For My Fellow Golf Course Nerds: All You Need to Know About Bethpage Black

Ryder Cup Setup: A Monster Awakened

Bethpage Black stretches to 7,352 yards for this Ryder Cup. Par 70. That's 6,724 meters if you prefer metric — one of the longest courses in Ryder Cup history. Front nine runs 3,593 yards, back nine pushes 3,759. Both sides par 35.

Wilson's crew made tweaks for this event. New tee on the first hole. They relocated a fairway bunker on 13. Several fairways got wider — smart move for match play, where you want strategy over pure punishment.

The grass tells its own story. Greens mix Poa annua and bentgrass. Firm and fast — exactly what you want when the world's best players show up. Collars, approaches, tees, fairways? Ryegrass and Poa combination. Built to handle championship traffic without falling apart. The rough blends ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and Poa. Graduated penalties. Miss by inches, pay a little. Miss by yards, pay a lot.

The Numbers Game

Bethpage Black covers 1,475 acres total. Thirty acres of fairway, 30 of rough. Those numbers might surprise you — this isn't about sheer size. It's about precision. Seventy-six sand bunkers eat up eight acres. Many still carry A.W. Tillinghast's original 1936 vision: deep, nasty, unforgiving.

Average green size hits 6,000 square feet. Sounds generous until you play them. These putting surfaces twist and turn like pretzels. False fronts everywhere. Pin positions that can completely flip how you attack a hole.

Only one hole brings water into play — the par-3 eighth. This test is about accuracy, distance control, thinking your way around trouble. Not avoiding ponds.

Pivotal Holes That Will Decide Matches

Five holes will make or break matches this week.

Hole 4 (Par 5, 517 yards): Long hitters can reach this in two, but good luck. The green sits 50 feet above the fairway. Blind approach. Bunkers everywhere. Match play makes the decision brutal — go for glory and risk disaster, or play safe and give your opponent a chance to be aggressive.

Hole 7 (Par 4, 524 yards): Used to be a par-5 for regular play. Now it demands two perfect shots. Dogleg right wraps around tall trees — no shortcuts allowed. The green sits at fairway level (rare at Bethpage), but that doesn't make the approach any easier. Length won't save you here.

Hole 12 (Par 4, 496 yards): The scariest tee shot on the course. Drive it over cross bunkers, pray it doesn't roll through the fairway into thick grass. The green's huge but covered in ridges and slopes. Reaching it doesn't guarantee anything close to a tap-in.

Hole 15 (Par 4, 477 yards): Pure Bethpage. Uphill all the way to a green 50 feet above the fairway. Miss the fairway and forget about reaching the putting surface, let alone holding it. The green tilts from back left to front right. Three-putts happen to tour players here.

Hole 18 (Par 4, 411 yards): Finally, a scoring chance. But the fairway snakes through bunkers and fescue. Conservative play leaves you short of trouble with a longer approach. Aggressive play risks driver, rewards you with a wedge to an elevated green. Match play scenarios will make this hole fascinating.

Historic Significance

Tomorrow makes history. Bethpage becomes the first municipal course to host a Ryder Cup in America. This matters beyond golf — it's about access, about public courses getting the respect they deserve.

The course earned this moment. Two U.S. Opens (2002, 2009). Two Barclays (2012, 2016). The 2019 PGA Championship. Each event taught Wilson's team something new about presenting Bethpage at championship level while keeping it fair.

Bethpage Black is ready for the world's best players. Wilson's life work gets its biggest stage. For those of us who understand what goes into maintaining championship conditions, this week promises something special. Proper setup meets meticulous care meets brilliant design. Golf at its absolute peak.

Wilson's 36 years of devotion are about to pay off in front of the entire golf world.