I was lucky enough to have a 10:51am tee time on the Black yesterday (opening day). Some thoughts after playing the course on a beautiful sunny day...
1. It is now a much sterner test for driving. The fairways have been pinched in to 25-30 yds wide, and they are really starting to firm up. The problem was not hitting the fairways but holding them. Most are set at an angle to the tee (#7, #9, & #12 come to mind), so unless your ball flight mirrors the path of the fairway, it is difficult to keep it in the short grass.
2. The ball really settles down in the rough. They did a great job getting a uniform height and consistency of rough throughout the entire course (2 inches? while I was there) but it really grabs the clubhead even at its current length. If they grow it up to 5 inches, some holes become unreachable in two from the rough (10, 12, 15, 16).
3. #10 and #12 will show their teeth in the Open. Played from the back tees they are listed as 490yds and 499yds respectively (both par 4's). #10 is flat to slightly uphill and normally plays into the wind with no option to run the ball onto the putting surface. #12 is a severe dogleg to the left that forces players to carry their drive over deep bunkers at the dogleg but it is very easy to hit it through the fairway. Most pros will have 200-210 into a gently rolling green. Make it through #10-#12 even and you'll probably pick up 1-2 strokes on the field.
4. #9 is starting to grow on me. It has always been a uncomfortable tee shot for me, because there is no easy target to aim for in the fairway. Hit the ball short and it will run down to the base of the fairway, leaving a blind shot into the green. Hit it over the hill and the fairway slopes away from the tee box, causing most balls to now run through the fairway. The only shot is a high draw around the dogleg. With the new back tee that stretches the hole to 420 yds, it is fair (most pro's will hit 3 wood), but they still have to execute the shot.
5. In addition to some birdies, you are going to see some big numbers on #4. They have cleared out the area behind the green, shaved down the bank and created a chipping area with some tight lies. However, for guys trying to hit the green in two, the firm putting surface slopes away from the fairway and there is nothing stopping the ball from running down the hill and through the trees behind the green. It is JAIL from down there.
6. Finally, the sand. It is common knowledge that Bethpage's main defense, in addition to its length, are the bunkers. Unless, they really change the grooming in the next two months (which is not probable), the pro's will complain about the bunkers. The sand is beautiful, but deadly because it has such a fine texture. The ball easily plugs in the faces and creates some really nasty lies. I hit a 6 iron the just hit under the lip on #17 and the ball nearly disappeared. It is also a lot harder to hit out of the fairway bunkers. You should see some of the possible lies in the fairway bunker between #10 & #11. I think the USGA is trying to restore some fear to these hazards, and some pro's will learn after trying to hit out of them. After you have been burned by one, you really start to notice the pure white faces and those putting surfaces look a lot smaller from the fairway.
It was a wonderful experience to play the course on opening day and I think it will be a fitting test for the national championship. If anyone has any specific questions, let me know.