Great site - just stumbled on it.
I live about 5 miles from Bethpage and I'm fortunate enough to play it quite a few times during the summer. Work has had me tied down the last 3 or 4 years, but I made a commitment to get out more often from now on.
The Black is a wonderful experience - I moved to LI in 2000 and played The Black for the first time about 6 weeks after the 2002 Open. The first time I played it was the only time I had butterflies in my stomach while teeing off. It is a humbling experience - but it is worth every minute.
I'm amazed at how the professionals are able to play 3 practice rounds and then play four days of tournament golf on that course under those conditions. Anyone that says golf isn't a sport should have to strap a bag on and walk The Black.
I can pretty much show up at any country club and throw up an 85 - but it took me about 20 rounds on The Black to somehow get into the low-90s. It's like any other home muni - you learn the nuances of the course, where to hit it, where to take some gambles and most importantly, how to take your medicine.
Played a nice round last month - out in 43 with a birdie on #2 and a couple of pars thrown in - but the back nine starts kicking your arse immediately on #10 and winds up with what have to be some of the toughest closing four holes in golf. Came in with a 48 for a pretty respectable 91....just makes you want to go right back out.
My favorite hole on The Black is #6 - a 408 yard par 4 with a downhill second shot into an island green surrounded by finger bunkers - just a beautiful golf hole.
The best part about The Black is showing up as a single meeting up with out-of-staters, or going with out-of-town friends, for their first time. All of these guys shoot 82 on their home courses - but wind up slapping it around in 105 on The Black.
Just today I invested in a new set of irons for the first time in 12 years - went from my old reliable, comfortable Tommy Armour 845s to the Callaway X-20s. All of a sudden my 6 iron went from 160 to 180 - so I can't wait to get out and give them a test drive on the best road course in golf.
And I see a lot of guys on this forum that think they don't have the game for The Black - but as long as you play fast, and don't look for lost golf balls or balls in the rough for longer than a minute or two, you'll be fine. I've played in foursomes where one guy shot a 76, a couple of us were in the 90s and one guy shot 120 - but no one cares - the pace of play is no more than average (which on Long Island equates to five hours) and everyone always has a blast.
The day I shot 91 last month I went out as a single, with a pair of brothers and another single. One of the brothers was from San Jose and the other single was also from San Jose - before we left the first tee, they realized they lived 8 houses away from each other and their kids go to the same school - the first time they ever met was on the first tee at The Black.
