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Bethpage Black

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Thu, May 23 2019 11:20 AM (8 replies)
  • senec
    252 Posts
    Tue, May 14 2019 11:08 AM

    Has the course changed over the years.Will it be about the same layout we are use to on wgt when the open starts on thursday.

     

  • senec
    252 Posts
    Wed, May 15 2019 9:28 AM

    I SAW  AN AREAL VIEW OF ALL 18 HOLES ON YOUTUBE,PRETTY MUCH THE SAME EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR CHANGES,IT WILL B E FUN TO WATCH FOR US WGT MEMBERS,CAUSE WE KNOW THE COURSE WELL,ALTOUGH I WOULD,NT WANT TO PLAY IT FOR REAL

  • SidersBest
    873 Posts
    Wed, May 15 2019 1:48 PM

     

    Too bad, we're going to be in the middle of a Clash, unless WGT uses BB as the course of choice for us too play the clash on.

     

    Siders Best

  • Berryblue
    53 Posts
    Fri, May 17 2019 11:28 AM

    18, they have widened the fairway at the pinch point (where many players drive to) and set the bunkers away farther than what we play.

  • Wolfman600
    2 Posts
    Wed, May 22 2019 2:59 PM

    I grew up in Bethpage. Keep in mind that I'm 70 years old, so it was a long time ago. I was a caddie at Bethpge State Park, it was one of the few jobs you could have at 14 years old. That spurred my interest in playing the game of golf which I started hitting golf balls at the age of 14.

    Even in 1962 with the Black only being open since 1936 (26 years) it seemed like an old place that may have been there since time began. There was great magic in that place. From riding in the main entrance with the large Elm trees lining the way to the club house made of brick with large valued ceiling. 

    Being a Caddie there was a difficult job. Get up at 5am, ride my bike 3 miles to the park. Lock our bikes up at the clubhouse and walk 1/2 mile into the woods to the caddie house and sign a list with maybe 30 to 40 kids in front of you. There are 5 courses there,Green, Black, Red, Blue and Yellow, and the caddie master would send about 5 caddies to a course at a time. Then you waited at the 1st hole for someone to request a caddie. You could only carry one bag until you did 35 loops, then they let you carry doubles or two bags, so you were only making half money. Amassing 35 loops was not that easy, Sundays was the only sure day to get out, and they were less than diligent about keeping accurate records of how many loops you had. So it could easily take more than a year to get 35 loops. 

    Even so many years ago, 5 to 6 hour rounds were common. After the round, it was a long 3 miles home. Left at 5 in the morning and not uncommon to get home at 3pm or even a little later. All for about $4.00 or $5.00.

    I loved that place, more so when I returned to Long Island as a married man with a young son that I started teaching golf at the age of 3. I had an army surplus parachute hanging on the side of my house that I taught him to hit golf balls into. I leaned this parachute thing when I was in high school. We had parachutes hanging the the school basement to practice with. As my son got older I would take him to small golf courses to play but we always went to Bethpage to use the driving range and watch people play.

    The golf courses were nothing like you see on TV now. When I was a kid, they were literally cow pastures. Not well maintained, overgrow with lots of places that if your ball went in, you never saw it again. There were no tee boxes, the tee areas were black driving range mats, for real. The sign you see on TV about the Black course being for highly skilled golfers, has never deterred anyone from venturing out to try their luck. Many of which walked off the course at some point because they ran out of golf balls and stamina.

    My son went on to be a golf course superintendent at another course on Long Island, but he did some of his apprenticeship time at Bethpage Black.

    They say the black course is open to the public but be forwarned; it is very difficult to get a tee time there. They close it often for maintenance and local and regional tournaments. When it is open, people camp out over night for the few open spots. They used to have a call in system, 7 days in advanced, but you could never seem to get through and it always seemed like the same people where always playing at the same times every Sunday? I'm not sure what is involved now, but I'm certain access is very difficult.

    It is now the beautiful place that it so deserves to be, a real jewel and a little slice of heaven on earth. If you can ever get there, go an enjoy it. My golf days are only a memory now, 70 years of hard work has taken its toll on my body, which no longer works like it should.

    I hope you enjoyed this little insight to the place that I loved.

  • YankeeJim
    25,827 Posts
    Wed, May 22 2019 5:08 PM

    What a nice read. Thanks for sharing it.

    I'm only 3  hours west of there so if I ever make it there it'll be for the look. Golfing days are numbered and include the requisite cart. Can't imagine humping up 15 were I to make it that far.  ;-)

  • DoctorLarry
    4,275 Posts
    Wed, May 22 2019 6:05 PM

    Wolfman600:
    I hope you enjoyed this little insight to the place that I loved.

    I did.

    Thanks.

    BTW - an award winning first post!

  • BOZskills
    387 Posts
    Wed, May 22 2019 10:01 PM

    Thank you very much Wolf,beautiful story beatifully written!

  • Wolfman600
    2 Posts
    Thu, May 23 2019 11:20 AM

    Thank you for the kind responses.  I have a lot of stories about Bethpage Golf Courses that I will share if they are welcome here.

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