Bethpage Black- 5/25/11

Recently decided to just go for it while I was on vacation. Even with only about 5 rounds so far this year split between FL in March and a couple of 9 hole rounds since. Called on 5/19 as a single and had no problem choosing a time (around 10am). I figured I'd pass on the caddie and use my pull cart as I don't remember it being THAT bad when I played there last about 20 yrs ago. The cool, damp so-called "Spring" we had certainly made the place pretty lush. Unfortunately that made the rough a bit like Brillo. Fairways were like hallways compared to the usual wide open spaces of most public courses. It also seemed to have affected the greens. They were mostly quick and true, but several seemed to be a bit fuzzy which made for a few bumpier putts. Not great when your trying to ease one close on a down-hiller- they might wander a bit. With the recent warmer weather and dryer conditions this was probably fixed for the most part. The other threesome used caddies and they offered to give any help to me if I asked, especially since there are few yardage markers out there. I did bring my phone with the GPS app, but I didn't bother with it since I don't really like to have it on my belt while playing and there was no convenient spot to attach to the cart. The caddies would offer the yardage and 'playing like yardage' to make club selection a bit easier. Started out on 1 with a nice striped drive to the corner in front of the midweek gallery of 20-25 people,so that made me feel pretty good. Played decent for the next few holes- took my lumps on 5 when I came up a yard short and fried egged into the face of the greenside bunker. right on line, though! Carded my first snowman in many years. About the 8th hole I started to feel that somehow this course got a LOT hillier that it used to be. I developed the dreaded pull hook that usually pops up when I'm tired or trying to steer the ball- I was doing both trying to avoid the brillo. Many holes turned into a drive, 5 or 7 wd out of the rough back into play, short iron approach and hopefully a putt for a par. (Fortunately my putting was en fuego and saved quite a few pars and bogeys) On those holes with drives need to cut a corner over a bunker or something, I did have those good drives to clear them handily. It was the STRAIGHT, no trouble (relatively speaking) holes that drove me nuts. By 15, I was really running out of gas and my back was starting to cramp up a bit, but I stuck at it. Again- pull hook, 7wd back to fairway, approach, 2 putt. 16- same thing. 17- clunked a 5 iron, then hit the shot of the day from the long rough 60 yds short of the green. Full thwack at it with the Sand wedge and it landed just left of the hole, and dribbled down the hill to tap-in range for a 3. Wasn't pretty, but it was a 3. 18- back to the pull hook into the trap, 8 iron back to fairway, 9 iron to 8ft past the hole (best struck shot of the day other than back at the par 3 3rd.), then lipped out for the bogey. An 85 for the day from the whites- I thought that was pretty good with an 8 on the card and a balky back for the last 6 holes. Overall- this is a stern but fair test of golf. Later in the year when the driver groove is setup to hit a LOT more fairways, I'll give it another go. AND I will use a caddie! There were some changes visually from what I remember 20-25 yrs ago- many trees were taken down which seemed to open the place up. The fescue was not as rampant as it once was, although they bring it back for the Opens when they're played. Mostly to help speed up play for the average Joe. That stuff was impenetrable- IF you could find your ball in the first place. We found that if you went far enough off a fairway you had a better lie since that stuff was thinner and probably less watered than the first cut and primary rough areas. The bunkers are in better shape than the other courses, but they're not exactly pristine- signs of degradation with rocks starting to percolate up to the surface. And not small rocks, either. It was not exactly a speedy round, either. Just under 5 hours, which isn't too bad, I suppose. But the group ahead seemed to be a bit under gunned and over matched out there. A few holes we would have to wait, then they would speed up, then they would slow down again. Again, it could have been 4.5 hrs but that didn't make a big difference on the experience. I wish that I was in better form to be able to enjoy it more and not be wincing in pain for half the day. So, If you get the shot, play it. But do pay attention to that famous sign or you will NOT have a good time...unless you're some kind of weirdo.

Cool.

I have played the Black 3 times. Once was two years ago, about a month after the Open. Then we played it again twice last summer. COMPLETELY different course from one year to the next. The year of the Open, the greens were perfect and the rough was unbelievable and the fairways were the softest I've ever seen. The following year, it was still amazing but you could tell they weren't spending the time and money that they had in the previous year. The rough was thin and short, not very penal. The greens weren't as nice. Hopefully they'll start having the Barclay's there every year and that will force them to keep the course in better shape year round.

I've never played tournament golf, so for me, the most nervous I've ever been on a golf course was the first time I teed off on the first hole of the Black course. I couldn't even feel my arms.

It's an amazing place. I'm hoping to find a way to go back this year. And in my opinion, it's worth it to have a caddy. We sprung for one all three times. Two of them were good, one was wasn't, but man, not having to carry anything as you walk around and having someone give you the yardages and help spot your ball is a huge benefit.