Observations: Bethpage - Black Course

SEE ALSO:
Flyover: Bethpage - Black Course

Golf On Long Island launched two years ago this month with a flyover of my original "home" course, the nine-hole muni at North Woodmere Park.  One of the goals of the site was to drop by and discuss every public course in this two-county hotbed of fairways and flagsticks, and eventually put our skills to the test at the main attraction -- the Black Course at Bethpage.

Not only did we challenge the beast earlier this summer, but we did so at a leisurely four-hour pace, with no wait, no group in front, no group behind, and beneath a warm afternoon sun and ocean blue sky.  It was a slice of tranquil eastern Suffolk golf at the Island's most heavily trafficked golf complex.  The trick....

...well, we'll keep that to ourselves.  Yes, the course was open to the public -- no closure, no outing (and no trespassing). 

Before we post a Bethpage Black flyover later this summer, here are some observations and first impressions from our initial round at the home of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open:

• The size and scale of the course is unmatched by any other course on the Island and unlike anything most players have ever seen before.  The Black Course makes you feel like you're about a foot tall in some spots.  #4 comes immediately to mind.
• Photos do little to show off the course's elevation and contouring.  In a region of mostly flat, paved suburbia, Bethpage State Park as a whole clings to its hills and valleys.  The physical rises and falls of the Black Course are startling.  One needs only to drive down Round Swamp Road to observe the 15th green perched way up, almost suspended in the air.  But only those marching up and down the Black's fairways will be able to take in firsthand the drop from the par-3 eighth tee to the green below.
• In terms of the degree of difficulty, I was expecting nothing less than blunt force trauma -- especially after arriving with a fresh new swing flaw in tow.  Instead, I found the course to be much more subtle in its defenses than I had anticipated.  With its diagonal bunker and offset fairway, the par-4 fifth -- harmless at first glance -- requires a fade off the tee and a draw to a shallow, elevated green.  Of course, with that said...
• ...if you can't drive the ball with some authority and control, it's almost impossible to score well.  That might seem self-evident, but on many courses you can overcome a bad day with the driver or get by with average ability off the tee.  But the Black doesn't have much sympathy for short or wayward drives.  You'll be cut off by poor angles, marooned in cross bunkers or rough, or left to aim at strategically contoured greens with your most imprecise weapons.  Sure, you may string a few nice shots together, but chances are you'll be penciling in a number that's one or two digits higher than you feel you deserve.
• No hole on the course feels like a throwaway.  Each has its own unique challenge.  You may grow to dislike a couple of them, but probably not out of boredom.
• I expected fast greens.  This was obviously skewed by the USGA conditions seen on TV.  In reality, for the rest of us, the greens are surprisingly moderate in speed and incredibly smooth.
• There's something charming about having to walk the course.  Carts would obviously neutralize the effects of the terrain.  The charm, however, begins to dissipate around the par-3 14th.  It's a long walk down to the 15th tee and then back up again to the 15th green.  
• Whether you're on the course for the first time or the hundred-and-first time, take a few minutes during your round to enjoy the scenery.  There aren't too many places like it.

Comments

[Lee]

I've played the black twice this summer and did much better the 2nd time around. I'm not a huge hitter, 260-270 with a solid drive if i hit it very well, but it is dead on with not hitting good solid drives leaves you in a tough position to score well.

But the scenery is dead on. It is on gorgeous hole after another. I love the par 4 2nd. You can barely see the top of the flag from down below the hole on your second shot.

and of course the par 5 4th is incredible. A great big hitter can get there in 2, but most players have to hit to about 75 yards from the hole on their 2nd shot to the 2nd level.

The back 9, well it is absolutely grueling, but breathtaking. The par 3 14th is just an amazing hole. The green is huge with a variety of slopes, but if you miss left you are in a bunker. If you hit it and come up short, you are in a deep valley with a tough 2nd to get up and down for par. The beauty of the 14th might be unmatched on the back.