SEE ALSO:
Flyover: Bethpage - Green Course (6/3/2011)
The Green Course at Bethpage State Park has a tendency to get lost in the shuffle, understandable for a course that tees off only a few paces from the opening and closing holes of the crown jewel of Long Island public golf. It doesn’t have a warning sign to greet players at the first tee, like the Black does. It doesn’t have a gallery of foursomes overlooking what many consider the toughest opening hole on Long Island, like the Red does, and it doesn’t have what many consider the toughest opening nine on Long Island, like the Blue does. The Green simply starts with a short, downhill par-4 before it crosses the street, turns away from the Black, and meanders its way around the woods in solitude.
But what the Green Course does have is respect. Many players consider it their favorite of the “other” Bethpage courses, a sentiment shared by both contributors to this site. It also earned the respect of Golf Digest, which awarded the Green 4-1/2 stars in its 2008-09 Best Places To Play listing, an achievement shared by only four other Long Island courses – the Black (five stars), the Red, Harbor Links and Montauk Downs. It is the original Bethpage course, and though it's relatively short (6,378 from the back), the course is rough on the sloppy player.
Accuracy and some deftness with the putter are keys to a successful round on the Green. The layout is not tight, but margin of error is slim thanks to elevation changes and narrow fairways. A bad miss into a danger zone here can land you in a heavyweight fight with gravity, a fight that is usually a mismatch.
The greens are a test. Some can be devilish if approached incorrectly. The second green is slanted severely from left to right, and the 12th is double-tiered with an extreme break between the two levels. There aren't many flat putts on the Green, and in addition to tiers or undulations, some pins are further shielded by large bunkers, namely #4 and #12.
Elevation changes make for some exhilarating views from the high tees, but also some tough assignments when the target is a raised green. The opening hole looks out over parts of the Black; #10 requires a steep climb to the teebox on a short par-4. Meanwhile, the third hole is an uphill par-3 requiring a delicate shot difficult enough to land the hole on Newsday’s Dream 18. The green is perched way up, guarded by bunkers on the front and right. Deception is the design ploy here, as indecision on club selection can either land you in the front bunker or through the green and potentially in the woods. Miss badly to the right and watch your ball scoot down to the perimeter fence.
The course concludes with a par-4 that climbs the same hill it descended on the opening hole. The elevated green falls off severely to the left, either into a huge bunker or farther down the slope. Anyone who can pull off a decent shot from a bunker well below the putting surface deserves a tall brew in the clubhouse.
Of course, the drawback to the park's five challenging and well-conditioned courses is the sheer volume of golfers during peak season and, thus, the dreaded five- or six-hour round. Know going in that Bethpage is not the setting for a tranquil golf outing.
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