A crushed drive soars through the air on Bethpage Black's par-4 fifth -- the straightest drive you've struck in weeks -- and settles into the first cut off the left side of the diagonal fairway. You get to your ball and find you have no shot at the elevated green. Unless there's an incredible power draw somewhere in your bag, the route to the green is blocked by treetops reaching out over the rough. I won't make that mistake again, you think.
Next time out, you take aim at the right side of the fairway. It's another blast, but just as you expect to see it land safely on the short green grass, it drops into the last square foot of sprawling cross bunker. You needed 230 in the air to carry the sand; you only got 229. This course is tough, you think, among other obscenities.
Golf Digest arrived at the same conclusion in its January 2012 issue. The mag surveyed around 1,100 panelists and asked them to consider difficult shots like these at courses around the country. When the results came in, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park ranked #5 in the Digest's list of America's 75 Toughest Golf Courses. Only the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Pine Valley, Oakmont and Spyglass Hill are tougher.
The Black is one of 26 public courses to appear on the list. Three of Long Island's private clubs cracked the top 75 -- Shinnecock Hills (#12), Sebonack (#63) and National Golf Links of America (#72).
The procession of accolades continues for the Black, which in 2011 topped Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play list for New York State and Golfweek's Best Municipal Course, ranked #21 in Golfweek's Classic Courses list, and came in at #36 in Golf Digest's ranking of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. To see the rest of America's 75 Toughest, head over to Golf Digest for a full list and slideshow.
And for more on Bethpage Black, including links to all its recent honors, check out the course flyover.
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