Unfortunately, the sport of golf has a stereotype of being quite exclusive and unwelcoming to people who simply can’t access resources to play the game. Historically, many private golf courses cost thousands of dollars to join, and could only be utilized by those who were extremely wealthy. However, recently, many towns and cities around the world have begun constructing high quality public courses. The increase in public courses around the world has led to higher rates of participation from people of all walks of life. Perhaps the most famous public courses in the entire country are the courses in Bethpage State Park in Bethpage, NY. I’ve personally had the honor to play the most famous course, the Black course, and although it is available to the public, the course is in immaculate condition. In addition to the Black Course, the park has four others: the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green courses. Today, I want to focus on the history and impact of the Black course at Bethpage State Park.
The Black course was designed and constructed in 1936 and is widely regarded as one of the toughest challenges in golf. The course’s most famous feature is a warning sign before the first tee that reads: “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” The course hosted the U.S. Open in both 2002 and 2009, the Barclays Championship in 2012 and 2016, and the PGA Championship in 2019. The craziest part about the course is despite its immense prestige, it’s available to the public to play! I distinctly remember driving to the course and seeing a sign that read: “The People’s Country Club.” But the publicity of the course does not make it easy to get on or play. The tee sheet opens every Sunday, and tee times for months in advance are booked in a matter of seconds. Additionally, every day, people spend the night in the parking lot in their cars in an attempt to be selected for the daily lottery every morning. But the wait is well worth it. Some say that this course is their favorite in the entire world.
The course favors those who can hit the ball long distances. Most holes have room to miss, but perhaps the most distinctive feature of the course is the rough. For those unfamiliar with this term, it is the tall grass that surrounds the fairway of a hole. On most courses, the rough is cut quite short and is able to be played out of. At Bethpage Black, the groundskeeping crew let the rough grow to sometimes 4-5 inches in length, which makes it very difficult to play out of. Additionally, the course features inclines and declines in slope, which makes estimating the yardages of shots very difficult. Sometimes, depending on the season, the winds can really affect the flight of the ball. Factoring in many variables in the shots, is something every golfer must master to excel on this course. Although the course is quite difficult, the views and beauty of the course are breathtaking. This one is a definite “bucket-list” course for all golfers!
Image Links:
https://golf.com/news/features/bethpage-black-sign-mysterious-history-iconic-warning-sign/
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/bethpage-state-park-black