Voytek,
You quoted Adam & then commented, "'Adam, To throw some observations your way:It has been my experience that Public Courses are designed with a kind eye toward Civil Engineering. The nines return, the practice area is near the first tee and the pro shop has a view of the whole area. The route between your car in the parking lot and the first tee is streamlined.' That is very true of the probably ultimate golf complex in the US designed for the public, Bethpage State Park. The practice area is lacking a bit. But overall the place has a great vibe, despite its huge size."
Actually it is the opposite with Bethpage. When the facility was completed in 1936, none of the courses had returning nines and today, only with the addition of the Yellow course in the 50s, did that & the re-wroked & re-designed Blue course have returning nines. Yet even this a bit different in that both nines start & retutn to the parking lot & not the clubhouse.
In addition, the practice range was added atthe same time (50s). Up until then there were no practice facilities other than putting greens. What is now the driving range & the upper plateau that was used for the media facility during the 2002 Open, was originally a complex of softball fields & a small football stadium built in the early 40's. Though open to the public, it was primarily used by Grumman & Fairchild for in-house leagues a,omg their employees, with the football stadium also the site for a semi-pro team on Sundays up until the early 60's.
When Bethpage was built, the need for nine-hole play was never considered or desired as the majority of the play came from people who came out from New York City by bus & train.
It was actually a place where entire families would come to spend the day while Dad & brother would play golf. Elaborate picnic & play facilities were built for family use & so its popularity among the common working class exploded overnight from its opening in 1932 as the Bethpage Golf Club.
The clubhouse was used begining in the late 30'3 & continuing on into the early 50's for regular Saturday night dances. These were especially popular after the war and many a marriage proposal was offered during these, with a few consummations performed out under the trees!
There was even a story about newlyweds who got lost out on the Black Course in the early 60's. They decided to start off their honeymoon by playing golf on the Green Course. When they finished on the 15th green, not being familiar with the area, they turned right instead of left & walked out onto the 4th hole of the Black & kept on playing, looking for the clubhouse as it got dark. When found by the State Police, she was a crying wreck & he was, for the first time, truly understanding his lifelong responsibilities as a husband. This was in the Daily News. Nothing has ever been reported on how long the marriage lasted.