The Bethpage State Park is known for its five world-class golf courses, and none more so than the world-renowned Black Course, which has hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open. According to the State Park Web site, the Black Course "is a difficult and challenging course that should be played only by low-handicap golfers.'' Golf reviewers have taken that warning a step further, likening the Black Course to the golf world's equivalent of a triple-black-diamond ski run.
To put some numbers on it, the course plays to 7,366 yards from the Championship tees, with a USGA rating of 76.6 and a slope rating of 148, befitting a U.S. Open venue. From the Regulation tees, the par-71 course plays to 6,684 yards with a USGA rating of 73.1 and a slope rating of 140 on Rye grass.
The course is one of the last designed by master golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast in the 1930s, and is considered by many to be his finest work. The owners of the land originally asked Tillinghast to create something on the order of the man-sized Winged Foot with the challenge of Pine Valley. Tillinghast complied and routed the course over a sandy, rugged piece of land on Long island to create a layout that features wide fairways bordered by high rough, well-positioned bunkers, and small greens that contribute to the challenge.
The course, which was updated by Rees Jones in 1997-1998, is for walkers only, and has that added difficulty, thanks to its grand scale. From its length, to its bunkering, everything on this course has been described as "huge.'' Even golfers who stand six feet tall have been said to remark that they "feel small'' when standing in a fairway or a massive bunker.
Another distinctive feature of the course is its penalizing bunkering, which has been called "a thesis on how to bunker a course.'' The fairway bunkers offer good variety, and include the monstrous Glacier Bunker, which cuts across the fourth fairway. Other noteworthy bunkers are the diagonals on Holes No. 5 and 7, the massive bunker on Hole No. 12, and the cross bunker that creates an optical illusion 40 yards short of the 13th green. The greenside bunkers, in particular, are often large with steep slopes that can take a golf ball even farther from the green, making for some very difficult up-and-downs.
Some of the most noteworthy holes include No. 4, a par-5 that plays to 530 yards. The hole has been mentioned as being perhaps the finest three-shotter in the Northeast, and Tillinghast himself called it one of the "most exacting three-shotters I know of anywhere.'' Golf fans may recall that this hole halted Phil Mickelson's charge in the 2002 U.S. Open when he missed the green on the wrong side when going for it in two.
Even more daunting is Hole No. 15, which is considered the most difficult on the course and one of the most difficult two-shotters anywhere. Not only is it a long par-4, but the green is perched atop a hillock and is steeply sloped from back to front.
Practice facilities at Bethpage State Park include a driving range and practice greens. All courses utilize the same Clubhouse area, and amenities include a Golf Pro Shop, lockers and showers, a restaurant, lounge, and snack bar.
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