Bethpage Black

[Kevin_D]

Apologies if this is old hat for everyone here, but I couldn't find much discussion about Bethpage in the last 10 years or so and hoped to hear the thoughts of the experts  around here.

I played Bethpage Black this past weekend and was simply blown away by the place.  I expected it to be hard, but I was perhaps a bit surprised at just how good the course was (though shouldn't have been - while rankings are flawed, it is by far the highest ranked course I have played so far).

It is certainly an exacting test of golf - you pretty much need to hit long, accurate drives as well as precise approaches in order to have a chance of scoring well.  The bunkers were just magnificent - huge on a scale I had never seen before, terrifying, and ready to catch any wayward drive or approach shot left just a tad short.  I also found very subtle strategy on nearly every hole - not exactly "go or no go" situations, but you are certainly tempted to hit your drives as close to bunkers as possible in order to cut all those long holes just a tad shorter.

As for negatives, I would say the course was in good but not great condition (though this may be unfair, as it poured for 2 days before I played and they didn't have a chance to rake the bunkers yet) and the round was of course long.  Still, well worth it.  I can't believe it's taken me 13 years of living in New York to play Bethpage, but I will try to get back there at least once a year going forward.  (Also, the locals I was paired with praised Red as well, so that is definitely on my list of courses to hit too)

So enjoy some of my pics and please chime in with your thoughts on the place!

Cheers,
Kevin

#3:


#4:



#5:


#6:


#7:


#8:


#9:


#9 greenside bunker:

[Paul Jones]

Nice to see pictures of Bethpage Black again. I made my Hole-in-One on the 8th hole and I think the pin was in (or near) that same spot :-).

Paul

[Kevin_D]

And some from the back...

#10:


#11:


#12, greenside bunker:


#14:


#15 (hardest hole on the course):


#17:


#18:

[Matt Bosela]

BPB has its detractors but I'm definitely not one.

I loved pretty much everything about my day there, from the parking lot experience (I was able to get the first time of the day) to the quick pace of play as a result of that (less than 4 hours).  But the golf course is the real star - GRAND scale doesn't even begin to describe it for me - I've never felt smaller on a golf course than I did at Bethpage.

Lots of great strategy throughout, with heroic diagonal carries and the need throughout to be able to move your ball both ways if you want to gain access to the desired part of the fairways or greens.  There is some criticism about the greens being too flat and that's fair but it didn't detract from my experience, that's for sure.

One of my favourite courses, without question.

[Kevin_D]

I can understand the criticism about the greens being flat - with a couple notable exceptions, that is definitely the case (and they actually  were slow when I played too).  That said, it's hard for me to imagine how difficult the course would be if every green had massive undulations in addition to everything else about it that is so hard.  Overall I thought the greens were appropriate given how the trying everything else about the place is.

[Brian Finn]

Kevin,

Thanks for posting your pictures and thoughts.  I have played BPB many times, having grown up nearby, but living in OH now only play it every year or two.  The course truly does have a grand scale.  In addition to that, what I appreciate most about BPB is that  it forces you to really think through every shot, as much as any course I have personally played.  Understanding the consequences of a bad miss or even just less than precise placement is at such a premium. 

How far are you from Bethpage?  Assuming within reasonable distance, I would strongly recommend playing the Red, which I believe is underrated, and would receive far more acclaim if not for being on the same site as the Black.  Red is a par 70 filled with long (but varied) par 4s and is a really fun course. 

Personally, I also find the Green course to be incredibly fun to play.  It is somewhat short (~6400yds) but plenty challenging and has a number of great holes, many with a similar feel to the Black, albeit on a smaller, more intimate scale.  The Green was the original course at Bethpage, predating the park (Lenox Hills Country Club).  The original course was Devereux Emmet, and Tillinghast changed a few holes when he designed the Black, Red, and original Blue.  If you like fun, old courses with a bit of quirk, it great. 

Finally, I would not completely avoid the Yelllow or Blue courses.  Each has some original Tillinghast holes (the original Tillinghast Blue course was divided/redesigned in the 50's to create the current 2 courses) and can deliver some interesting golf.  IMO, the Blue has the most weak holes of the 5 courses, and would place it last in ranking them.

[Kevin Lynch]

Kevin,

Never a bad course to discuss and especially get some different perspectives from a newer member.  I think I echo Matt's thoughts about the course.  When I think of BPB, the main things are:

1) Grand Scale - I don't know if I've ever had another feeling like I did the first time I saw #4.

2) Tough without Penalty - One of my favorite things about BPB is that it's tough, but not in a "lost ball / penalty stroke" way.  It beats on you with demanding shots, but isn't overly punitive.  A hole like 15 doesn't need water or OB threats to defend it, but may be one of the toughest I've played (and it's basically a driving range off the tee).

3) Diagonal Landing Areas - I think the tee shots at BPB are some of the best at making you think about your line, combined with expected distance.  "Down the middle" is different for everyone.  #2, #4, #5, #12 and #13 carry more than your average strategy off the tee. 

Unfortunately, the one criticism I have on the evolution of BPB is how many of the newer tees have diluted the strategy off the tee and eliminated many of the diagonals.

For example, the first time I played #13, I had to hug the right and even play some fade to keep it in the fairway if I wanted to reach in two.  A long, straight drive was going through the fairway.  Now, with the added decks, it takes your Sunday best just to reach the beginning of the dogleg (and the risk of "through the dogleg" is eliminated).  Same goes for 9, where playing away from the bunker used to risk putting you through and into the trees right.

[Nigel Islam]

Never a bad course to discuss and especially get some different perspectives from a newer member.  I think I echo Matt's thoughts about the course.  When I think of BPB, the main things are:

1) Grand Scale - I don't know if I've ever had another feeling like I did the first time I saw #4.

2) Tough without Penalty - One of my favorite things about BPB is that it's tough, but not in a "lost ball / penalty stroke" way.  It beats on you with demanding shots, but isn't overly punitive.  A hole like 15 doesn't need water or OB threats to defend it, but may be one of the toughest I've played (and it's basically a driving range off the tee).

     Totally agree with those sentiments. BPB is a very good course. I expected it to be hard, but did not realize it was going to be as good as it was. I thoroughly enjoyed my day, and feel fortunate to have played it even though I might still be in "she who must be obeyed's" doghouse because I ditched her for 7 hours.
     It was interesting to me that since several of the par 4s were out of my reach (especially with the garage sale Top Flite rentals they gave me) it really took all the trouble out of play for me and left me with essentially a course with lots of easy par 5s. Makes me wonder if I was smart enough to always play that way if I would be a more accomplished player. 

[Tags:]

Tags: