Damaikis
Fairway Finder
Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York is home to 5 golf courses, and I played the most famous of them, the Black Course, recently. Bethpage Black has been the host of two US Open Championships, The Barclays, and will host a PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup in the next 10 years. Being as prestigious as it is, the Black Course can be very difficult to get on, especially for a non-NY resident. On the Black Course they allot the first hour of tee times as well as one time per hour after that to walk-ons. Because it is on the grounds of a state park, New York residents have the first chance to book tee times up to 7 days in advance. Those that live outside of New York can only book 3 days in advance, though most times, New York residents will have the tee sheet full. That means that if you live outside of New York and want to play the Black Course, walking on will be the way to go more often than not, and that is the route that I went.
The easiest way to guarantee a spot when you are walking on is to get there the day prior to when you plan to play. There is a line of parking spaces numbered 1-100 that you park in if you want to walk on, and right in front of the first one is a sign detailing all of the rules of lining up to walk on. A Bethpage official comes around at about 6:45 and hands out one wristband each to every car lined up and not every member of your group needs to be present for this step. While your car must remain in the parking spot overnight, you do not. So if you are going with more than one person it is advised that you bring two cars so that after you get a wristband, you can head to a local hotel to get some sleep. The next day between 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning, another Bethpage official comes out and each car exchanges their wristband for bakery tickets- one for each member of your group. At this time, all of your group members must be present. After getting your ticket, you head to the clubhouse and exchange your ticket for a tee time. Once you have done that, you are free to leave and do whatever you want because you will still have at least a couple of hours until your tee time.
When it comes time for you to finally tee off, you must report to the starter’s shed 20 minutes before your tee time, or you risk forfeiting your spot. Upon arrival at the starter’s shed, you will see a beautiful practice putting green so you can roll some putts to prepare for your round. When it is time for your round to begin, you are greeted by a very straightforward and iconic warning sign as you head down the stairs to the first tee.
The first hole is a beautiful staring par 4 that doglegs left to right with trees guarding the right side of the dogleg and plenty of open space down the left. You hit your approach into a deep, narrow green with bunkers guarding the left and right. The green slopes back to front, so if you leave the ball below the hole you will be rewarded with a relatively straight uphill putt.
The second hole is one of the shorter par 4s on the course, but it is also one of the tightest. The fairway both curves and slopes down from right to left, and overhanging trees on the left mean you will have to move your tee ball from right to left if you want to hit a longer club. After finding the fairway, you will likely end up with a sloped lie for your uphill approach shot. Make sure to take enough club to get up the hill as there is both nasty rough and bunkers guarding the front of the green. Once you have found the green, you will be delighted to see that it is one of the flattest on the course and you should have a straight, flat putt.
The easiest hole on the course, the third is a par 3 that has a raised, shallow green with bunkers guarding the front of it. The green is flat and moves away from you as you go to the left, so a front pin will have much less danger to avoid than a back pin. While making sure to get the ball over the bunkers, you will also be penalized for going long as it slopes sharply downward, leaving you a blind, uphill pitch back onto the green.
As you walk off the third green you will be greeted by your first par 5 as well as the prettiest golf hole I have ever played. The fourth fairway moves from right to left with a bunker sticking out. You will have to decide how far left over the bunker you can drive it because the carry required gets larger the further left you go. Once in the fairway, you will hit your second up the hill over a long bunker into the second fairway. Only the longest hitters out there will be able to reach this hole in two as even a great drive will leave you with 200+ yards uphill to carry over a bunker. After you hit your second shot, you will be left with a wedge into the green up the hill and over a bunker. The further you hit your second shot, the less of the bunker there is to carry to get to the green as the second fairway goes back to the right with the green straight ahead from the end of the first fairway. The green is shallow and flat with bunkers short, but if you go long it dips down slightly into a fairway-cut collection area.
The fifth is another hole where the fairway moves, this time to the right as it goes away from you with trees down the right side. The large bunker short of the fairway means the more carry distance you can get, the closer you will be for your approach. The approach is a blind, uphill shot with bunkers both short and long and overhanging trees guarding the left side of another very flat green.
The sixth gives you a slightly uphill landing area for your drive with bunkers both left and right. The hole doglegs from right to left so longer hitters can attempt to carry the bunker down the left, leaving a short approach in. The second shot goes way downhill to a round green guarded almost entirely by bunkers. Other than small areas directly in front and directly behind the green, a miss here will land you in the bunker. Hit the green though, and you will be rewarded with a straight, flat putt from almost anywhere on the putting surface.
The par 5 seventh hole has a drive much like the fifth— the further you can carry it over the bunker, the closer you will be to the green. The hole moves left to right and after your tee shot, the second will be straight to the green with trees on both sides. With a good drive, this hole is reachable, but if not a long iron for your second will leave a short wedge shot in. The green has bunkers in front on both the left and right sides, but otherwise does not have too much trouble around it. A small ridge in the front of the green is the only slope on it, but it means that you will have to be careful of going over a front pin as the ridge slopes from back to front.
The eighth is a par 3 that plays downhill and over a small pond. A mid to long iron should safely clear the water, but a bunker to the left and a large tree to the right of this large, deep green can also pose problems for a wayward tee ball. The green slopes from back to front, so leaving the ball below the hole will give you the best chance to make a putt.
Finishing out the front 9, the ninth hole doglegs from right to left with a bunker guarding the left side of the dogleg. The approach plays slightly uphill to a medium-sized green with bunkers guarding the front. Aside from a couple of very small bumps, the green is flat so two good shots will leave you a solid birdie opportunity.
The easiest way to guarantee a spot when you are walking on is to get there the day prior to when you plan to play. There is a line of parking spaces numbered 1-100 that you park in if you want to walk on, and right in front of the first one is a sign detailing all of the rules of lining up to walk on. A Bethpage official comes around at about 6:45 and hands out one wristband each to every car lined up and not every member of your group needs to be present for this step. While your car must remain in the parking spot overnight, you do not. So if you are going with more than one person it is advised that you bring two cars so that after you get a wristband, you can head to a local hotel to get some sleep. The next day between 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning, another Bethpage official comes out and each car exchanges their wristband for bakery tickets- one for each member of your group. At this time, all of your group members must be present. After getting your ticket, you head to the clubhouse and exchange your ticket for a tee time. Once you have done that, you are free to leave and do whatever you want because you will still have at least a couple of hours until your tee time.
When it comes time for you to finally tee off, you must report to the starter’s shed 20 minutes before your tee time, or you risk forfeiting your spot. Upon arrival at the starter’s shed, you will see a beautiful practice putting green so you can roll some putts to prepare for your round. When it is time for your round to begin, you are greeted by a very straightforward and iconic warning sign as you head down the stairs to the first tee.
The first hole is a beautiful staring par 4 that doglegs left to right with trees guarding the right side of the dogleg and plenty of open space down the left. You hit your approach into a deep, narrow green with bunkers guarding the left and right. The green slopes back to front, so if you leave the ball below the hole you will be rewarded with a relatively straight uphill putt.
The second hole is one of the shorter par 4s on the course, but it is also one of the tightest. The fairway both curves and slopes down from right to left, and overhanging trees on the left mean you will have to move your tee ball from right to left if you want to hit a longer club. After finding the fairway, you will likely end up with a sloped lie for your uphill approach shot. Make sure to take enough club to get up the hill as there is both nasty rough and bunkers guarding the front of the green. Once you have found the green, you will be delighted to see that it is one of the flattest on the course and you should have a straight, flat putt.
The easiest hole on the course, the third is a par 3 that has a raised, shallow green with bunkers guarding the front of it. The green is flat and moves away from you as you go to the left, so a front pin will have much less danger to avoid than a back pin. While making sure to get the ball over the bunkers, you will also be penalized for going long as it slopes sharply downward, leaving you a blind, uphill pitch back onto the green.
As you walk off the third green you will be greeted by your first par 5 as well as the prettiest golf hole I have ever played. The fourth fairway moves from right to left with a bunker sticking out. You will have to decide how far left over the bunker you can drive it because the carry required gets larger the further left you go. Once in the fairway, you will hit your second up the hill over a long bunker into the second fairway. Only the longest hitters out there will be able to reach this hole in two as even a great drive will leave you with 200+ yards uphill to carry over a bunker. After you hit your second shot, you will be left with a wedge into the green up the hill and over a bunker. The further you hit your second shot, the less of the bunker there is to carry to get to the green as the second fairway goes back to the right with the green straight ahead from the end of the first fairway. The green is shallow and flat with bunkers short, but if you go long it dips down slightly into a fairway-cut collection area.
The fifth is another hole where the fairway moves, this time to the right as it goes away from you with trees down the right side. The large bunker short of the fairway means the more carry distance you can get, the closer you will be for your approach. The approach is a blind, uphill shot with bunkers both short and long and overhanging trees guarding the left side of another very flat green.
The sixth gives you a slightly uphill landing area for your drive with bunkers both left and right. The hole doglegs from right to left so longer hitters can attempt to carry the bunker down the left, leaving a short approach in. The second shot goes way downhill to a round green guarded almost entirely by bunkers. Other than small areas directly in front and directly behind the green, a miss here will land you in the bunker. Hit the green though, and you will be rewarded with a straight, flat putt from almost anywhere on the putting surface.
The par 5 seventh hole has a drive much like the fifth— the further you can carry it over the bunker, the closer you will be to the green. The hole moves left to right and after your tee shot, the second will be straight to the green with trees on both sides. With a good drive, this hole is reachable, but if not a long iron for your second will leave a short wedge shot in. The green has bunkers in front on both the left and right sides, but otherwise does not have too much trouble around it. A small ridge in the front of the green is the only slope on it, but it means that you will have to be careful of going over a front pin as the ridge slopes from back to front.
The eighth is a par 3 that plays downhill and over a small pond. A mid to long iron should safely clear the water, but a bunker to the left and a large tree to the right of this large, deep green can also pose problems for a wayward tee ball. The green slopes from back to front, so leaving the ball below the hole will give you the best chance to make a putt.
Finishing out the front 9, the ninth hole doglegs from right to left with a bunker guarding the left side of the dogleg. The approach plays slightly uphill to a medium-sized green with bunkers guarding the front. Aside from a couple of very small bumps, the green is flat so two good shots will leave you a solid birdie opportunity.
