Drives to the left are OK, but the treeline and greenside traps will be working against you. That's because the right rough is uninterrupted by obstructions, save for a few small and avoidable trees. Even a strong tee shot down the center could require a hybrid approach just to reach the top of the plateau (pictured; click to enlarge). Have thoughts and opinions on Bethpage Red? Drives down the left side are fine, though mounding that juts into the fairway blocks a clean view of the target. Straight drives can breach the edge of the fairway on both holes, and misses inside the bends often result in obstructed approach shots. Bite off a chunk of the fairway by aiming over the water to the far end of the short grass; a powerful and accurate drive can leave no more than a wedge. Don't know how many square miles it is , but it's huge ! The are many elevation changes off tee boxes, greens, and fairways are moderately wide. « Sixth annual Pink Rock Classic, October 11 at Great Rock Golf Club | The closing 18th reads like the moral of this story. Posted in Bethpage, Nassau Courses, Nassau Courses: 18-hole, Nassau Courses: North Shore/Central | Permalink. Tillinghast, the Red golf course opened in 1935. « Long Island golf comes to your AM dial every Saturday with "On Par" on WGBB 1240 | Have thoughts and opinions on Bethpage Green? The Golf Club at Middle Bay (fka South Bay CC), Shotgun outings at Wind Watch, Willow Creek on Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving-themed outings coming up at Cherry Creek, Pine Hills, Thanksgiving Day Scramble at Timber Point, Bethpage Black to close November 16, Red and Green to follow, Topgolf Long Island opening now expected for summer 2021, Great Rock sign confirms course is out of business, Street Names: The Ghosts of Long Island Golf's Past, Part 5 -- Riverhead Country Club, Fall aeration underway around Long Island, Fall aeration starts next week at Bethpage, « Long Island golf comes to your AM dial every Saturday with "On Par" on WGBB 1240, Observations: Great Rock Golf Club's new 12th green », For a brief period 80 years ago, Bethpage was just Blue, Green and Red, Chip Shot: Bethpage - Green Course, 1/9/2009, Golf On Long Island's "Nassau 18" -- Bethpage Green #10 and #18, "America's Linksland: A Century of Long Island Golf" -- by William Quirin. The course rating is 75.4 and it has a slope rating of 144 on Rye grass. Earlier this year, Golfweek ranked the Red #24 in its annual list of America's Best Municipal Courses and #10 in its list of Best Courses You Can Play in New York State. The same can be said for the 337-yard eighth, where proper angles and accuracy carry extra importance given its surprisingly tiny putting surface. [This flyover was updated on July 20, 2017.] The downhill tee shot is just as dramatic, and a well-executed one to either side of the fairway leaves anything from an 8-iron to a wedge into the green. Tillinghast, the Black golf course opened in 1936. Farmingdale has exploded recently with a slew of new and upbeat places for food and drink. AREA(S) TO AVOID: The two tiers of the 12th green are separated by a steep ridge that can be an asset or a major burden when the flag is in the middle of the green at the foot of the slope. Both have good food and lively bars. As noted on this site in the past, the elevated #3 green is susceptible to heat stress in the summer months. Enjoy an aerial view of each hole, GPS distance, yardage book and more. Playing conservatively to the outside of the turn instead of the aggressive line toward a trio of drive-zone bunkers adds two or three clubs to the approach shot. Safer shots are directed toward the short-right fringe, a closer, unprotected target from which two-putt or up-and-down pars are reasonable expectations. Keeping on the topic of roller coasters, it's up, down and a hard turn to the left over the Green's next few holes. Of the 14 par-4s and par-5s, only four have a fairway bunker within reach of the most powerful drives. Opened in 1936 as part of the Depression Era public-works project that built Bethpage State Park, the Black Course arrived on the scene after the Lenox Hills Country Club became the Green Course and one year after A.W. The Red boasts only two par-5s, but at least a few of the par-4s on each side of the turn play like three-shotters, especially when facing into the wind. While the back side of #4 would be a fantastic place to watch the final holes of a Bethpage Black U.S. Open, it's an awful place to miss on this one-shotter. The 1st hole is a par 4 over 400 yards with an elevated green. Back at #6, the fairway makes a sharp left turn -- almost a full 90-degree bend -- toward one of the Red's more sloped greens. Bethpage State Park - Blue Bethpage … Tillinghast, the Green golf course opened in 1923. Bethpage Black will take center stage in the golf world at the 101st PGA Championship, and deservedly so. //]]> Final drives ping from the teebox of what some argue is the finest par-4 on the course. Jimmy Lee manages the course as the Manager. Bethpage State Park has something for everyone except a pool ! The second and third are good warm-ups for the longer and equally curvy par-4s up ahead. AREA(S) TO AVOID:The Red Course emerges from the trees after the seventh hole into a flat plain. [CDATA[ Sweeney's, while those seeking something more modern and with a nice outdoor patio can head to Campagne House. Tongues of fairway in front of the par-3 greens give shorter players a safe option over the ridges and away from traps. Jimmy Lee manages the course as the Manager. Trust the scorecard and tee markers on #4, a 181-/171-yard par-3 with distance that's hard to gauge thanks to the falloff behind the green. And if that course can show off merely the best opening and closing holes at the 90-hole complex, then what else does it boast in between? Designed by A.W. A visitor taking a stroll around the Bethpage State Park clubhouse and taking in the scenery for the first time might wonder why the Black Course is the only one of the quintet with a warning sign beside its opening tee. Main Though these four County courses -- Bay Park, North Woodmere, Cantiague … [This flyover was updated on July 6, 2020.] Tillinghast modified the course as part of his role as a consultant in the design of the park golf courses. Greens roll smoothly, fairways are lush and rough is evenly cut and playable. Posted in Bethpage, For Beginners, Nassau Courses, Nassau Courses: 18-hole, Nassau Courses: North Shore/Central | Permalink. [This flyover was updated on July 1, 2019.] #6 is the last breather of a par-4 for quite a while, as a series of grueling marches looms just ahead. If your hybrid and 4-iron are slumping come tee time, hopefully it's not too late to bail and play the Green or the Yellow instead. Farmingdale has exploded recently with a slew of new and upbeat places for food and drink. In addition to 3D terrain, this will also allow you to … The red course at Bethpage is the second toughest out of 5 courses at this golf mecca. There's a classic sports bar/grill (Croxley Ales); meatball-focused sports bar/grill (That Meatball Place); local brewery and tasting room (Lithology Brewing); and one of Long Island's best coffeehouses (Flux Coffee) -- all within about 100 feet of each other. What once was a left-to-right slope that churned stomachs like the first drop of a roller coaster is now a softer, barely recognizable shell of its former self. And these holes -- from doglegs curling through the trees to brutal cross-country hikes over the the park's wind-swept flatland -- are strong enough to make the Red a mainstay in national polls and frequent host of local tournaments. SEE ALSO: Closer Look: Bethpage Yellow #12, Tillinghast's Reef Hole. The course rating is 73.0 and it has a slope rating of 127 on Rye grass. While instinct says to keep the ball in play and err right, your irons will try to convince you of the importance of finding the center of the fairway. Over in Bethpage, traditionalists might opt for the bar-and-grill experience at B.K. Behind Bethpage State Park's handsome clubhouse, the Black Course shines as the star, its "Warning" sign attracting the attention and camera flashes of first-time visitors. John Feinstein: Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black, William Quirin: America's Linksland: A Century of Long Island Golf, Daniel Wexler: The Missing Links: America's Greatest Lost Golf Courses & Holes, Philip Young: Golf for the People: Bethpage and the Black, Philip Young: Golf's Finest Hour: The Open at Bethpage Black. Deep drives along the right side set up the best angle into a green bordered on three sides by sand. Macdonald and Seth Raynor, Long Island golfers need to find their way onto the courses of esteemed private clubs like National Golf Links, Piping Rock and Fisher's Island, to name … Any shot to the right will either be beached in a side trap or roll down the slope to the perimeter fence. It stresses strategy and accuracy, a potentially tall order after a stretch of holes forcing you to overcome pure distance. VueMyGolf offers various pricing and affordable membership options for golf courses to obtain the best 3D graphics for their golf courses. In many cases fairway bunkers are surrounded by the thick stuff (see right). Waiting groups congregate around the starter's booth above the first tee, likely impatient and on edge from Bethpage's early check-in and backed-up tee sheet. The course rating is 69.8 and it has a slope rating of 121 on Rye grass. All rights reserved. Located in suburban Long Island in close proximity to New York City, Bethpage is a mecca for public golf featuring five 18-hole regulation golf courses, including the world-renowned Bethpage Black . Green is a shotmaker's course that allows players to recover even if they can't ignite fireworks off the tee with accuracy. Share them with other Golf On Long Island readers by posting in the comments section below. Without clearly defined corridors, this section of the course offers up so much space you'll barely know what to do with it all. CONTACT:99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Farmingdale 11735(516) 249-0700bethpagegolfcourse.com, SEE ALSO: For a brief period 80 years ago, Bethpage was just Blue, Green and RedChip Shot: Bethpage - Green Course, 1/9/2009Golf On Long Island's "Nassau 18" -- Bethpage Green #10 and #18"America's Linksland: A Century of Long Island Golf" -- by William Quirin, NOTES:[1]  William Quirin, America's Linksland: A Century of Long Island Golf, (Michigan: Sleeping Bear Press, 2002), p.181-182. | Mill Pond offseason rates and aeration begin today, October 9 », [This flyover was updated on July 20, 2017.]. Course Name: Bethpage State Park Golf Course – Blue Course Designer: A.W. Not sure which type of golf 3D flyover video and yardage book you need? Here, it's not. As at least one course veteran has noted, despite its length, the Red Course can be brought down by short hitters who send the ball straight. From this height and only 328 yards away, the green appears to be in play, but two bunkers in its neck say otherwise. On top of that hill sits the 10th tee. Once atop the plateau, finish up on a small, slightly back-to-front green. Of course, popularity at Bethpage leads to long, stop-and-start rounds that can stretch into five-hour territory, especially on weekends. Bethpage State Park - Black Bethpage Black Shortcuts abound at the flat 387-yard fifth, which curls left around a pond. [1]  Today, it's one of only five Long Island public courses to receive 4-1/2 stars from Golf Digest in its Best Places To Play listing. Great bargain for retired senior citizens. Sweeney's, while those seeking something more modern and with a nice outdoor patio can head to Campagne House. Across the street, a recent regrading of the putting surface evaporated much of the fear factor that existed for players standing in #2's fairway or front bunker. Over in Bethpage, traditionalists might opt for the bar-and-grill experience at B.K. The final piece of the parallel, fescue-riddled quartet in the course's flat and sandy center, #14 stretches long and left, sharing hazards inside its bend with #10. GOLI's Images of America: Long Island Golf -- BUY THE BOOK. Almost all of the sand on the Green Course is in place to protect the small, sloping greens. Combined with the relative shortness of the course, the hilly terrain and the varying styles of holes, the excellent conditions make it a fan favorite and a popular pick for those who can't get on the Black or Red. On the split-fairway 13th, the green's front-to-back slant favors those heading in from the left-side route. Though middle-tee players will lop off some of that distance right from the get-go, there's no dodging the headwinds present on a few of these holes, and the fescue and fairway bunkering can only be avoided with straight, accurate drives. All content published on this site, including written entries and golf-course photography, is the property of Phil Carlucci and Golf On Long Island. Both, however, offer a secluded feel that can't be found on the Red, Blue and Yellow courses. The Yellow Course at Bethpage State Park carries around a reputation as the park's beginner course. Just as the distance between the back nine and the clubhouse prevents nine-hole ventures, the extreme elevation of three back-nine teeboxes might dissuade some players from walking the course. This Closer Look post from August 2012 gives a full rundown of the hole and its playing options. A climb up to #13 tee reveals a sweeping view of a 553-yard par-5 with a very slight bend to the left. It's back down the hill at #4, a picturesque 344-yard par-4. Like most holes on the Green Course, neither par-5 throws out any fairway obstacles. Here, to get to the meat of the green, you'll have to go up and over a diagonal bunker that hugs the front-left corner of the surface. Google Earth Fly-Over of Bethpage Red Course Detailed Maps and Yardage Charts: https://www.provisualizer.com/courses/bethpagered.php [This flyover was updated on May 13, 2017.] Whichever route is taken, the end result is a gorgeous view of the Black Course and Bethpage's lower valley from a plateau above the Black's par-3 17th and beside its 18th tee. Beefy bunkers guard the sides rather than the front. Its green, cut into the middle of the hillside that leads back up to the clubhouse, is defended by a dangerously deep bunker on the left and the uneven nature of the sloping terrain on the right. For walkers, this is the first of three strenuous climbs on the back nine. Like many of its par-4s, the Red plays closer to a 4-1/2 -- in stars, not strokes -- according to Golf Digest's Places to Play ratings. You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Though the hole feels safe from the tee, its difficulty increases with every ball revolution away from the center of the fairway. In the middle is a sweeping plain covered in sand and fescue. You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Click the link to view a detailed shot-by-shot fly-over on any device with Google Earth installed.. Bethpage Red Golf Course Summary: The red course is widely considered the second best of the five courses making up the Bethpage experience, falling only behind the clear-cut winner, the Black Course.This track has plenty of teeth even though there is no water (I've included the white tee distances above as, frankly, very few golfers should ever attempt the back tees (I know I won't). #10, #13 and #15 each require grueling anti-gravity hikes. The 18-hole Black course at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course facility in Farmingdale, features 7,065 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. They're the ones, after all, who will be digging your second shot out of a potentially poor lie from the right rough as you blindly aim them toward a hidden target. WHERE TO GRAB A BITE AND A BEER:It's hard to make a case against staying put with a burger and a Sam Adams while looking out over the Black Course, but if there's an itch to go elsewhere, the downtown areas of Farmingdale and Bethpage each have plenty to offer. John Feinstein: Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black, William Quirin: America's Linksland: A Century of Long Island Golf, Daniel Wexler: The Missing Links: America's Greatest Lost Golf Courses & Holes, Philip Young: Golf for the People: Bethpage and the Black, Philip Young: Golf's Finest Hour: The Open at Bethpage Black. The 18-hole Green course at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course facility in Farmingdale, features 6,262 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"d443c73ddd022839fbc4a8eff6b7757f886b4597-1606923628-1800"}; Tillinghast course to open at Bethpage State Park, predating the Red Course by several months and the fearsome Black Course by a year. To experience some of the famous hole designs built by early-1900s icons C.B. NEARBY COURSES:Bethpage - Black/Blue/Red/Yellow (on site)Eisenhower Park - Red/White/Blue (7 miles)Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course (8 miles)Peninsula Golf Club (9 miles). Keep walking down Main Street and you'll find places ranging from Mexican to Dominican to Vietnamese. There's a long way to go before the turn, thanks to a pair of 500-plus-yard par-5s. Looks can be deceiving on a hole that appears level from the tee but actually plays the slightest bit uphill, with the trap the beneficiary of underclubbed shots. But unlike the Black, it sports very few fairway bunkers -- in fact, you can count them on one hand. Bethpage Black to close November 16, Red and Green to follow Topgolf Long Island opening now expected for summer 2021 Great Rock sign confirms course is out of business Don't be lulled into carelessness though, because much of that open real estate between #8, #9 and #10 is riddled with traps and long, club-clutching fescue. HOLE(S) TO REMEMBER:At a complex where the vast majority of par-3s are situated over depressions and gullies (we see you, Blue Course), Red #4 stands out for its angled target, danger beside the green (not just short of it) and awesome scenery. The path to the pin is laid out like a smooth green carpet. [This flyover was updated on August 12, 2019.] Play to the outside of the fairways to remove the threat from greenside bunkers. Usually it's a relief when shots come to rest just short of or next to a bunker. Imprecise approach shots could leave anything from a daunting recovery effort out of the sand to an extra-delicate chip from a bad lie above the hole. The 18th plays downhill into the same valley as #1, with a sand-guarded fairway leading to an elevated flag. After the par-3 seventh, Red rolls up its sleeves for a brawl. Google Earth Fly-Over of Bethpage Blue Course Detailed Maps and Yardage Charts: https://www.provisualizer.com/courses/bethpageblue.php Once back through the tunnel to the clubhouse side, the Green Course concludes with what some consider the best finisher at the complex. The 18-hole Red course at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course facility in Farmingdale, features 6,756 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The 18-hole Green course at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course facility in Farmingdale, features 6,262 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. In the early 1930s, the Bethpage Park Authority purchased the Lenox Hills Country Club and other adjacent properties to build what we now know as Bethpage State Park. Both turn near their midpoints inside tree-lined corridors, giving accurate shot-shapers an advantage. The 133-yard third earned a spot in Newsday's Dream 18 for its uphill shot to an invisible green surrounded by trouble. Some players might enjoy using (or being saved by) the backstop potential of the slope, as it trickles shots back down toward the hole. And once the Red has you on your heels, more often than not, the Red triumphs. //