Bethpage Black
"- WARNING - The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Golf Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers." - Warning Sign at Bethpage Black
(Played on August 6th, 2019)
There are some courses in the world we would drop everything to play. Pine Valley, Augusta, the Old Course, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point etc. But unfortunately, most of those are either a plane ride away, or not accessible to the public. The Black Course at Bethpage, however, is one of the few top ranked public golf courses in the world that is within a few hours from us.
We have been looking forward to playing here for awhile now, so when the opportunity finally came upon us to venture three hours north to Long Island, New York, we decided to take it. After spending an entire weekend refreshing the Bethpage Black online reservation website, our persistence was rewarded with an 11:09 tee time. Because the course asks you to show up an hour early, and since we live around 3 hours away, we decided the appropriate time was to leave at 5:30 AM to avoid any of the famous traffic we heard Long Island is known for.
Finally, the day was upon us. We loaded up the car and drive nonstop, and when we finally arrived at the course... we were three hours early.
Now, we expected to be early, but showing up for our 11:09 tee time at 8 in the morning was unexpected to say the least. After walking around for a bit and checking out the first tee, the starter approached us and asked what tee time we had. To her credit, after questioning us when we told her we were hours early, she told us to go inside and pay, and she would do her best to get us off early. We scrambled to the pro shop, paid our greens fee, bought ourselves some gifts to take home, and then rushed to the first tee. She let us tee off at 9:15 without any issues, and if there was a hero to this story, she would be it.
Chris Colman and Chris Pusey had a wager going that if Chris, who does not have a handicap but probably falls somewhere around a 20, broke 100 from the blue tees, Colman would give him $20. Colman was certain that this bet was a lock, but Chris wasted no time sending a message with a birdie on the first hole at Bethpage. Probably the highlight of the round and his year.
The golf course is obviously really, really good. The first four holes were unanimously the best beginning stretch of holes we have ever played. Don't get us wrong, every hole at Bethpage has something to it that makes it special. However, we thought the first four holes were absolutely amazing to start off with.
Holes five, six, and seven are great, stunning holes that deserve recognition as well, but we're going to skip to the par three 8th, a hole that all three of us managed to par. The 8th plays quite a bit downhill and is situated between hills behind and to the right. There is also a pond that guards the front and any shot short may roll back into it.
If you are unfamiliar with the course, the 9th hole does not come back to the clubhouse. The course sort of plays outwards in a counter-clockwise circle before returning to the clubhouse. There is a halfway house after the fifth hole and in the middle of the 12th hole. It is also a walking only golf course, so you should be aware that there are a lot of hills and swales that will give you problems the next day.
While holes 10-12 are great, as usual, the finishing stretch of 13-18 is what makes you want to return immediately after you are done putting out on the 18th.
The 13th is a long par five that is probably a three-shot hole most days, especially if you can't find the fairway.
The 13th is also home to where Tiger Woods hit one of his famous 2 irons on Sunday of the U.S. Open and gave one of his most famous twirls-while-walking-after-the-shot, and then nearly jarred the eagle putt. Being on the same hole as one of your golfing heroes and given the chance to replicate him is enough to give most golfers chills. We were unable to even make a par, but we were thrilled nonetheless.
The 14th hole is the first of two par threes on the back nine and also the shortest hole on the course. It was no more than a 8-iron, but with the wind that can obviously have some affect.
The 14th is the final hole before you cross over a road to the final four hole stretch. If you aren't already exhausted from the first 14, the last 4 will make up for that.
The par four 15th is long, uphill, and the hardest hole on the course without question.
If you don't hit the fairway here, you can pretty much just give up on the par. Even if you have to lay up you need to hit a perfect wedge shot to have a shot at making anything. This green is one of the few that are sneaky undulating. Bethpage Black doesn't really beat you up on the greens. It forces you to find them first.
After the uphill 15th, you are greeted with the downhill 16th. It plays a lot shorter than the scorecard says, mostly due to the elevation changes.
After the 16th, you reach the final par three on the course. The long 17th. Here's the thing about the 17th. It's long, difficult, and a real challenge. Every single one of us found the front bunker, even after watching the group in front of us all do the exact same thing.
Depending on the pin position the hole can play a lot shorter than what it says, but it is still difficult to hold. The green is also really shallow, so all you can really do is hit and hope you have your distances dialed. By this point in the round, most people probably don't quite have the strength to hit this green in regulation.
Finally, after many, many strokes, we reach the final hole at Bethpage Black. Although it is not the most difficult hole on the course, what hole on the course can be said is more iconic than the closing hole? Fairway bunkers left and right, green-side bunkers left and right, and one last chance for a closing birdie at a famed golf course. We all took a deep breath, and slowly trudged down the hole, and putted out our final hole at Bethpage Black. We took off our hats, shook hands, and our battle with Bethpage Black finally came to a close.
At this point that we should mention how difficult the course really is. Now, it isn't U.S. Open style all the time. The greens weren't the fastest we've ever played and they don't put the tees as far back as they could to stretch the course out. The rough isn't very long, but it is thick. Very, very thick. It is almost unbelievable how hard it is to even get a wedge on the ball once it buries itself down in the rough.
The thick rough and the deep bunkers is what really protects the course. The Black just requires you to find fairways and greens, and if you can do that, you can play relatively well. If you are struggling, or you lose your swing mid-round, you aren't alone, but you just won't be able to score well. It's as simple as that. The best thing you can do is try your hardest to grind out pars and take plenty of photos to remind yourself that Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Rory Mcilroy, Brooks Keopka, and so many other greats have walked these fairways. There are a lot of other courses that can say that, but very few are as accessible as Bethpage Black.
Here are a few more photos from our day at the famous Bethpage Black:
If you managed to read this entire blogpost, you can probably guess that we loved Bethpage. We are already planning on returning next year and hopefully more many more years to come. There are a lot of golf courses on our respective bucket lists, but being able to cross Bethpage off of it is an achievement in itself. It was the highlight of the summer for us, and if you ever make the trip, you will see it is well worth it. We hope you enjoyed reading our review. Hopefully we will be back soon with another fun and exciting course to share.
P.S. Since Chris did not break 100 and Colman was able to keep his money. In case anyone would like to know, the scores go as followed:
Chris Colman: 86
Thomas Pusey: 91
Chris Pusey: 107
- The Sunday Golfers
"- WARNING - The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Golf Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers." - Warning Sign at Bethpage Black
(Played on August 6th, 2019)
There are some courses in the world we would drop everything to play. Pine Valley, Augusta, the Old Course, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point etc. But unfortunately, most of those are either a plane ride away, or not accessible to the public. The Black Course at Bethpage, however, is one of the few top ranked public golf courses in the world that is within a few hours from us.
 |
| The Sunday Golfers at Bethpage Black. |
We have been looking forward to playing here for awhile now, so when the opportunity finally came upon us to venture three hours north to Long Island, New York, we decided to take it. After spending an entire weekend refreshing the Bethpage Black online reservation website, our persistence was rewarded with an 11:09 tee time. Because the course asks you to show up an hour early, and since we live around 3 hours away, we decided the appropriate time was to leave at 5:30 AM to avoid any of the famous traffic we heard Long Island is known for.
Finally, the day was upon us. We loaded up the car and drive nonstop, and when we finally arrived at the course... we were three hours early.
Now, we expected to be early, but showing up for our 11:09 tee time at 8 in the morning was unexpected to say the least. After walking around for a bit and checking out the first tee, the starter approached us and asked what tee time we had. To her credit, after questioning us when we told her we were hours early, she told us to go inside and pay, and she would do her best to get us off early. We scrambled to the pro shop, paid our greens fee, bought ourselves some gifts to take home, and then rushed to the first tee. She let us tee off at 9:15 without any issues, and if there was a hero to this story, she would be it.
 |
| Chris Pusey right before holing his birdie putt on the first at Bethpage Black. |
Chris Colman and Chris Pusey had a wager going that if Chris, who does not have a handicap but probably falls somewhere around a 20, broke 100 from the blue tees, Colman would give him $20. Colman was certain that this bet was a lock, but Chris wasted no time sending a message with a birdie on the first hole at Bethpage. Probably the highlight of the round and his year.
 |
| Chris coming off a hot birdie to start about to send his three wood into the stratosphere. |
The golf course is obviously really, really good. The first four holes were unanimously the best beginning stretch of holes we have ever played. Don't get us wrong, every hole at Bethpage has something to it that makes it special. However, we thought the first four holes were absolutely amazing to start off with.
 |
| Thomas on the par three 3rd hole at Bethpage. |
 |
| 'The pose' on par five 4th hole at Bethpage. |
Holes five, six, and seven are great, stunning holes that deserve recognition as well, but we're going to skip to the par three 8th, a hole that all three of us managed to par. The 8th plays quite a bit downhill and is situated between hills behind and to the right. There is also a pond that guards the front and any shot short may roll back into it.
 |
| The par three 8th hole at Bethpage. |
 |
| Thomas fully extended on the par three 8th. |
 |
| Colman taking it a bit past parallel on the par three 8th. |
If you are unfamiliar with the course, the 9th hole does not come back to the clubhouse. The course sort of plays outwards in a counter-clockwise circle before returning to the clubhouse. There is a halfway house after the fifth hole and in the middle of the 12th hole. It is also a walking only golf course, so you should be aware that there are a lot of hills and swales that will give you problems the next day.
 |
| Chris Pusey needing a short break before the par four 9th. |
While holes 10-12 are great, as usual, the finishing stretch of 13-18 is what makes you want to return immediately after you are done putting out on the 18th.
The 13th is a long par five that is probably a three-shot hole most days, especially if you can't find the fairway.
 |
| The U.S. Open tees on the par five 13th at Bethpage Black. |
The 13th is also home to where Tiger Woods hit one of his famous 2 irons on Sunday of the U.S. Open and gave one of his most famous twirls-while-walking-after-the-shot, and then nearly jarred the eagle putt. Being on the same hole as one of your golfing heroes and given the chance to replicate him is enough to give most golfers chills. We were unable to even make a par, but we were thrilled nonetheless.
The 14th hole is the first of two par threes on the back nine and also the shortest hole on the course. It was no more than a 8-iron, but with the wind that can obviously have some affect.
 |
| The short par three 14th hole. |
The 14th is the final hole before you cross over a road to the final four hole stretch. If you aren't already exhausted from the first 14, the last 4 will make up for that.
The par four 15th is long, uphill, and the hardest hole on the course without question.
 |
| Chris walking up the path to the fairway on the par four 15th hole. |
 |
| Looking back down the par four 15th from behind the green. |
If you don't hit the fairway here, you can pretty much just give up on the par. Even if you have to lay up you need to hit a perfect wedge shot to have a shot at making anything. This green is one of the few that are sneaky undulating. Bethpage Black doesn't really beat you up on the greens. It forces you to find them first.
After the uphill 15th, you are greeted with the downhill 16th. It plays a lot shorter than the scorecard says, mostly due to the elevation changes.
 |
| The downhill par four 16th hole. |
After the 16th, you reach the final par three on the course. The long 17th. Here's the thing about the 17th. It's long, difficult, and a real challenge. Every single one of us found the front bunker, even after watching the group in front of us all do the exact same thing.
|
| Looking back at the par three 17th. |
Depending on the pin position the hole can play a lot shorter than what it says, but it is still difficult to hold. The green is also really shallow, so all you can really do is hit and hope you have your distances dialed. By this point in the round, most people probably don't quite have the strength to hit this green in regulation.
 |
| The home hole. the 18th at Bethpage. |
Finally, after many, many strokes, we reach the final hole at Bethpage Black. Although it is not the most difficult hole on the course, what hole on the course can be said is more iconic than the closing hole? Fairway bunkers left and right, green-side bunkers left and right, and one last chance for a closing birdie at a famed golf course. We all took a deep breath, and slowly trudged down the hole, and putted out our final hole at Bethpage Black. We took off our hats, shook hands, and our battle with Bethpage Black finally came to a close.
 |
| Looking back down the 18th fairway at Bethpage Black. |
At this point that we should mention how difficult the course really is. Now, it isn't U.S. Open style all the time. The greens weren't the fastest we've ever played and they don't put the tees as far back as they could to stretch the course out. The rough isn't very long, but it is thick. Very, very thick. It is almost unbelievable how hard it is to even get a wedge on the ball once it buries itself down in the rough.
The thick rough and the deep bunkers is what really protects the course. The Black just requires you to find fairways and greens, and if you can do that, you can play relatively well. If you are struggling, or you lose your swing mid-round, you aren't alone, but you just won't be able to score well. It's as simple as that. The best thing you can do is try your hardest to grind out pars and take plenty of photos to remind yourself that Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Rory Mcilroy, Brooks Keopka, and so many other greats have walked these fairways. There are a lot of other courses that can say that, but very few are as accessible as Bethpage Black.
Here are a few more photos from our day at the famous Bethpage Black:
 |
| The par four 6th hole looking back up the hill. |
 |
| The par four 5th hole. Doglegs hard to the right and then gently left. |
 |
| Colman teeing off on the par four 9th. |
 |
| Colman and Thomas going through the same walkway where legends have gone through. |
 |
| Logo'd Bethpage ball. |
 |
| Chris hitting a bullseye right in the center of the 8th green. |
 |
| Approaching the par four 10th green. |
 |
| Thomas in a fairway bunker on the par five 13th. |
 |
| Thomas in the front bunker on the par four 15th. |
 |
| Colman on the home hole at Bethpage Black. |
If you managed to read this entire blogpost, you can probably guess that we loved Bethpage. We are already planning on returning next year and hopefully more many more years to come. There are a lot of golf courses on our respective bucket lists, but being able to cross Bethpage off of it is an achievement in itself. It was the highlight of the summer for us, and if you ever make the trip, you will see it is well worth it. We hope you enjoyed reading our review. Hopefully we will be back soon with another fun and exciting course to share.
P.S. Since Chris did not break 100 and Colman was able to keep his money. In case anyone would like to know, the scores go as followed:
Chris Colman: 86
Thomas Pusey: 91
Chris Pusey: 107
- The Sunday Golfers
Comments
Post a Comment