Bethpage State Park (Black)

Bethpage State Park (Black Course) – Played August 2014

Rankings: Golf Digest #42, Golf Digest Public #8, Golf Magazine #23, Golf Magazine Public #6
Location: 99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Farmingdale, New York
Year: 1936
Original Architects: Joseph H. Burbeck & A.W. Tillinghast
Additional Work By: Rees Jones & Greg Muirhead
Course Access: Public
Walking Rules: Walking Only, Caddies Available

Score Card Information:

Blue: 7,468 yards, Par 71, 78.1 Rating/152 Slope
White: 6,684 yards, Par 71, 74.0 Rating/145 Slope
Red: 6,223 yards, Par 71, 77.8 Rating/150 Slope

This is going to be really fun! That’s what I was thinking going into my round at Bethpage Black and boy was I right! Let’s go through a little background on the course. Opened in 1936, the course has hosted many big tournaments including the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens (won by Clemson’s own Lucas Glover) as well as multiple Barclays tournaments. In addition, the course will host the 2019 PGA Championship and 2024 Ryder Cup.

The golf facility is quite impressive. There are four other courses besides the Black, all of which seem to get favorable reviews. Once you arrive, however, you quickly realize you are at a municipal track. The range is not luxurious at all. I will have to say that I did not go through the well-known process of playing the course. You may know the stories about people camping overnight to get tee times. I did see these people in the parking lot! Luckily, I was playing with my new friend Danilo and he got us the NY resident privilege of getting a tee time a week in advance.

You can see in the photo below that they publicize some of their events. This sign is right beside the first tee of Bethpage Black.

Here is the backside of the clubhouse.

This is another photo of the clubhouse. The restaurant is located in the windowed section.

A very informative rock next to the first tee can be seen below.

You know I had to show you the sign warning golfers what they are getting into. Trust me, as you will see, this sign holds a lot of truth.

Hole 1 – 429 yards – Par 4

The first shot of your day is pretty wide open, but keep in mind there is usually a gallery watching which makes the shot somewhat nervy. Off to the right of the trees up the right side is the first hole of the Green course. This is the shortest route to the green, but it is marked out of bounds when the pros come to town. I was lucky on my trip here as the wind was whipping down the hole and allowed me to pound one over the clump of trees on the right side.

Here is the approach shot from a little over 100 yards.

The green has a narrow opening, as seen below.

Hole 2 – 354 yards – Par 4

The second bends to the left and plays uphill. A nice little draw plays well here.

The second shot plays severely uphill.

The green, as with many others at Bethpage Black, is quite flat. Your biggest challenges on this course are definitely tee to green.

Hole 3 – 158 yards – Par 3

The wind was swirling here when we played making club selection difficult. Either way, you want to avoid the bunkers on the left.

Here is a shot of the large green.

I wanted to show a closer look at the bunkers. These things are deep and make for a tough up and down.

Here is a closer shot of the green and hole location.

Hole 4 – 461 yards – Par 5

This is an incredible view and the picture I had in my head when I thought about the course. This is from the hill above the tee box.

This is the view for the actual tee shot. There is a good bit of room on this shot.

The second shot is blind and plays over a large bunker. For your score’s sake you must clear the sand.

The approach plays uphill over more bunkers. The green is not overly large so you must focus on distance control.

The green can be seen in the photo below.

Hole 5 – 423 yards – Par 4

This hole is a real beast. It plays even tougher for me since I don’t like to move it left to right. Depending on how far you hit the ball more of the fairway bunker can be challenged.

The green sits atop a hill and you will usually be coming in with a longer iron. I will let the picture tell the rest of the story.

Here is the green.

Hole 6 – 386 yards – Par 4

The sixth features a blind tee shot. Knowing the line or having a caddy is a big advantage.

The rolling fairway gives way to a heavily bunkered green that is penal if you miss.

Here is a closer shot of the green. In case you hadn’t noticed, the rough is very lush at Bethpage Black. If you miss the fairways you almost have to chip out to advance it where you want it. The greenside shots are also incredibly difficult as well.

The photo below looks back up the fairway from the green to show the elevation change.

Hole 7 – 502 yards – Par 5

The lines can sometimes be tough to latch onto at Bethpage. Commit to a line on this tee shot and hit your best.

The plaque below illustrates that the seventh is much tougher for the pros. This was located just off our tee box. This makes for a really stout par four.

The second shot is fairly open to go for it or lay up.

The third shot is wide open for a wedge.

Hole 8 – 191 yards – Par 3

This is the downhill tee shot on the first par three. Your first objective is to carry the water and hit the green for a chance at birdie.

This photo shows the large size of the green on the eighth.

Hole 9 – 385 yards – Par 4

The ninth allows for any type of tee shot. As usual, a long, straight one will work great.

As has been the theme so far in the round, the approach plays uphill to a guarded green.

Another flattish green. I would say the only weakness from a design standpoint is the green complexes.

Hole 10 – 434 yards – Par 4

This another long hole. Give the big stick all you have!

The approach is all out in front of you on the tenth.

Here is the putting surface.

Hole 11 – 421 yards – Par 4

There is no rest for the weary at Bethpage Black. The fairway is hidden but is just beyond the scruffy grass where the caddy is standing.

The second shot is thankfully not uphill. Any miss, however, will likely find a sand trap.

Below is a closer shot of the approach and green complex.

Hole 12 – 432 yards – Par 4

At this point, I was starting to have a bit of deja vu. Another long drive is required on this hole.

Some shorter drives will have to contend with this view on the approach.

This is much better, the view from the top of the hill in the fairway.

The green is open in front if you desire to play a running shot

Hole 13 – 480 yards – Par 5

This is a shorter par five, but it still seemed to play long. A power fade is the best play here.

This photo shows the second shot from quite a ways out.

Again the approach plays to a well-bunkered green. The trap to the right of the green is particularly deep and difficult.

Hole 14 – 152 yards – Par 3

This is a great hole with plenty of trouble. The bunker in front is well below the green. It is incredibly tough to make par if you dump your tee shot in that sand.

Hole 15 – 430 yards – Par 4

The fifteenth begins the very hard stretch of holes after you cross the road. It plays long and extremely uphill. Hitting your tee shot in the fairway is critical here to set up a manageable approach shot.

The second shot plays way up the hill and over some deep bunkers. This is not a shot you want to leave short.

Here is the green that greets you at the top of the mountain.

Hole 16 – 457 yards – Par 4

Luckily, this hole plays downhill. The wind was howling into us though negating the advantage of hitting down the slope.

As you can see from the photo below, I didn’t hit my tee shot straight!

Hole 17 – 195 yards – Par 3

You can barely see the flag here for all of that sand. A well-struck tee shot is crucial to set up a shot at birdie.

Below is the view from the large front bunker where I hit my tee shot. Imagine trying to play this shot with a US Open on the line!

This green is one of the most undulating of the eighteen. The ridge runs the length of the green splitting it into two distinct tiers.

Hole 18 – 394 yards – Par 4

There are a lot of complaints with the last hole on the Black. I suppose I understand somewhat because of how long the pros hit the ball. However, if you lay up and get into the bunkers things could go awry quickly. Either way, if a tour player gets through the last three holes unscathed then maybe he deserves a bit of a break on the last hole!

The approach plays, you guessed it, uphill. It shouldn’t be anymore than a mid to low iron though.

Here is a photo from the porch looking back down on the green and up the fairway. This is a satisfying picture after a difficult round on the Black.

Wow! That is my first thought after completing the round. Bethpage Black is very challenging. I mean that from the standpoint of hitting golf shots as well as walking. The course will definitely beat you up if you are not playing well. That being said, I still had a great time. The course is a very worthy championship host.

The only gripe I would have is that there were virtually no places to get water. There is a snack hut on the sixth tee and one water fountain that I saw. I would say that what came out of the fountain was not drinkable. I know it’s a municipal course, but when walking is mandatory I think you need to have ample places to get water. It’s not a huge gripe, but something that could be fixed easily. Instead, we were loading up our bags with drinks! They also wanted to charge my wife $75 to walk along with us. I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous.

Enough of that negativity, none of which was enough to mar a wonderful time playing a US Open course. By all means, get to Bethpage Black and tee it up!