What a relief! A post about something other than gloom and doom economics. Yesterday I played Bethpage Black - the site of this year's (2009) US Open. It is exactly one month from the Open and they will be closing the course in two weeks to finalize preparation, so this was as close as I ever expect to get to playing a US Open course.
Before I get to the description, let me tell you about its history and difficulty in getting on. The course is part of a 5 course park complex in central Long Island that was built in the Depression, and it is still the largest governement owned golf complex in the country. The stated designer is A.W. Tillinghast, one of the pantheon of legendary golf course designers, but there seems to be some dispute as to who actually did the work. It was Tillinghast's last project and he died while it was being completed. The Black course is very difficult to get on because it is a public course with a very meritocracy-based rigor to the system. Basically, getting a tee-time is like winning the lottery. The course was always well known in NY circles prior to it being selected by the USGA for the 2002 US Open (it was the first "muni" to host a US Open), but that award really put it back on the map. I remember hearing that over the years the condition of the course had devolved to the point near the end of the century it was in the condition of many Muni's. Sometime near the end of the century, the park hired a well-regarded greenskeeper from the Garden City Golf Club, and he restored the condition to its peak.
Anyway, I received a phone call the afternoon before from a client, asking if I would like to play. It goes without saying that if one is trying to get through a bucket list of golf courses, you grab every chance you can, since you never know if or when you will have another opportunity. I had other plans for Friday, but nothing that couldn't get rescheduled, especially when they heard what jumped their place in line.
I have played a decent number of Top 50 golf courses in my life, and hope to play more. My zeal for completing the list has somewhat shrunk since I don't play golf as much as I used to, or really love it as much as I used to. I think that has to do with not being able to play with friends as much as I would like, and with clients instead. I think the list includes: PebbleBeach, Olympic, The Country Club, Inverness, Scioto, Muirfield, Oak Hill, Crooked Stick, Laurel Valley, Torrey Pines, Sawgrass, Pinehurst, and now Bethpage. I have also walked/seen during tournaments, Medinah, Shinnecock & Augusta. I can get on to Fishers Island Golf Course and Oakland HIlls, as I have been to the clubs, but haven't played. Actually, now looking at the list, I need to get back to completeing it. I thought I was going to play Cypress last year, but our connection was past due on his dues. At least five are accessible as resorts - Bandon & Pacific Dunes, Shadow Creek, Kiawah and Whistling Straights. A couple seem really in accessable - SF Golf Course, Sand Hills, and Seminole. Anyway, we'll see how many I get to.
Bethpage is walking only. You can use a caddy or a pull cart if you like. We chose the pull carts. We chose wisely. I generally prefer walking over riding because I like the exercise and I think people pay better if they handle their own ball, and aren't driving all over the course looking for their partner's ball. Walking BB is tough, and by the time I got to #10 I was definitely re-thinking my theory. BB is very hilly (and you thought Long Island was flat), very long and a fair distance between holes. We played from the Blue's, which was sort of comical for four guys that didn't break 100, but never underestimate the power of pride. What makes the course challenging besides the length, is the terrain, the traps, the long tee shot carries, the layout (very serpentine, at times) and THE ROUGH.
The rough really sets this course apart. Like many Open courses, this one is really about staying in the fairway. Missing the fairway by even a few feet means you may be hiking back to the tee to hit your provisional. I think I lost about 5 balls, so that was 10 strokes right there. Again, the key is leaving your pride and ego in the clubhouse. I pared 3 holes but had snowmen on at least that many. I didnt hear what my total score was (the round lasted about 5+ hours so everyone was in a hurry to leave at the end, but I had a 52 for the first 9 , so I assume it was at least that for the back nine). The track was exhausting. By the end of the first nine I commented that I felt like I was at mile 18 in a marathon. There was no more fun from here on in, just trying to finish.
Anyway the course is beautiful, tough, long and unbeliveably challenging. I feel lucky to have played it and look forward to watching the US Open in a few weeks
