The Red at Bethpage is a wonderful layout -- however -- it's no less important to realize that it's more the younger brother to the Black.
It is not equal to the Black -- that is simply a myth IMHO.
The Red, however, with just a bit of tweaking in the right spots could easily be among the ten best public courses in the Empire State. What's amusing is how much attention is given to Montauk Downs and so little to the Red.
Clearly, the opening hole on the Red is one of the most demanding starting holes in all of public golf in NY.