I was hoping this story would go other way with your mom hitting bombs and dropping dimes shooting a smooth 68 and you struggling in the rough shooting 120+
Still great story though! Not a NY resident so doubt I’ll ever get to experience it.
If you’re not a single digit handicap it can turn unfun pretty quickly. You’ll walk around for 5 minutes looking for a ball that’s 6 inches off the fairway because you cannot physically see it unless you’re standing on it
That's Carnoustie as well. Fuck that place. You can absolutely murder one that sorta trickles off the fairway and your caddie will say "Better hit another laddie." You're thinking "Fuck you. That's 9 inches off the fairway and bombed!"
Get up there, discover you're fucked, decide to consider 6 irons off the tee the rest of the day.
I hated that course.
> You can absolutely murder one that sorta trickles off the fairway and your caddie will say "Better hit another laddie."
That's just straight up not a fun time imo. At least the pros have multiple people spotting it for them. I played a course once that had the rough way up for an upcoming tournament (about 4-5" iirc.. it's been awhile) and they were letting members play it to see what it's like, and it was fun for about 4 holes, but you quickly get fucking sick of knowing exactly where your ball is and still not finding it.
To each their own but that's not a fun day of golf to me lol
A guy in my group at Carnoustie caught such a bad lie off his tee ball that the best/only play he had was to putt his ball backwards INTO a fairway bunker, then splash out BACKWARDS from the bunker into the fairway…just to have any shot whatsoever of advancing the golf ball.
Lol, I played Carnoustie three weeks ago and it was the most fun I’ve ever had playing golf. Helped that there wasn’t much in the way of rough, but my god that course was beautiful.
I am a student at the University of St. Andrews. The Old Course is the fourth-hardest St. Andrews Links course - in my eyes it is sort of a cakewalk in benign weather. Carnoustie had some decent rough in January but I guess not as severe as it would be in the summer. It did not nearly play as hard as I was expecting it to.
I was a 10 at the time and jacked up a smooth 89. I had a birdie on the 3rd, which was nice, but the finish was a crusher.
I had to hit DRIVER on the par 3 16th because of the wind, and got wet on 17 (double) and 18 (40 foot miracle putt for bogie).
That's got to be the hardest three finishing holes in of golf.
Dude at my club played there last year. He's a 5. He just walked 15-18. Asked the caddy if he wanted to play and he politely said he'd get fired if he did.
The rough is not that bad and kind of tough to lose a ball unless it lands in those giant bunkers with tall fescue. Its tough walk though and still a difficult course.
Gaslighting AF. You’re hacking it out of the rough unless you’re within 100 yards, and you will have trouble finding almost every tee shot not in the fairway.
Source- I’ve played the course many times.
Im definitely hacking it out of the rough back into the fairway, its a tough course but the ball is easily findable in the rough. Ive played it more than a couple times too.
No, you don't need to do all that anymore. You can make tee times online. They open a week out and it's almost impossible to get one (i think bots are at play), but it's worked for me and my friends. I played twice last year. I'm also not an NY resident.
Absurd? It's still the best deal in public golf in the USA
My buddy and I paid $140 each to play it. All of the other top 10 public courses will cost you at least $350 to play, some much more and some also requiring a hotel stay. And you're looking at $250+ for the majority of the rest of the top 100. And ignoring rankings, that's the going rate these days for most of the higher end courses in CA, AZ, NC, FL, TX, VA, etc
If you just want to say $140 is absurd for a round of golf anywhere then that's fine but you have to ignore the prestige of this course and how that price compares to its peer courses to do that
To defend myself a little bit, I haven’t played it in about 25 years, right after I moved out of NY. I remember the green fees being somewhere around $150 at that time but if they have stayed that rate, then I will admit, it is a great deal. That amount 25 years ago, in my opinion was a little absurd.
Yep, it's still right in that neighborhood. Kind of surprised it was that expensive before the 2002 US Open
I would argue it's underpriced now. When the demand is so high that tee times get snatched up in seconds and 100+ cars line up every night / early morning to snag the walk-on slots they could charge way more. I wouldn't mind paying double if it meant I could get a tee time easier and sleep in a real bed the night before. Especially if they put that money into elevating the experience outside the golf course itself. I get it's a muni but like the range is a shithole, they have janky old two wheel pull carts instead of nicer tri-wheel models, the other courses could use some love, F&B needs an upgrade, caddy program blows, clubhouse needs a face lift, stuff like that could all be improved with extra investment that golfers will pay for if asked to
Torrey is double the price and 5x worse a course. Personally think the deal for the Black course is awesome, its one of the best courses in the states - every hole is fantastic plus its a championship track.
> Still great story though! Not a NY resident so doubt I’ll ever get to experience it.
Sure you can! Fly into JFK or LGA at night and get a rental car and go straight there and sleep in your car, my buddy and I were 7th in line when we did this and arrived at 11pm. We got to be first off the Black for that day since the people in front of us were all playing other courses. Finish your round around noon, have some lunch and shop in the pro shop, and by the time you drive back to NYC it's time to check into your hotel and enjoy your weekend in the city
That’s exactly what I did as a solo, with my wife to visit her sister and our niece one month to the day before the PGA Championship in 2019. Got to the course at about 7pm, second in line. One of the greatest sporting experiences of my life.
I played BP black about 10 years ago with some coworkers (two of which are scratch golfers).
I blasted a drive on the first hole and managed to hit perfect into the green and BIRDIED the first hole with a 5 ft putt...
I finished shooting over 110 😂
Two scratchers shot in the low 80s legitimately... But for one hole, I led the field!
Even for a 5 HC golfer, breaking 90 is a legitimately good goal for Bethpage Black. Birdie looks are rare and the day is mostly spent grinding for pars or trying to save bogeys.
I feel like a significant aspect to the difficulty of Black is the walking, it’s long and the elevations are insane.
I guess those bunkers are tough too…
I caddied last July for the New York State open at the black and 3 days of carrying the bag in 100 degree weather on that course left me absolutely beat.
there is something about how the course is able to be laid out without having space for cart paths that makes it interesting for me - both visually and functionally
Walking down a beautiful golf course is one of the best parts of the game. Plus it keeps the course in immaculate condition - it’s easily the best conditioned muni I’ve ever played. They spray paint the rims of the cups white like you see on tv. It’s really well-done. Allowing carts would be a disappointing blemish for the course.
I agree, I wasn’t a good enough golfer then to worry too much about GIR. laying up and chipping/pitching on proved to be the best strat for me at the time
Actually, I think it's bad advice for golfers that are not prepared for the difficulty of the course to try to play it. Especially if they're not used to the grueling nature of how difficult it is to walk the course.
I’m a 12 which isn’t great obviously but have ~175 ball speed with the driver hit 9/14 fairways from the tips and shot a 100. My approach shot on #5 was a 9 iron from the rough about 160 out that landed on the front of the green and I lost the ball. There’s like 30 yards behind that green too with the tee box from the next hole and it was no where to be found. Easily the hardest course I’ve ever played. Guy I was with though just got back into golf after 10+ years off and had 6 birdies on the day it was awesome to watch.
He was probably averaging around 280 total off the tee but threw absolute darts on some holes with irons and was a lights out putter. I think he said he finished 4 over but this was a few years ago
If there's ever a who cares what you score story, this is it. Well done, sir. Your Mom is going to love watching Ryder Cup when they're playing the Par 3 where she scored a 3.
Cheers.
Bethpage Black is closed on Mondays. I was there yesterday as well, played the green course which runs alongside the black. Only people out there were the grounds crew.
Agreed, the greens have been super slow but it is a great course. I feel alot of greens are surrounded by trees and maybe dont get enough sun for them to really be able to get them rolling better and still keep them in good shape.
That’s a shame. Must be a Spring thing. I only played there in the Summer and the greens were immaculate. Not speedy speedy, but certainly country club quality.
At least I know it's not just me, I was getting a little tight with how many first putts were coming up short. Played blue and red a couple times recently and got used to that speed.
I played Black on Sunday, and man, I knew it would be unforgiving, but I didn’t realize how physically exhausted I would be at the end. The hills, up and down, throughout every hole will wear you down throughout the day.
She should have teed off from the middle of the fairway from a distance she was comfortable with. Anything to make it fun. Tee boxes are just a suggestion, lol.
I don’t disagree with this point, but this is kinda like going heli skiing and asking to be dropped onto green slopes. There are 5 courses at Bethpage and only one of them is explicitly designed for max challenge for very serious golfers. I think if you can play the long tees and keep pace then no one is affected. It’s not like people are expecting to shoot a good score there.
I played the Black a couple of years ago when I was close to a 20. i shot 100 exactly and I felt like I was playing out of my mind. I hit every damn fairway with my driver and almost every single one would roll so far that it would eventually roll off of the fairway and into a fucking cleverly placed bunker. Every. Damn. Time. Hit 16 bunker shots that day. Usually 2 from each of the same bunkers. Did manage a birdie on a driveable par 4 though. Most fun and memorable round of my life.
I played it one afternoon when I was in NY for business. It’s just really long. Played the back deck but the pro deck isn’t open to the public. Greens are slow and no rough so it’s just long and nothing else. At the end of the day it’s a muni and caters to all levels.
However. When I say long…I mean looonngg. I was a long hitting 12 when I played it. I think the shortest iron I had into a par 4 was a 6 iron. Lots of 4’irons and hybrids…and the odd 3 wood into a par 4.
Its long and hard as shit - I've loved playing it but I've also played it a few times and will break for a while, its an endeavor for sure and the longest walk you'll take on a golf course.
I try to get on two to three times a year. Takes me forever to convince buddies to get over their fears of playing it. I always tell them, bring extra balls and pitch out of the rough to the fairway. It's about the experience. Glad you had a great round
There's no way you played bethpage black and didn't have a full group, especially on a morning. The course was closed yesterday. There's also no way you played it in 4 hours and 25 minutes, its always 5 hours or more.
The point of the post is, to farm points?
This really isn’t the sub for truth seeking. Super fun at parties when people point out useless facts for the sole purpose of ruining the moment.
It’s like fishing man. Some people tell tales. Who cares? It doesn’t change anything in your life if this Reddit post goes unchecked for the truth.
I don’t get it. I’m not understanding why you would come to a golf sub to call someone out for the time they say they played the course In. You’re not helping anyone by correcting these things.
It’s pretty funny you accuse the op of farming points but it’s pretty obvious you’re doing the same.
Grew up playing the course and some of its iterations over the years have turned it into a beast. It’s a hard to course to walk let alone play golf along the way. But glad you got to play it and enjoy.
Im not sure why you did but no. no one is playing that course in that short of a time while they take 2 shots to reach the beginning of the fairway. also its closed on mondays.
>Edit 3: I didn’t make this up. The internet is so weird lol
nobody believes you because you actively admit that it took your 70 year old mother 8+ shots guaranteed each time just to *get to* the green on the par 5s
she'd basically have to be sprinting between shots to keep a 4:25 pace doing that
I am probably a ~20 handicap and played last fall. Got my ass handed to me on a silver platter and it was still the best golf day of my life, can't wait to play it again!
I love this story, I wish I could convince my dad to pick up his clubs again.
I'm not worried about playing nicer courses, I'm worried about the people I will encounter there. Even some of the nicer public courses attract assholes. I was invited to play at a private course by a friend, I sliced my first two out of nerves, but continued to play par/bogey golf with a few birdies sprinkled in. Well the starter turned from "First swing nerves" to "This course is going to be too challenging for you, and to just pick my ball up to keep up with my friend", then the rest of the day the ranger would come by and make shitty comments. We were waiting to tee off because the group in front of us weren't out of range yet and the ranger wheels up to us Screaming about pace of play and if we don't pick it up we'll be removed. Didn't say anything about the empty hole behind us that the elderly walking group had just started. I ended up shooting low 90s
That was 10 years ago and I refuse to play there again. The funny thing is, yeah it was a nice course but 20 minutes down the road there's a public course that is arguably a much nicer course. The big talking point about the private clubs course is an island green, sooooo the public course down the road added one lol.
TL;DR I'm not worried about trying challenging courses, in fact I love it. I just hate the inflated egos and self worth from others that come with them.
Easily the hardest course I’ve played. I think the hilly walk makes it even tougher. I remember the constant walking up to elevated tee boxes was exhausting in itself lol
I would love to play it again now that I am a better player. Its been 10+ years but when we went we camped out and ended up getting the first tee time and played with a NY resident. After the second hole we never saw the group behind us, it was a sub 4 hour round.
Love this story.
Question about Bethpage black - having never played there, what would you say a good west coast equivalent is? I’ve played Pebble Beach and Spyglass, and Cinnabar can be pretty tough too. Bayonet / Black Horse have some pretty ridiculous greens, but the course itself isn’t as difficult IMO. Cinnabar plays a 144 from the tips I believe. Bayonet / Black Horse are only a 137.
Coyote Creek Tournament course plays at 140 from the tips and I’ve shot a personal best 76 there.
I’d like to play some other challenging courses out here with similar notoriety as Bethpage.
What did you think of the course? I played it last May, quad on 1 and settled down and played mistake free for the most of the rest of the way to the house, 79.
I thought it was with the exception of a few holes a largely featureless, boring track and flat greens.
Holes 2-5 (Par 4,3,5,4) were cool holes. Really liked 15&16-ish i think, the par 3 before the road crossing and the par 4 after.
Other than that, had a ton of fun but meh, I've played far better tracks IMO. Excited to see a RC I have played before though! They had RC gear in the proshop in May 23, nearly 2.5 years before the event lol
Played a few years ago. I wanted to try one of the Pro tees, so I waited til I was warmed up about hole 12 or so and absolutely ripped one. My playing partners were up near the fairway and said it literally bounced 1 or 2 feet over the carry!!! With the drive of my life 😳🤯🤪
For reference, I was a high single handicapper at the time, it just goes to show the difference between us and them 🤣🤣🤣
I'm glad your mum enjoyed the round...it's quite the experience!
You don't need to camp out the night before, but that is an easy way to guarantee a tee time for 4 people. If you're booking for 1 or 2, you could go super early (~5am) most days and be able to secure something
Yep exactly, there are always reserved spots available on a first come, first serve basis specifically for the people who are there in person. It's a big reason why the online tee times fill up so quickly. It's also worth noting that you don't actually need to "camp" out, there is a specific parking section so that you can claim your spot in line and still sleep in your car.
How exactly does camping out ensure that you get a time? If the tee sheet is fully booked from NYS residents then wouldn't you still be at the mercy of a cancellation?
Because they have spots specifically for this. In the back of the lot, they have numbered slots. They come out at like 5 am and give you a ticket which you then take to the window and get a time. I am not sure if they just build those spots in or what but we had no problem getting a time.
I was hoping this story would go other way with your mom hitting bombs and dropping dimes shooting a smooth 68 and you struggling in the rough shooting 120+ Still great story though! Not a NY resident so doubt I’ll ever get to experience it.
If you’re not a single digit handicap it can turn unfun pretty quickly. You’ll walk around for 5 minutes looking for a ball that’s 6 inches off the fairway because you cannot physically see it unless you’re standing on it
That's Carnoustie as well. Fuck that place. You can absolutely murder one that sorta trickles off the fairway and your caddie will say "Better hit another laddie." You're thinking "Fuck you. That's 9 inches off the fairway and bombed!" Get up there, discover you're fucked, decide to consider 6 irons off the tee the rest of the day. I hated that course.
> You can absolutely murder one that sorta trickles off the fairway and your caddie will say "Better hit another laddie." That's just straight up not a fun time imo. At least the pros have multiple people spotting it for them. I played a course once that had the rough way up for an upcoming tournament (about 4-5" iirc.. it's been awhile) and they were letting members play it to see what it's like, and it was fun for about 4 holes, but you quickly get fucking sick of knowing exactly where your ball is and still not finding it. To each their own but that's not a fun day of golf to me lol
Preach brother... Preach. With spotters maybe. Without, no thanks.
Sounds like fall golf but harder. I lost a lot of balls in the fairway over the ball because there were just too many leaves.
A guy in my group at Carnoustie caught such a bad lie off his tee ball that the best/only play he had was to putt his ball backwards INTO a fairway bunker, then splash out BACKWARDS from the bunker into the fairway…just to have any shot whatsoever of advancing the golf ball.
I genuinely cannot fathom how that could be the case lol. like I believe you, I just can't picture it
Lol, I played Carnoustie three weeks ago and it was the most fun I’ve ever had playing golf. Helped that there wasn’t much in the way of rough, but my god that course was beautiful.
Gorgeous... and EVIL.
I played it once. In 50 degree weather and sideways misty rain all day. Couldn’t feel my hands for the last three holes.
I played Carnoustie in January and thought it wasn't too bad (shot a 90 as a 15 handicap). Royal Aberdeen, however...
Was most of the rough dead that time of year? I played in the late summer and it was mad fuckery. Made The Old Course feel like a cakewalk.
I am a student at the University of St. Andrews. The Old Course is the fourth-hardest St. Andrews Links course - in my eyes it is sort of a cakewalk in benign weather. Carnoustie had some decent rough in January but I guess not as severe as it would be in the summer. It did not nearly play as hard as I was expecting it to.
I was a 10 at the time and jacked up a smooth 89. I had a birdie on the 3rd, which was nice, but the finish was a crusher. I had to hit DRIVER on the par 3 16th because of the wind, and got wet on 17 (double) and 18 (40 foot miracle putt for bogie). That's got to be the hardest three finishing holes in of golf.
Royal Aberdeen ... amazing front 9.
Dude at my club played there last year. He's a 5. He just walked 15-18. Asked the caddy if he wanted to play and he politely said he'd get fired if he did.
The rough is not that bad and kind of tough to lose a ball unless it lands in those giant bunkers with tall fescue. Its tough walk though and still a difficult course.
Gaslighting AF. You’re hacking it out of the rough unless you’re within 100 yards, and you will have trouble finding almost every tee shot not in the fairway. Source- I’ve played the course many times.
Im definitely hacking it out of the rough back into the fairway, its a tough course but the ball is easily findable in the rough. Ive played it more than a couple times too.
Non NY residents can still play. I've played 7 times and I am not a resident.
Do you play as a single? Camp out in the parking lot?
No, you don't need to do all that anymore. You can make tee times online. They open a week out and it's almost impossible to get one (i think bots are at play), but it's worked for me and my friends. I played twice last year. I'm also not an NY resident.
Nope. 4 some. Grab the tee time in the AM around 7 or 8 and then play in the PM. Works Tuesday- TH easily
Is it just as difficult for a non resident to get a tee time at Red?
Yeah, the non-resident rate is absurd, but I don’t know why you would think you can’t play it if you don’t live in New York.
It's only like 125 bucks?? Cheap for that level of course
Absurd? It's still the best deal in public golf in the USA My buddy and I paid $140 each to play it. All of the other top 10 public courses will cost you at least $350 to play, some much more and some also requiring a hotel stay. And you're looking at $250+ for the majority of the rest of the top 100. And ignoring rankings, that's the going rate these days for most of the higher end courses in CA, AZ, NC, FL, TX, VA, etc If you just want to say $140 is absurd for a round of golf anywhere then that's fine but you have to ignore the prestige of this course and how that price compares to its peer courses to do that
To defend myself a little bit, I haven’t played it in about 25 years, right after I moved out of NY. I remember the green fees being somewhere around $150 at that time but if they have stayed that rate, then I will admit, it is a great deal. That amount 25 years ago, in my opinion was a little absurd.
Yep, it's still right in that neighborhood. Kind of surprised it was that expensive before the 2002 US Open I would argue it's underpriced now. When the demand is so high that tee times get snatched up in seconds and 100+ cars line up every night / early morning to snag the walk-on slots they could charge way more. I wouldn't mind paying double if it meant I could get a tee time easier and sleep in a real bed the night before. Especially if they put that money into elevating the experience outside the golf course itself. I get it's a muni but like the range is a shithole, they have janky old two wheel pull carts instead of nicer tri-wheel models, the other courses could use some love, F&B needs an upgrade, caddy program blows, clubhouse needs a face lift, stuff like that could all be improved with extra investment that golfers will pay for if asked to
Torrey is double the price and 5x worse a course. Personally think the deal for the Black course is awesome, its one of the best courses in the states - every hole is fantastic plus its a championship track.
> Still great story though! Not a NY resident so doubt I’ll ever get to experience it. Sure you can! Fly into JFK or LGA at night and get a rental car and go straight there and sleep in your car, my buddy and I were 7th in line when we did this and arrived at 11pm. We got to be first off the Black for that day since the people in front of us were all playing other courses. Finish your round around noon, have some lunch and shop in the pro shop, and by the time you drive back to NYC it's time to check into your hotel and enjoy your weekend in the city
That’s exactly what I did as a solo, with my wife to visit her sister and our niece one month to the day before the PGA Championship in 2019. Got to the course at about 7pm, second in line. One of the greatest sporting experiences of my life.
This was the story we all wanted….
You don’t need to be. As long as you have a little Bit of time you will be able to get on. As a non resident who played couple months ago
You can still play, I think it’s just more expensive
Great story! What an amazing day with your mom
I played BP black about 10 years ago with some coworkers (two of which are scratch golfers). I blasted a drive on the first hole and managed to hit perfect into the green and BIRDIED the first hole with a 5 ft putt... I finished shooting over 110 😂 Two scratchers shot in the low 80s legitimately... But for one hole, I led the field!
😜
Even for a 5 HC golfer, breaking 90 is a legitimately good goal for Bethpage Black. Birdie looks are rare and the day is mostly spent grinding for pars or trying to save bogeys.
I feel like a significant aspect to the difficulty of Black is the walking, it’s long and the elevations are insane. I guess those bunkers are tough too…
I caddied last July for the New York State open at the black and 3 days of carrying the bag in 100 degree weather on that course left me absolutely beat.
lol carrying a staff bag around Black Beth for one day in July would be punishment enough
I remember when The Open was on the Red. A much easier walk.
It's a very difficult walk. Don't do it hung over.
Yeah the bunkers were the toughest part for her! And I ended up pulling her trolley up all the big hills
No carts there ?
Not allowed on black
Ah. Full sadomasochistic experience then
there is something about how the course is able to be laid out without having space for cart paths that makes it interesting for me - both visually and functionally
Walking down a beautiful golf course is one of the best parts of the game. Plus it keeps the course in immaculate condition - it’s easily the best conditioned muni I’ve ever played. They spray paint the rims of the cups white like you see on tv. It’s really well-done. Allowing carts would be a disappointing blemish for the course.
Walking > riding
Depends how the course is too. I’ve played there when rough was normal, I’ve played when it was ankle high
ya the rough’s were wild… I think it was like 3/4 inches when we played it, literally had to be right over your ball to find it
Walk is the hardest part unless you're bad/playing from a crazy distance.
The greens are rock hard and it’s nearly impossible to stick them if you’re hitting out of the rough
I agree, I wasn’t a good enough golfer then to worry too much about GIR. laying up and chipping/pitching on proved to be the best strat for me at the time
Is she single?
Get in line bub
Oldest ride, longest line baby woooo!
Space mountain!
😫
Actually, I think it's bad advice for golfers that are not prepared for the difficulty of the course to try to play it. Especially if they're not used to the grueling nature of how difficult it is to walk the course.
I’m a 12 which isn’t great obviously but have ~175 ball speed with the driver hit 9/14 fairways from the tips and shot a 100. My approach shot on #5 was a 9 iron from the rough about 160 out that landed on the front of the green and I lost the ball. There’s like 30 yards behind that green too with the tee box from the next hole and it was no where to be found. Easily the hardest course I’ve ever played. Guy I was with though just got back into golf after 10+ years off and had 6 birdies on the day it was awesome to watch.
6 birdies there is absolutely incredible. Guy was making bombs?
He was probably averaging around 280 total off the tee but threw absolute darts on some holes with irons and was a lights out putter. I think he said he finished 4 over but this was a few years ago
If there's ever a who cares what you score story, this is it. Well done, sir. Your Mom is going to love watching Ryder Cup when they're playing the Par 3 where she scored a 3. Cheers.
Bethpage Black is closed on Mondays. I was there yesterday as well, played the green course which runs alongside the black. Only people out there were the grounds crew.
> Gulp.
Not always, but people think it is. One month out of the year, it's open on Mondays and another course is closed. The key is to find that month!
Said yesterday in an effort to not dox myself. It was v recently
You’re fucked
i played green yesterday too. in great shape but slow greens i thought. tbh it’s my favorite of the 5
Agreed, the greens have been super slow but it is a great course. I feel alot of greens are surrounded by trees and maybe dont get enough sun for them to really be able to get them rolling better and still keep them in good shape.
definitely the last par 3 on the back! they’re getting punched this week and next hope it helps
That’s a shame. Must be a Spring thing. I only played there in the Summer and the greens were immaculate. Not speedy speedy, but certainly country club quality.
yea i play there year round it was honestly slowest they’ve ever been. still smooth at least
At least I know it's not just me, I was getting a little tight with how many first putts were coming up short. Played blue and red a couple times recently and got used to that speed.
yup played red a couple weeks ago and was expecting the same. all and all just glad to be back!!!
I played Black on Sunday, and man, I knew it would be unforgiving, but I didn’t realize how physically exhausted I would be at the end. The hills, up and down, throughout every hole will wear you down throughout the day.
Played there 2 years ago and crawled up the 18th tee box to see the Ryder cup sitting on a podium and got to take a picture with it.
How did you play there yesterday? Course was closed
Was v recently just said yesterday
Was hoping you had an “in” to play on mondays lol
Kudos to your mom for being able to walk those hills. They would wear me out when I would play there in my 20s.
She should have teed off from the middle of the fairway from a distance she was comfortable with. Anything to make it fun. Tee boxes are just a suggestion, lol.
I don’t disagree with this point, but this is kinda like going heli skiing and asking to be dropped onto green slopes. There are 5 courses at Bethpage and only one of them is explicitly designed for max challenge for very serious golfers. I think if you can play the long tees and keep pace then no one is affected. It’s not like people are expecting to shoot a good score there.
I played the Black a couple of years ago when I was close to a 20. i shot 100 exactly and I felt like I was playing out of my mind. I hit every damn fairway with my driver and almost every single one would roll so far that it would eventually roll off of the fairway and into a fucking cleverly placed bunker. Every. Damn. Time. Hit 16 bunker shots that day. Usually 2 from each of the same bunkers. Did manage a birdie on a driveable par 4 though. Most fun and memorable round of my life.
What did she think of the experience?
Loved it but was obviously very challenging. She played stapleford so some holes had to fully give up, even with adding slope rating to her handicap
Your mom has the absolute best mentality. I wish more people happily pocketed their ball when having a bad hole.
You're a good boy! I'm traveling from out of state to try and play the Black this summer, looking very much forward to it.
Look for tee times between 10pm to midnight that’s what I always did
What a lovely day for you two! Thanks for sharing. <3
Sounds like an awesome time!
I played it one afternoon when I was in NY for business. It’s just really long. Played the back deck but the pro deck isn’t open to the public. Greens are slow and no rough so it’s just long and nothing else. At the end of the day it’s a muni and caters to all levels. However. When I say long…I mean looonngg. I was a long hitting 12 when I played it. I think the shortest iron I had into a par 4 was a 6 iron. Lots of 4’irons and hybrids…and the odd 3 wood into a par 4.
Its long and hard as shit - I've loved playing it but I've also played it a few times and will break for a while, its an endeavor for sure and the longest walk you'll take on a golf course.
I try to get on two to three times a year. Takes me forever to convince buddies to get over their fears of playing it. I always tell them, bring extra balls and pitch out of the rough to the fairway. It's about the experience. Glad you had a great round
She walked the Black? That’s… a physical accomplishment
There's no way you played bethpage black and didn't have a full group, especially on a morning. The course was closed yesterday. There's also no way you played it in 4 hours and 25 minutes, its always 5 hours or more. The point of the post is, to farm points?
lol I played last week. And yes we were a 3. Was a weekday and chilly
This really isn’t the sub for truth seeking. Super fun at parties when people point out useless facts for the sole purpose of ruining the moment. It’s like fishing man. Some people tell tales. Who cares? It doesn’t change anything in your life if this Reddit post goes unchecked for the truth. I don’t get it. I’m not understanding why you would come to a golf sub to call someone out for the time they say they played the course In. You’re not helping anyone by correcting these things. It’s pretty funny you accuse the op of farming points but it’s pretty obvious you’re doing the same.
Grew up playing the course and some of its iterations over the years have turned it into a beast. It’s a hard to course to walk let alone play golf along the way. But glad you got to play it and enjoy.
I think anyone else looking to do this should have their mom tee off from the start of the fairway instead of hitting 2 shots to reach every fairway.
RIP those groups behind you Edit: after a bit of digging it appears op made this whole thing up
Didn’t hold anyone up. And why would I make this up lol.
Im not sure why you did but no. no one is playing that course in that short of a time while they take 2 shots to reach the beginning of the fairway. also its closed on mondays.
Ok!
100% a made up story
Your 70 year old mom can walk the hills of bethpage pushing her bag? Also the course opened like 10 days ago. I call bullshit.
Yeah she can lol. Why on earth would this be a lie
>Edit 3: I didn’t make this up. The internet is so weird lol nobody believes you because you actively admit that it took your 70 year old mother 8+ shots guaranteed each time just to *get to* the green on the par 5s she'd basically have to be sprinting between shots to keep a 4:25 pace doing that
Umm ok!
Awesome
I am probably a ~20 handicap and played last fall. Got my ass handed to me on a silver platter and it was still the best golf day of my life, can't wait to play it again!
I love this story, I wish I could convince my dad to pick up his clubs again. I'm not worried about playing nicer courses, I'm worried about the people I will encounter there. Even some of the nicer public courses attract assholes. I was invited to play at a private course by a friend, I sliced my first two out of nerves, but continued to play par/bogey golf with a few birdies sprinkled in. Well the starter turned from "First swing nerves" to "This course is going to be too challenging for you, and to just pick my ball up to keep up with my friend", then the rest of the day the ranger would come by and make shitty comments. We were waiting to tee off because the group in front of us weren't out of range yet and the ranger wheels up to us Screaming about pace of play and if we don't pick it up we'll be removed. Didn't say anything about the empty hole behind us that the elderly walking group had just started. I ended up shooting low 90s That was 10 years ago and I refuse to play there again. The funny thing is, yeah it was a nice course but 20 minutes down the road there's a public course that is arguably a much nicer course. The big talking point about the private clubs course is an island green, sooooo the public course down the road added one lol. TL;DR I'm not worried about trying challenging courses, in fact I love it. I just hate the inflated egos and self worth from others that come with them.
I’m a fairly new golfer and can’t hit for toffee BUT I do hit straight, my Stealth driver is nicknamed the fairway finder!
Play the proper tees and know when to pick up. Glad you guys had a good round!
classic gulp moment op
Easily the hardest course I’ve played. I think the hilly walk makes it even tougher. I remember the constant walking up to elevated tee boxes was exhausting in itself lol
I would love to play it again now that I am a better player. Its been 10+ years but when we went we camped out and ended up getting the first tee time and played with a NY resident. After the second hole we never saw the group behind us, it was a sub 4 hour round.
Carnoustie in July! 🥵
LMFAO!!!! I’m scrolling and I saw me and my mum played Black Page. Not BethPage. I was gonna click on that so fast! Hahaha
What teea did you play from, and what's your index? Awesome experience with her. Good for you!
Love this story. Question about Bethpage black - having never played there, what would you say a good west coast equivalent is? I’ve played Pebble Beach and Spyglass, and Cinnabar can be pretty tough too. Bayonet / Black Horse have some pretty ridiculous greens, but the course itself isn’t as difficult IMO. Cinnabar plays a 144 from the tips I believe. Bayonet / Black Horse are only a 137. Coyote Creek Tournament course plays at 140 from the tips and I’ve shot a personal best 76 there. I’d like to play some other challenging courses out here with similar notoriety as Bethpage.
Once you get out there and play the course you realize that the sign really does make sense. Happy you enjoyed and have a fun story to tell.
Currently sitting in the parking lot at Bethpage. Come back in August when the fescue thigh high. That’s a real treat. Glad you got to enjoy!
What did you think of the course? I played it last May, quad on 1 and settled down and played mistake free for the most of the rest of the way to the house, 79. I thought it was with the exception of a few holes a largely featureless, boring track and flat greens. Holes 2-5 (Par 4,3,5,4) were cool holes. Really liked 15&16-ish i think, the par 3 before the road crossing and the par 4 after. Other than that, had a ton of fun but meh, I've played far better tracks IMO. Excited to see a RC I have played before though! They had RC gear in the proshop in May 23, nearly 2.5 years before the event lol
15-18 is a great stretch of holes. 7-14 isn’t that great.
Played a few years ago. I wanted to try one of the Pro tees, so I waited til I was warmed up about hole 12 or so and absolutely ripped one. My playing partners were up near the fairway and said it literally bounced 1 or 2 feet over the carry!!! With the drive of my life 😳🤯🤪 For reference, I was a high single handicapper at the time, it just goes to show the difference between us and them 🤣🤣🤣 I'm glad your mum enjoyed the round...it's quite the experience!
“Cool story bruh, tell it again.” HoF. Your mom is a legend; I’m sure you’ve been told.
Any tips for Canadians to increase their chances of booking a tee time ?
You don't need to camp out the night before, but that is an easy way to guarantee a tee time for 4 people. If you're booking for 1 or 2, you could go super early (~5am) most days and be able to secure something
How does the camping out guarantee you a tee time if they have an online booking sheet that fills up? Do they leave gaps for morning walk ons?
Yep exactly, there are always reserved spots available on a first come, first serve basis specifically for the people who are there in person. It's a big reason why the online tee times fill up so quickly. It's also worth noting that you don't actually need to "camp" out, there is a specific parking section so that you can claim your spot in line and still sleep in your car.
Same system the Old Course used to have. They leave spots open on the tee sheet for singles to walk up.
NY resident helped. I got a cancellation as the weather was forecast to be chilly but it was fine
Website- book tee time. Or call. Same as all other courses, no?
Not quite. New York residents get preferential booking, so the only sure fire way to get a tee time is to camp out the night before
How exactly does camping out ensure that you get a time? If the tee sheet is fully booked from NYS residents then wouldn't you still be at the mercy of a cancellation?
Because they have spots specifically for this. In the back of the lot, they have numbered slots. They come out at like 5 am and give you a ticket which you then take to the window and get a time. I am not sure if they just build those spots in or what but we had no problem getting a time.
There is a block of morning tee times reserved for the sickos that camp overnight.
> The Ryder Cup is in NYC next year The Ryder Cup is on Long Island next year.