Bethpage Black (Farmingdale, NY)

#52 WORLD TOP 100 (GOLF MAGAZINE)

#74 WORLD TOP 100 (GOLF DIGEST)

#46 WORLD TOP 100 (ARCHITECTS)

#55 WORLD TOP 100 (GOLF WORLD)

#39 TOP 100 USA (GOLF DIGEST)

#30 TOP 100 USA (GOLF MAGAZINE)

#27 TOP 100 USA CLASSIC (GOLFWEEK)

#8 TOP 100 PUBLIC (GOLF DIGEST)

#5 TOP 100 PUBIC (GOLF MAGAZINE)

#10 TOP 100 PUBLIC (GOLFWEEK)

Some golf courses make you want to run to the first tee immediately after putting out on eighteen…Bethpage Black is not one of them. You will be well tired after the last putt falls. It is a grueling, punishing, relentless golf course. In fairness, a sign warns you before your first swing:

                                  Warning 

The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.

After playing Torrey Pines this past February, I made it my number one priority to get out to Long Island and see Bethpage Black. Both courses have held US Opens and are regarded as two of the best municipal golf courses in the country. The Black was designed in 1936 by A.W. Tillinghast and Joe Burbeck. (Ron Whitten wrote an expose before the 2002 US Open stating Burbeck routed and designed the course while Tillinghast was hired to be a consultant. The whole Bethpage facility was a WPA project with a lot of moving parts. Tillinghast supporters strongly disagree with Whitten’s opinion. Burbeck was the longtime superintendent of Bethpage.) 

(The 517/461 yard fourth is one of the best par fives in the world. It climbs uphill with immense bunkering separating the three levels one must scale to reach the green…
…from the fairway this giant bunker is easy to carry but if one should find the sand off the tee, or worse the rough, then a decision has to be made to challenge it…

…once on the upper fairway, the green is perched like Mount Olympus on a higher plateau. Bold, intimidating bunkers make the third shot blind with just the top of the flagstick visible. It is reachable in two shots by the long hitter. For us mere mortals, it is a hole of epic proportions!) 

The Black is incredibly difficult! It has monster length, impenetrable rough, and blockaded greens. The narrow fairways are only 22-28 yards wide and several of the holes have sahara bunkers that demand both length and accuracy to find the short grass. The bunkering is magnificent! The complexes are enormous with capes and bays eating into the fairways with wispy strewn rough growing in between. It is filled with heroic tee shots! The greens are tightly defended with large bunkers that trap your ball and scuttle it to middle. This leaves twenty, thirty, or forty yard bunker shots. 

The only saving grace is the greens are mostly flat. A good putter and good short game can save a lot of strokes. 

(The 478/423 yard par four fifth demands a fade off the tee and draw into the green. The Sahara bunker really forces the issue as one honestly determines his line off the tee. If not hit far enough, or if one chooses a conservative line, the second shot is a layup short of the hill. This uphill beast is a bogey hole for all but the longest hitters.) 

(The 408/386 yard par four sixth has a blind tee shot with just the fairway bunkering visible as an aiming point…

…long hitters can carry the inside trap and have the ball run down to flip wedge range. The majority will be on top hitting 150-180 yard approaches. The ball must be struck high in the air to hold the green. There is no room to run the ball on.) 

(The 210/191 yard par three eighth has a false front that will repel balls into the hazard short. Taking an extra club will take the big number out of play…

…the rear is significantly raised making a back pin difficult to access. The middle pins can be attacked aggressively. It’s a beautiful hole.) 

The Black only has three tee boxes. They are back, middle, and forward. It is walking only. This caveat forces players to be in good shape. It is a terrific hike, climbing up and down the hills, across ridges, making several treks to the highest points of the property. It’s a strenuous round of golf and one’s physical strength along with endurance will be tested as much as one’s golfing skill. 

(The 460/385 yard par four ninth has my favorite drive. I love how the entire right side of the fairway bounds everything to the left and hopefully past the trap that long hitters can carry. Just a beautifully natural hole!)

(The 502/434 yard par four tenth has a green atop a slight knoll. Note how the fairway stops well short of the green. Like the fifth, laying up is a fine way to secure a decent score. During the US Open, this was the hole that players raged against because they couldn’t reach the fairway from the tee when the wind switched.) 

(The view from eleven green to twelve tee reveals another Sahara bunker that needs carried. The back and middle tees are left and behind the forward tees in the picture. The 516/432 yard par four plays very much like a par five unless one can carry the full length of the hazard. Note how the fairway is well right and works it’s way around the back of the trap. One can completely avoid the trap and play away from it albeit at the cost of an extra stroke.) 

(The 158/149 par three fourteenth is the easiest hole on the course. The large green allows players to conservatively hit the middle and two putt for par. A back right pin is the only exception.) 

I read that Bethpage is America’s version of the Old Course in St Andrews. It has become a Mecca for single digit handicappers. That is a very interesting comparison. On my first night there, the conversation at the bar was about spin rates and ball flight. I kept thinking how I was finally with my people! This place is pure golf! Any type of golf topic can be discussed ad nauseam. It is a brotherhood here. How else would you describe grown men who are willing to sleep in their vehicle just to secure a tee time? 

(The 207/195 yard par three seventeenth is over a sea of sand to an angled green. It’s uphill just enough that gauging the carry distance can be deceiving. The shot must be hit very high to hold the putting surface. A three is a good score.) 

(The 411/368 yard par four eighteenth has a downhill tee shot to a fairway lined with bunkers on both sides. The approach is then uphill to a green well protected by sand. In the 2009 US Open, Lucas Glover hit a 6i off the tee to seal his two stroke victory.) 

The Black is setup in US Open conditions year round. This makes it, for better or worse, an experience you will remember for a long time. It is challenge after challenge after challenge. You’ll learn how to cherish par, fight for a bogey, and accept a double. Birdies are few and far between although I would classify a handful as birdie opportunities. It is not a course you’d want to play everyday, just on special occasions. Since Rees Jones renovation, it has hosted two US Opens, a PGA Championship, a couple FedEx Cup tournaments, and in 2025, will be the site of the Ryder Cup. I give Bethpage Black a 9 (incredible)(worth planning a vacation around it). 

[we spent two days at Bethpage and played the Black twice. Both times we played the middle tees at 6757 yards (I didn’t see a single male in those two days play the forward tees.) It was way too much golf course! I didn’t have an iron approach shot on any par four, and there were five of them that I simply couldn’t reach. For me, the course essentially was a par 76. I wouldn’t mind the length so much except the rough is insanely thick. You’re simply hacking it out. This places a tremendous amount of pressure on your driving. I was in a lot of bunkers, sometimes off the tee and around the green on the same hole. I eked out seven pars and had the chance to make a few others. The green fees at $140 is a great value!]

[Bethpage is a 90 hole golf facility that has five courses named after different colors. The clubhouse serves as the starting point for all five which emphasizes the massive size of the property. It will surprise many to learn that the “Bethpage Inn” where players sleep in their car to get a tee time is mostly for the other courses as opposed to the Black. Locals who have a long standing weekly game will rotate parking lot duty so they can obtain a tee time on the other courses. Out of towners, like myself, are usually the ones camping out for the Black. It’s a simple system where the spots are numbered, and one parks in the first available. The ranger arrives first thing in the morning, 4:30am for my trip, and gives a ticket to each person present for each spot. (If I spend the night for a foursome, my three friends need to arrive before the ranger so we can get a tee time for four people) I reckon many do this before work and get an afternoon time for later. Once you get your ticket, you head to the clubhouse where they call out the ticket number, and you step inside to the ticket window and choose your course and time. All five courses have their own screen with tee times and availability.]

(From the fourteenth green, the view across the valley reveals the monstrous par four fifteenth. Look at that giant bunker guarding the green. It’s thirty feet above the fairway to the putting surface. It’s very difficult to reach in two shots.) 

Shaker Heights Country Club (Shaker Heights, OH)

Shaker Heights was designed on a meager 110 acres and is a testament to Donald Ross’ skill in routing a golf course on a small piece of property. Doan Brook and it’s subsequent valley were the natural features at Ross’ disposal and the thin valley that makes its way out to Green Lake is beautifully used to house the back nine. The brook is both scenery and hazard, and its presence is felt on all but three holes. 

Shaker is just a block away from Canterbury, and for public golfers, Highland Park. I was quite surprised by its location especially since the front nine literally abuts against the apartments on Van Aken Blvd. It’s a compact fit in the middle of the neighborhood. The second and third holes eat up this boundary and afterwards the golfer is free to swing away. 

(The opening 383/379 yard par four has a tee box tucked next to the pro shop. It’s busy with the putting green also close by.)

(The 551/501 par five third hole is reachable for the long hitters while the shorter players decide to challenge the brook or not. The hole doglegs left from the tee and you can see the proximity of the apartments in the photo. The green is pitched forward and two of the players in my foursome three putted from above.) 

The greens are the star at Shaker. They are very quick and have a good deal of slope in them including six greens that actually slope from front to back. This is the first time I can recall a Donald Ross course having this feature. On the twelth, it’s so pitched to the left that my playing partner putted off the green. There’s other putting surfaces where degreening is a legitimate threat. When I played Springfield last year, there were certain greens where you had to be careful of this, but there seemed to be more opportunities at Shaker for this to happen. Even if it doesn’t actually come off the green, there are spots where it’ll creep away to three putt territory. It definitely gave me a different appreciation for Ross. 

(The 422/406 yard par four fifth has a bilevel fairway that is separated by rough. Note the golfers ball in the rough. His lie and stance left him no shot to this elevated green. The creek at the bottom usually forces long hitters to layup further back than they’d like.) 

Shaker Heights hosted the World Championship of Women’s Golf from 1981-1984. Beth Daniel won the first tournament here with an even par score of 284. In 1982-1983, JoAnne Carner won back to back with 284 and 282. Nancy Lopez won the final event at Shaker Heights with a three under par score of 281. All three of these of women are in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

(The 154/150 yard par three eleventh is terrific. Notice how the front left corner is tipped down towards the creek while the bunker on the front right pushes shots long and left. It’s a difficult shot to get close and the creek will gobble up anything mishit on that side.) 

(The 372/358 yard par four twelth has the most difficult green on the course. It slopes hard from right to back left. It’s another bilevel fairway and the creek forces your hand where to layup from the tee. This was where the lowest handicap in our group putted off the green. As a foursome, we had three double bogeys. The only par was out of the front left bunker.) 

As a Donald Ross enthusiast, I love to nitpick courses and compare them. Besides the two holes that cross the street, 14 & 15, Shaker has a nice roll to it. The valley gives it enough topographical change that it gives the holes different looks and shot values. Springfield, as an example, has a half dozen holes that play on flat ground and look very similar to each other. (A few rankings have it rated higher than Shaker) If a strong set of greens is your definition of greatness, then Shaker can match that standard too. The only drawback is the lack of professional distance. The surrounding neighborhood has it landlocked at its present distance. 

(The 116/107 yard par three sixteenth is one of the finest pitch shot short holes in the country. The tiny green is completely blind with only the flagstick showing. Anything left is an instant double bogey. The front right bunker has a huge shoulder that shrinks the putting surface. Three of our four shots kicked hard towards this pin with only one staying on the green. There are several devilish pin locations with the back right possibly being the toughest to find. I wonder if it would even be visible.) 

The greater Cleveland area is loaded with great private  courses. While it may not be one of the big three, Kirtland, Canterbury, or The Country Club, it can hold its own against everything else in the area. It definitely is one of the top three Donald Ross courses in Ohio, and that is a pretty strong list. If the opportunity arises to play, then by all means make the appropriate steps. I give Shaker Heights a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play).

[I played in a Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA) net stroke play event. One of my goals this year is to play more tournament golf. Unfortunately at 51, I’m not old enough to play with the seniors so I must compete in the open division. I was paired with three young guys who were 3,4,and 5 handicaps. (I’m a 5 too) We played off the blue tees at 6,325 yards 71/136. I was being out driven by 50-100 yards! It was very impressive! It’s also humbling. I kept to my game and played to the outside corner of the doglegs to have shots into the greens. My short game was on point. I made some terrific chips to save par. The two double bogeys on the back were from strategic mistakes. On both holes I laid up too far back and had 180-190 yard approaches. I failed to hit a quality shot both times. On twelve I plugged in the front right bunker but the eighteenth was simply me choking. I wanted to break 80 so bad! After a well played pitch from the slope short of the green, I three putted from ten feet. It was disappointing but overall a great experience!]

[On a local connection, Shaker Heights is where Sandy Alves and Donald Ross first worked together. (Alves is also credited with Shaker’s design) Alves lived in Lil Italy off Mayfield road. He has several solo efforts in the area including both courses at Highland, Ridgewood, and Madison. He also is credited with Acacia (NLE) and French Lick]

(The driveable 264/251 yard four tenth starts the back nine in hopeful fashion.) 

 

Olde Stonewall Golf Club (Ellwood City, PA)

                    Golf Digest 2007/2008

America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses

                    #50 Olde Stonewall 

Arriving at Olde Stonewall, one is greeted by an imposing castle and massive quarried limestone rocks. It is quite the scene  to say the least, and the lush green fairways beyond instantly quickens the pulse. One can be forgiven if a visceral feeling overcomes them. It is a surreal preface for the upcoming round. 

(The par four second drops downhill to a green that slopes away. A single ledge on the front left houses today’s pin. Behind it is a bowl that really tests the short game should one go long. The right side also gathers balls into a bowl. It is a treacherous short par four. 426/365/332) [yardages are tips/white/gold]

(The par four third sweeps uphill with two colossal bunkers pinching the fairway. The giant tree on the right entices one to carry the left trap but it is much longer than it looks. The fairway bunkers are very deep and reaching the green from them is unlikely. A par is a good score. 399/344/307) 

Olde Stonewall was designed by Hurdzan and Fry in 1999. The course is a tale of two nines. The front goes down the hill and plays mostly in the valley next to the river. The back side climbs and climbs and climbs terrace style until one reaches the pinnacle of the sixteenth tee. In an unusual twist, there are no par fives on this side and the back to back par threes are absolute stunners. The course is kept in impeccable shape and greens routinely roll 10+ on the stimpmeter.

(Possibly 12 in the summer) It is on the short list of most difficult golf courses you can play.

(The par three eighth is a solid hole but the view glancing upward of the stonewall tee boxes and the clubhouse atop the hill is cool…

…this view from the ninth fairway shows a ridge that separates the left from the right. Note the castle maintenance shed in the background. 174/150/123)

The 12-16 is a perfect example of modern golf course architecture. The way Hurdzan and Fry attacked the hill is amazing! It’s dramatic, bold, and exciting! The reward for heavy earthmoving is beautiful views, expanded playability, and exacting shot values. The downside unfortunately is a missed shot will result in a lost ball and big number. This style of architecture has a specific following and if you read the golf publications, Olde Stonewall flip flops between #2 and #3 as best public course in Pennsylvania depending on who is rating it. Just sixteen years ago, it was easily a top fifty course, and nowadays it’s outside the top 100. It’s all a preference. 

(The par four twelth plays straightaway to a fairway interrupted by a ravine. The player will layup to a good yardage…

…the green is tucked into a little notch in the hillside. The middle of the putting surface is raised so it slopes towards the golfer but also away from him in the rear. Back pin positions are very difficult to get close. Try to avoid putting over the ridge. It can easily get away from you quickly. 436/387/336)

(The short par four thirteenth is lined in bunkers all down the right side. It’s a downhill tee shot to a fairway that’s climbing the hill. The green has a ridge that makes the right half a treacherous section to attack. 400/334/311)

(The fourteenth is the first of back to back par threes. It’s downhill to a green nestled between water, sand, and rock. Club selection is the biggest challenge 202/164/137…

…the fifteenth offers no such graces. It’s an all out carry to a green that hangs off the hill. Mercifully there’s a smidgen of fairway. It’s a long iron or hybrid shot that demands nerves of steel. Try playing this dual in six strokes! 241/190/170) 

(The golf course climaxes with the stunning downhill par four sixteenth. The view is spectacular especially from the tips. The drive must carry a deep valley before hitting a mid or short iron approach. It plays much shorter than it’s listed yardage. 474/387/379) 

Olde Stonewall is one of a handful of best courses within a couple hours of Cleveland. It’s hard to believe that such an experience is only ninety minutes away. In the fall, few can top its kaleidoscope of colors. Of course the reason why I love this place is the same reason why I hate it. It’s a very difficult golf course that dishes out double bogeys as quick as one can three putt from five feet. The greens can be incredibly fast! A few years ago;the fastest I’ve ever played. I give Olde Stonewall a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The finishing hole plays to a well bunkered green with the clubhouse overlooking the action. From this view, you can make out the Hurdzan/Fry template where a ridge in the middle slopes away for the rear pins. It is no slouch; par is a good score. 481/429/411) 

(The eleventh offers no respite for the approach shot. Anything not on target can find the hazard. Most golfers are better off laying up and chipping. 436/384/343) 

[I played the white tees at 6200 and my friend played the gold at 5708. The slope rating for both tees is 143 and 132 respectively. In full disclosure, I’ve never broken 80 in the half dozen times I’ve played here. That said, I made a big mistake thinking that the $125 twilight rate would be too expensive for the average recreational golfer. We had two foursomes and a threesome in front of us. I can remember when Olde Stonewall advertised Steeler Sunday for $75 on Pittsburgh home games. It was still easy to get a tee time. Those days are over! Golf is back and popular than ever!!