Bethpage Black was an optional round, and 8 golfers travelled on to Long Island to play one of the most difficult courses on the planet.
The venue of this year's PGA Championship, won by Brooks Koepka, certainly lives up to the sign behind the first tee.
Opened in 1936 as part of the Depression Era public-works project that built Bethpage State Park, the Black Course arrived on the scene after the Lenox Hills Country Club became the Green Course and one year after A.W. Tillinghast’s Blue and Red Courses debuted.
The Black Course, completes a 5 course Tillinghast run, and they all have varying challenges, and many similarities.
Though there is a debate over who deserves credit (and how much) for the design — Tillinghast or park superintendent Joseph Burbeck — the subtle angles and protective cross bunkers present in the layout are characteristics of many celebrated Tillinghast courses. The course conditions today are largely a product of a major restoration led by Rees Jones in preparation for the ’02 Open.
The course jumped into the public eye in 2002 when it hosted the US Open for the first time, and has hosted again in 2009. The course will be the host venue for the Ryder Cup in 2024.
It is a public course. But this does not mean that it is easy to get a tee time. In fact, it was the most difficult one of the trip to access. New York residents can book online 7 days in advance, and if there are any spots left 5 days in advance (unlikely), then non residents can book. Failing that, you can stay in the car park overnight and get in the queue for vacancies.
We had a New York Resident trying to help, but the tee times got swallowed in less than a minute. Fortunately, the Head Professional was able to assist us, and miraculously got us back to back tee times. Thanks Charlie.
The black truly is an impressive course. It is long, really long. Nearly 7500 yards from the back. A par 71. The bermuda rough is really, really sticky and nearly impossible to get out of successfully. It has about a million massive, massive bunkers. Oh and it is unbelievably hilly. Add to that the fact that it is a loaded to the eyeballs public track, the near 6 hour round meant everyone certainly knew they had played.
The amount of space here is incredible. Not only for the room that the Black course occupies, but there is another 4 courses here. They provide 200,000 rounds per year over five courses, in an area that is only playable for just over half the year.
The first par three of the inward nine, the 14th.
Looking across the green of the par four 16th, to the green of the par three 17th.
The view up the par four 18th. Not many bunkers to contend with.
A great experience, that beat all of us up.
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