Rob visited the Red Course at Bethpage State Park earlier this summer. Here he discusses some of the Red's more notable holes and features.
[For the full course overview, check out the Bethpage Red flyover.]
Written by Rob Dimino
The fairway of the Red’s famous first hole was closed when we played, turning a normally daunting par-4 into a just-as-daunting uphill par-3. Imagine hitting an absolutely perfect drive to that spot – about 200 yards out – from the regular tee, then visualize how hard that hole typically plays under normal conditions.
Par-5 fifth is a tight tee shot with a landing area that pinches in around 250-300 yards out. Stay left – a miss to the right requires a punch-out to the 150-yard marker. Plenty of sand before and around the green. #6 is a short dogleg left that should only be an iron/hybrid off the tee. It features a tough green – kind of a reverse bowl that is very easy to miss. Landing too far left off the tee, depending on the distance, will force you to go over trees for the approach.
Without a doubt, I’d say #9 is the toughest hole on the course. When we last played the tees were at about 450 – into the wind. A tree and some bunkers on the left threaten drives that attempt to cut the corner. Hit the ball straight out and you risk overshooting the fairway. You’ll more than likely lay up on the second shot.
The 13th is an awesome hole – split fairways with mounding, fescue and a ton of sand in between. Safer tee shot is to the left but leaves a much tougher approach. If you’re bold and execute a shot to the right fairway, the second shot becomes much easier, but there is OB all down the right side beyond the rough. A testy second shot awaits from either fairway.
#15 is the second toughest hole on course. Major-league long, 450-plus with a right dogleg. Try to fade it too much and you’re into and under the trees. Hit it straight through the dogleg and there’s little buffer zone between the fairway and super fescue. A tree hangs overhead near the green and can cause issues on the slightly uphill approach.
#17 is a mid-range par 3 that plays around 150-160. Very tricky hole – from the tees it looks like a slightly downhill shot. But it’s actually uphill; you can tell when you look back at the tee from the flag. I always see shots hit short here and you can guess where the only bunker is – a long front trap that spans the entire width of the green. The key is to always use one more club than you think.
The 18th would be my favorite hole on the course if it didn’t always turn me into Phil Mickelson at Winged Foot. It plays around 400 yards, but the tee shot is so severely downhill that you can reach the green with iron-iron, in theory.
Advantage: Take the two bunkers that pinch the fairway out of play.
Disadvantage: Leave yourself 190 or so to an uphill green that is guarded by a front bunker contoured to set up a very difficult bunker shot.
A 3-wood off the tee obviously shortens the second shot but it really brings those tough fairway bunkers into play. Driver, if hit solidly, clears those traps, but it’s no picnic in the rough and fescue beyond.
All in all a great closing hole and one of the best par-4s at Bethpage.
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