,368 acres of land along the northern edge of the village of Farmingdale extending into what is now Old Bethpage. Yoakum hired Devereux Emmet to design and build an 18 hole golf course on the land, which opened for play in 1923, and which Yoakum leased to the private Lenox Hills Country Club.

When Yoakum died in 1929, there was conflict over usage of the leased lands. The Yoakum heirs eventually sold the property to the state of New York, and Bethpage State Park opened to the public in 1932, under the auspices of the Long Island State Park Commission. Jesse Merritt of Farmingdale, Nassau County Historian, had convinced Robert Moses to name the park "Bethpage State Park" after the 15-square-mile tract of land purchased by his ancestor, Thomas Powell, in 1695 from three Native American tribes.

The original golf course became the Green Course. By 1936, three more courses opened (red, blue, and black), designed by A. W. Tillinghast, under contract to the Park Commission. The fifth (the Yellow Course) was designed by Alfred Tull and opened in 1958. The park has picnic facilities, bridle paths, playing fields, a polo field, tennis courts, cross-country skiing trails, and hiking and biking trails, but it is best known for its golf facilities. Approximately 300,000 rounds are played annually on the five courses at Bethpage, all of which start from the Clubhouse area.

Not only has Bethpage Black hosted two U.S. Opens (2002 and 2009), but has hosted the Barclays in 2012 and is scheduled to host it again in 2016. In addition, the PGA Championship is scheduled for 2019 and the the Ryder Cup in 2024.

Everything you have heard about the course being long is true. It plays to a par 71 at 7,468 yards and has a 78.1/152 rating and slope from the tips. I don't usually play from the tips because I am not good enough, but I just couldn't pass up the chance.  All yardages will be listed from the tips below. I had just made up my mind to play the tips as I ran into the below warning sign. It didn't sway me. I checked in with the starter, the three people I was scheduled to play with had canceled because of the earlier round, and I was off by myself.

Warning sign at Bethpage Black first tee.

The starter hut for Bethpage Black.

Bethpage Black appears in The World's 500 Greatest Golf Holes and receives quite a few accolades. Among them are:

• Hole 5 is listed as one of the top 18 holes in the world.
• Hole 4 is listed as one of the top 100 holes in the world.
• Hole 10 is listed as one of the top 500 holes in the world.
• Hole 4 is listed as one of the top 18 most penal holes in the world.
• Hole 4 is listed as one of the top 18 best holes with a bunker in the world.
• Hole 5 is listed as one of the top 18 holes in America.
• Holes 4 and 5 are listed as two of the top 18 holes designed by A.W. Tillinghast.
• Hole 5 is listed as one of the best 18 holes you can play anywhere on the planet.

That is a lot of accolades for a public course to receive. However, they are well earned. Not only is the black course one of the toughest courses I have ever played, but it is one of my top 5 courses I have ever played because it was fun. Pinehurst #2 was incredibly difficult, and the difficulty coupled with the layout, made it an experience that just wasn't enjoyable, though it was a meaningful outing.  Bethpage Black is hard but it was a blast to play.

Before I get too far into the photos of the course, I do need to send a heartfelt thank you to Sean over at Breaking Eighty Blog. My second camera of the day (remember, my first one broke due to water damage at Garden City GC) had the original battery it came from the factory with. It's an old battery and doesn't hold much of a charge. I forgot to take the good battery out of the first camera. So, the day of poor luck with the cameras continued with my second camera dying halfway down number seven. With the exception of one photo at each of holes 15, 17, and 18, all of the photos from holes seven to 18 are used on this blog courtesy of Sean. The one photo at each of those holes were provided by camera phone photos taken from my one of my playing partners, Andrew Howard, who I joined at hole nine. Thanks to both Sean and Andrew for allowing me use of their photos.

Hole one is a 430 yard par 4. The opening shot from an elevated tee bends sharply to the right, with a cluster of tees right of the fairway that will block most approach shots so the left side is preferred. A deep bunker guards the front right of the green. The front third of the green, the smallest on the course, slopes sharply, and approach shots with too much spin could roll off.

A look down the fairway from the 1st tee box.

A look into the 1st green from 100 yards out.

A look onto the green from just behind the left-side bunker.

Each hole at Bethpage Black has two markers to identify the hole. One is on a post, the other is on the tee box.

The second hole is a par 4 that plays to 389 yards and is the only par 4 under 400 yards. The hole starts from another elevated tee with a sharp bend, this time to the left, between tree-lined ridges. The elevated green falls off sharply to the left, as much as 10 feet below the putting surface. The right of the green is protected by deep bunkers. Even as close as 20 yards out, the green is obscured from any kind of real view.

A look down the fairway from the 2nd tee box.

A look up towards the green from 150 yards out.

A look towards the 2nd green from 20 yards out.

A closer look at the 2nd green.

The third hole is a 230 yard par 3. The green is shallow and angled from right front to back left. The bunkers to each side of the green are so deep that you only see the top of the flag stick. There is a severe drop-off behind the green.

A look into the green from the 3rd tee box.

The fourth hole, one of my favorites, is a 517 yard par 5. The fairway bends to the left around a cluster of bunkers. The rest of the hole climbs 50 feet toward a blind green. The cross bunkers are not in play unless you miss the fairway into thick rough. The elevated green is protected by a series of bunkers, and the safe play is to the fairway right of the green, leaving an easy pitch shot.

A look down the fairway from the 4th tee box.

A look towards the 4th green from 60 yards out.

A closer look from behind the 4th green. 

The fifth hole is a 478 yard par 4. It is very difficult to carry the tee shot over the massive cross bunkers that hug the right side of the fairway. You also have to be careful not to go through the fairway, leaving the ideal shot down the right side because of trees that cover a ridge along the left side. The green is relatively small and well-bunkered.

A look down the fairway from the 5th tee box.

A closer look at the 5th green.

The sixth hole is a 408 yard par 4. It is a straightaway hole with a landing area that is tight between large bunkers on either side of the fairway, which then drops some 20 feet. The lower portion of the fairway, which drops some 30 feet, is comprised of short grass. The green slopes right to left and is surrounded by bunkers.

A look down the fairway from the 6th tee box.

A look into the 6th green from 150 yards out. 

The seventh hole is a 553 yard par 5. The tee shot is fairly straight, then the hole turns to the right. Tall trees down the right prevent you from realistically trying to cut off any of the dogleg. The green is one of the few greens that is not elevated, allowing for a ball to run up. A large bunker guards the right side, with a smaller one left of the green.

A look down the fairway from the 7th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

A look into the 7th green from 200 yards out.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The eighth hole is a 210 yard par 3. The tee is elevated and the shot is hit to a green guarded by a pond in the front, and large bunkers left and to the back. A towering oak tree and steep sand dune are on the right. The bank at the front of the green is fairly steep and anything short will almost certainly roll into the water. The green features a ridge that can cause some problems.

A look into the green from the 8th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The ninth hole is a 460 yard par 4. The hole bends to the left, with a large bunker complex on the left side in the landing area. If you land short of the bunker, you will find a contoured lie in the fairway. Two deep bunkers protect the front of a relatively flat green.

A look down the fairway from the 9th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The tenth hole is a 502 yard par 4. This hole starts with a difficult tee shot that has to carry 210-220 yards to land in the fairway from the tips. The 10th and 11th fairways are separated by tall fescue and sprawling bunkers and grass hollows. Two other bunkers are on the right. The elevated green is guarded by a series of smartly placed bunkers.

A look into the 10th green from approximately 100 yards out.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The eleventh hole is a 435 yard par 4. The blind tee shot to the fairway is tucked between dunes and leads you to favor the right side, away from the bunkers on the left. The green is among the most severe on the course, with a false front that makes anything beyond the hole a difficult putt or chip. Bunkers nearly surround the front half of the green.

A look into the 11th green from approximately 125 yards out.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The twelfth hole is another par 4 that plays more than 500 yards at 501.  A landing area toward the right is available for shorter hitters, although that still stretches the hole on this severe dogleg to the left. Any drive too straight risks running through the fairway into the rough. The large green has pronounced undulations that will make a par a very good mark on the scorecard.

A look down the fairway from the 12th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The thirteenth hole is a mammoth 608 yard par 5! This fairly straightforward hole has a large bunker on the side and you may find it in play off the tee. There are also cross bunkers 30 yards short of the green that will penalize you if you come up short. The green slopes moderately from the back to the front, and the bunker to the right of the green is among the deepest on the course.

A closer look at the 13th green.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The fourteenth hole is a par 3 that plays to 161 yards. The tee shot is over a valley to a putting surface that is wider than it is deep. It slopes from back to front and from right to left, with a shelf on top. Large bunkers guard the front of the green.

A look into the green from the 14th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

 The fifteenth hole is a 478 yard par 4. The hole bends to the left, with the final 170-180 yards up the hill to an elevated green that is protected in front by deep bunkers for any shot that doesn't carry the green. The green is about 50 feet above the fairway, and has two tiers that slope from the back left to the front right. It was the toughest green on the course for me.

A look down the fairway from the 15th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

A look into the 15th green from 420 yards out.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Howard.

A look into the 15th green from approximately 150 yards out.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

The sixteenth hole is a 490 yard par 4. The fairway runs next to the 15th hole, starting with an elevated tee shot that drops 60 feet to a narrow fairway that angles from left to right. The hole bends gently to the left. A sprawling bunker is short and right of the green, with another bunker to the left.

A look down the fairway from the 16th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

A look into the 16th green from approximately 120 yards out.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

 The seventeenth hole is a 207 yard par 3.  It has a slightly elevated green separated by a spine through the middle of the green that is probably more than 40 yards wide. The front of the green is guarded by a deep bunker, with other bunkers catching really bad shots.

A look into the green from the 17th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

A closer look into the 17th green from 180 yards out.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Howard.

The eighteenth hole is a 411 yard par 4. The drive is downhill to a fairway that narrows to about 20 yards as it passes through an enormous cluster of bunkers and tall grass on both sides. If you stay short of the bunkers on the drive, probably using a three wood, you will have about 150 yards to the green. The approach is to an elevated green that slopes from back to front, so keeping it below the hole is critical.

A look down the fairway from the 18th tee box.
Photo courtesy of http://breakingeighty.com/

A look into the 18th green from 200 yards out.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Howard.

Overall, I had a very memorable and fun experience. At under $100 on the weekend and under $75 during the week, which includes the electric cart, you simply can't beat the experience at Bethpage Black. I definitely want to go back. The next time, though, I want to schedule three or four full days to play all five courses in one trip.  The next time, however, I am playing from the white tees.