Players who went looking for a one-on-one fight with Bethpage Black on the golf course's opening day were instead met with an ambush by briskly cold temperatures and a brutal, relentless wind. But the surprises weren't all bad — waiting on the first tee for some of the park's morning players was the Ryder Cup, perched on a pedestal in all its golden glory. Representatives from the PGA of America were on hand to give away hats and let players from all five courses pose for photos.
The trophy's presence at Bethpage Black's grand 2024 opening was a gleaming reminder that Long Island is just a year away from hosting the famed international tournament and that Bethpage's accomplished staff continues its years-long effort to prepare the course for the global spotlight.
This offseason the Black Course received another set of upgrades, the most important of which, according to director of agronomy Andrew Wilson, was the completion of its irrigation system. Longtime Black Course superintendent Mike Hadley led the effort to install new irrigation on holes 13 and 18, and with those two holes finished, the staff now has precise control of water usage throughout the course. "The building blocks of a successful course are the irrigation and drainage systems," Wilson says, "so we are excited for the work to be done."
Up on ground level, players will find one notable change at #13. Wilson says the crew "leapfrogged" the two fairway bunkers on the bending par-5, filling in the near trap and creating a new one just beyond the far bunker. The new alignment will better defend against longer drives. From the tees likely to be used in the Ryder Cup, the two traps will sit between 300 and 350 yards away. Regular players will encounter them roughly 260 to 300-plus yards from the middle tees.
Also on #13, Wilson says the fairway has been widened by about 10 yards leading up to the traps. "Over the past year or two we have widened fairways on many holes so running balls will not get caught in the rough," Wilson says. "Now they could run into the bunkers."
The massive fairway bunker on the par-4 fifth will be even more intrusive this season. Crews widened that trap a bit and made some improvements designed to prevent flooding.
As for Ryder Cup preparations, Wilson says there will be no changes to the Black Course's routing, as some have speculated. The course will be played in order, from 1 to 18, starting at the Black's recently built Ryder Cup tee. Other changes could be in the works as this season progresses.
"We will see once the Ryder Cup captain is chosen," Wilson says.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Wilson]
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