[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

This week the New York State Open is being contested so the conditions are optimal for this year.  Results can be found on www.met.pga.com    Of note, the greens were running at @ 11 on the Stipmeter and the course played at about 7200 and change.   Rough is so-so tough, and the fescue is still problematic and balls can be lost--me on 16 today while everyone saw the area where it landed.                          There are some changes  to the course.     The 1st green has been extendedout towards the fairway 6 yards.   The 4th has two changes.  A new bunker 30 yards short left of green and a re-shaped back chipping area that is a little less severe on the slope, but the slope comes to the greenside edge.         The 5th has a new tee that adds 20 more yards--though the card says 451  from the old tee--it was 472 prior to the Open when the distances were measured straight from tee to green, neglecting the dogleg distances.    10 has a new chipping area surrounding the back and left side of green--over green will run all the way to rough 25+ yards past green edge.     Incidentally, the course is actually longer than 7297.  I lasered #4 at 540 give or take a couple of yards---on the card it is listed at 517--a straight from tee to middle of green measurement--my laser reading was 496 from marker to top of greenside bunker.  12 is also measured on a straighter angle--left side of corner bunker which makes the hole actually 30+ yards longer.   13 is also measured straight from tee to green--this would add about 20 yards to the hole.                                                                   the greens have been rolled twice a day since Monday and they also have been double cut every day.  There is no doubt that Friday the general public will have the best course conditions of the year!

[Gerry B]

played there on sat july 3rd -while the greens were a little slower than I would have liked  -the course was in great condition overall -and our four ball completed our 7:36 am tee time in 4 1/2 hours.Our caddies said it was thier quickest round of the year by 30 minutes

[Will E]

Rob-
Get to bed. You've got a lot of catching up to do. 135 is an amazing score. Sounds like Craig has got the course playing a bit different than I remember it in the mid 90s.
So, as different as it is now, do you like it more than now than then? How does the set up compare to Westchester?

[Brad Swanson]

Robert,
   Good luck the rest of the tourney!  I agree with Shooter, 135 is an amazing score (and 147 is nothing to be ashamed of either )

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Good luck Robert. Punch a hole in the sky!

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

I proved how important it is to drive the ball in the fairway today.  I only hit the 11th and shot 8 over on the back.  I do have a new pet peeve about bunker framing fescue.  I tripled the 10th from 40 feet with my ball lying between the greenside edge rough and the bunker.  I was a poor putting +1 at the time.  The course is in senational shape and highly recommend anyone within reasonable distance of Bethpage to play tomorrow or in the next couple of days.  Greens should still be 10 tomorrow.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

I proved how important it is to drive the ball in the fairway today.  I only hit the 11th and shot 8 over on the back.  I do have a new pet peeve about bunker framing fescue.  I tripled the 10th from 40 feet with my ball lying between the greenside edge rough and the bunker.  I was a poor putting +1 at the time.  The course is in senational shape and highly recommend anyone within reasonable distance of Bethpage to play tomorrow or in the next couple of days.  Greens should still be 10 tomorrow.

Robert-
Correct on all counts.  I played today, 10am group, and the course played so, so tough.  I took note of the various features in an earlier post.  

I really can't understand the benefit of extending the 1st green towards the fairway, nor the bunker 30 yards short greenside at #4.  The smart play is to go down the right side and pitch on with your third shot anyway.  

For whatever reason, I remember the 4th green sitting lower than where it is now--this time, I was on the apron chipping with my 52 deg wedge uphill.  

I like the chipping area on 10, as it adds to the options around the green when missing long.  

What do some think about the same thing behind #15 green?  Today, I hit a driver and a 5 iron which hit the green, and released over the green and settled maybe 2 yards behind in rough due to the ball flight.  

Would better players rather have rough or a chipping/collection area?  

Just my thoughts.  I'd love to hear those of the panel.

BTW-On a sour note-I left BSP at 3:00 today.  At 7:00, I arrived in Sayreville, NJ.  4 hours to travel 70 miles.  Insane.  
Moral-if you finish early, go eat, drink, play another nine, whatever, stay off the roads until well after 7:00 pm.  
 

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

I really do not understand the benefit of the 1st green extension architecturally.  I was thinking that maybe it was to increase pins and reduce green stress until the Open.  The 4th  chipping area is probably easier.  In the past I always bailed out right when the pin was in the back.  I would rather have an easy eagle chip or pitch from the side than walk away with a sour feeling 5 from over the green.  It is tremendously difficult to hold the 4th green from over 200 yards out!   I am intrigued by the thought of a chipping area behind the 15th green .  It would make the hole much harder for the top level player.  15 is the scariest severe green I probably play all year.  A pitch from the back rough is severe, but a good player can at least throw a pitch right and into the side slope.  A tight lie would make for a brutally tough pitch or a running shot that would most likely end up off the front of the green.  

[A_Clay_Man]

Robert- This re-occurring theme of "low mow" chipping areas is, or would be, a great topic for either an "In My Opinion" Piece, or even a book. The world needs to be told, by expert players such as yourself, that their perception of "easier" is flawed, if not dead wrong.

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