THP tackles Bethpage Black

[Thechosen1]

Uhh, did you ever get your 3w back? Holy crap that's terrible luck dude

Nope, went back after the round, the wind had picked up during the day.
But the club is still there, my gift to golf I suppose, just hope it doesn't hit anyone when it comes down..

 

[TripleBogieTim]

WOW, cant believe you lost your 3 wood.....hey maybe now we know why David Kelley calls it a "treewood"!

Seriously though, did you let the pro shop know about it? I would think they would have a tree trimming pole or a scissor lift to get it down with.

 

[mhroche]

So when I received a PM from Ddec about wanting to play Bethpage black I gave a tiger fist pump and got back to work but the rest of the week went by so slow. I started to prepare by simply doing alittle more conditioning at the gym and putting the course on my GPS and getting everything ready.

Well Sunday morning came quick, woke up at 4am, and grabbed the last few things I needed and was on the road. The course is 3.5 hours away and I made it to the parking lot in 3(just alittle excited I’d say.) Well I got up with the other guys and they said they were about a half hour away so I decided to walk around the grounds, looked in the pro shop and then caught breakfast. Well for those who haven’t been there the restaurant is about 40 yards away from the first tee and 18[SUP]th[/SUP] green, which can be seen from the patio. After my delicious egg wrap I walked to the first tee with the famous sign and watched two groups tee off before running into Dean and Pete. They had their breakfast and then Christian met up with us and then we headed to grab our clubs.

We headed to the range which $8 for 65 balls is a steal in my book. The heat was building and it affected me on the driving range. You’re not allowed to hit driver, which was fine (but that’s a ton of pressure off the first tee box considering you have to hit driver on the first hole.) well I did my normal routine but got to my 3 wood. Well after my 4[SUP]th[/SUP] swing it all went wrong. The club slipped out of my hand and two seconds later it was in a tree some 30-40 feet in the air. I started to laugh but then realized the day just got worse. It was stuck, word started to spread on the range and sure enough it wasn’t going anywhere so I played my entire round without a 3 wood.

Played a great round to my surprised since I hadn’t played except for one time since the Pittsburg event. It was a tough walk but with the help of Deans wifes clic gear I was able to make the whole round. There were certainly good shots and some bad shots but I believe in the group we only had one birdie, which tells you how tough the course is. It’s a course I couldn’t play two days in a row but I know for a fact that I want to play there ASAP.

I can’t thank Ddec enough for the invite, and I am thankful I was able to share this experience with these awesome guys.

Bring on the fall!

Awesome recounting of the preround!

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[O'Carroll]

Uhh, did you ever get your 3w back? Holy crap that's terrible luck dude

WOW, cant believe you lost your 3 wood.....hey maybe now we know why David Kelley calls it a "treewood"!

Seriously though, did you let the pro shop know about it? I would think they would have a tree trimming pole or a scissor lift to get it down with.

We talked about 40 different ways of getting it down, but ultimately, none of them seemed like that great of an idea.

And when he says 40 feet up, he's not kidding. It was WAY up there.

It's hard to see here, so I added some help.

 

[Thechosen1]

We talked about 40 different ways of getting it down, but ultimately, none of them seemed like that great of an idea.

And when he says 40 feet up, he's not kidding. It was WAY up there.

It's hard to see here, so I added some help.

Just checked ebay. apparently the guy saying $80 for a new jetspeed was being generous. Try $40 hahaha

 

[Scarnici]

Just checked ebay. apparently the guy saying $80 for a new jetspeed was being generous. Try $40 hahaha

That's hilarious. He was pretty adamant about 80


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[O'Carroll]

Just checked ebay. apparently the guy saying $80 for a new jetspeed was being generous. Try $40 hahaha

I still say he was a dick. It's amazing to me that the only concern among those guys was that a potentially valuable club was stuck in the tree…and not that you were now headed out for a round on the Black course down a 3 wood. Amateurs…

 

[ddec]

Little recap of my first time ever playing Bethpage Black.

I originally registered my license with the course back in 2008 when I was in the area working on a job. Ever since I spent 3 days at the 2002 US Open, I’ve wanted to play the course. When I attended the 2009 US Open, I still had playing the course stuck in my mind. Pretty much every year since then I’ve told myself and whoever would listen that I was going to play this course. Well last week I decided to just to do it. This was going to be the year. I told Pete to be prepared to go down on Friday, and then got shut out of a tee time within the first 60 seconds of them being available. Apparently it was going to be tougher than I thought. Sunday night I was sitting around and noticed it was near 7PM(when tee times open up). On a whim, I decided to call, went through the automated service and requested a time around 8AM for a group of 4. Instead of getting the message that there were no times, I got the response that I could book the next time and that was 10:18. I couldn’t believe it, I confirmed it and then it was settled. I was going to tee it up on a course I have longed to play since I was 18 years old.

Now it was time to put together a foursome for this trip. Looking back at my messages, I sent Pete(O’Carroll) a message at 7:03 that night. I knew he was a lock and as always looked forward to teeing it up with him. My next thought was my dad. He took me to both US Opens there. I always knew he would be on the fence for that course because of the length and the walking factor. Unfortunately dad was leaving for a 4 day trip on Sunday, so he was out. I know there are tons of people who have mentioned playing it on the site, and that they would drop everything to make it happen. Knowing it was a Sunday, and that rounds there take time, I didn’t want to have anyone who would have a long drive to make. Christian(Scarnici) is someone I have always enjoyed playing with and thought he would without a doubt say yes to a spot in the group. Besides, he kicks my butt everywhere we play, might as well see what he’s got on this tough and difficult track. Brian(TheChosen1) was one of the people we had a long conversation with at Pitt about playing Bethpage. So I was pretty excited to extend the invite to him as well. Both of those 2 agreed and we had a group ready to go. Now this week needed to fly by and to kill time I spent hours playing the course on WGT.

Picked up Pete a little after 5AM and we hit no traffic getting to the course at 8. Met Brian and had a delicious breakfast burrito with some horrible coffee. Chrstian walked in as we were at a table, I don’t think my burrito was still around to be seen when that happened. Poor thing didn’t stand a chance. Anyway, we checked in and at a cost of $80 for all in the group, we were all set to tee it up.

The range was nothing special. It’s a state owned and operated golf course. You hit off mats, and can’t hit driver. The only memorable thing there was that Brian sent a 3 wood flying over our heads and in to a tree branch that was about 40 feet above the ground. Somehow we never noticed that he lost the club until he decided to play a game called “guess where my 3 wood is.” We all lost.

On the first tee we took some pictures and got ready to hit. To his credit, and unsurprisingly, Christian was the only person to hit the first fairway. The other 3 of us were down the right in that cluster of trees. Somehow I hit my far enough(yes I outdrove those big hitters so take that!), that didn’t have to try and play under tees, but there was only 2 in my way that I could go over. Took out a PW and hit it to the center of the green. 2 putt par, what’s so hard about this place? Well let me tell you. On 2, I hit a perfect drive, clubbed up 1 too many and was about 6 or 7 yards long and in the rough. Laying 2, it took me 3 swings to get the ball safely on the green. The rough around these greens was just so thick, dense, and lush. If you hit it just a touch heavy, the club head gets grabbed, or gets twisted. Not the course to baby any kind of short game shots on. Lesson learned, the hard way. Anyway, I’m not going to go hole by hole recap because that’s boring and nobody wants to read that.

Our round took time. By my watch it was just over 5 hours and 20 minutes while walking 7+ miles. Walking the front 9 was easier than the back. The back had more up and down, not to mention at that point he heat gets to you and energy starts to run low. Speaking to different folks either in the pro shop, parking lot, and range I got the opinion that some though pushing was easier than carrying. Originally was going to carry, was convinced by opinions that pushing was the better route. THANK YOU to those guys who nudged me in that direction. I don’t know how Pete carried on this day, the man is a beast. Outside of the heat, the walk was enjoyable. The company had a big part in that. Playing with this group, it was just relaxed with loads of great conversation.

Walking up the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] was such a great feeling of accomplishment. Not because of scores, but because finally, after 13 years of telling myself that I would play this course, I had done it. Doing it with THPers made it even more special. It didn’t stop Bethpage Black from giving me one more shot to the gut as my par put hit the lip and did a 180. Oh well, ended with bogey and scored better than my goal for the day. To the guys who made the trip with me, thank you. It was such an enjoyable round, it’s really hard to explain. I cannot wait to do it again, when it’s not that hot. I imagine the fall rounds there are beautiful, so I plan on making that happen.

 

[mikedean441]

Great recap Dean, sounds like an awesome experience.

Dibs on a spot in the fall...#worktrip

 

[jitzy]

I gotta say this thread is completely killing me, I'm going to NY tomorrow for the week and sadly have so much cr@p planned that I'm not even bringing my clubs. I'm so jealous of you all right now.

 

[CAA_Beat]

We talked about 40 different ways of getting it down, but ultimately, none of them seemed like that great of an idea.

And when he says 40 feet up, he's not kidding. It was WAY up there.

It's hard to see here, so I added some help.

That looks like one of those Can you find the club in the tree pictures you'd see in Hi-Lites magazine as a kid

 

[MPlefty]

great thread guys, I enjoyed following on Sunday, but the recaps are even better.

I can't stop laughing at that 3w story

 

[ShanksaloT]

Great recap and pictures! I played it back in April and there were a few temp greens and it was still a very challenging course. Loved every second of it though!

 

[emart2173]

Nice recap Dean. I'm hoping to get there this year with my brothers.

 

[ddec]

Going through some pics.

 

[gpaya]

Next time you guys play Bethpage, get your pre-round meal from The Coliseum. It's 5 minutes from the course and is very delicious.


Sent from iPhone+Tapatalk

 

[gizmo3putt]

Finally got thru the entire thread, thanks for follow along and pics guys. I'd say you had good times playing that course.

 

[Atxpkrgolf]

Awesome read. I haven't posted on here in quite awhile but I have a couple questions.

1. 5.5 hrs is a very long round. Was there a marshal asking u to keep pace or was that the pace of play & what this course deems a normal round.

2. U might have stated this but does NY resident have to be in the group or can anyone register to play?

Thanks and and awesome stuff

 

[brianmk24]

I'd like to play, but I'm afraid I wouldn't pass the "you must be shorter than this line to play" test. :sarcastic:

 

[rbarthle17]

I'd like to play, but I'm afraid I wouldn't pass the "you must be shorter than this line to play" test. :sarcastic:

Says the guy who would look like a giant compared to the THPers that just played it...

 

[ddec]

Awesome read. I haven't posted on here in quite awhile but I have a couple questions.

1. 5.5 hrs is a very long round. Was there a marshal asking u to keep pace or was that the pace of play & what this course deems a normal round.

2. U might have stated this but does NY resident have to be in the group or can anyone register to play?

Thanks and and awesome stuff

On my way in to work but I have answers to both questions for you.


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[rbarthle17]

Great read and photos! Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[Shankosaurus]

Awesome read. I haven't posted on here in quite awhile but I have a couple questions.

1. 5.5 hrs is a very long round. Was there a marshal asking u to keep pace or was that the pace of play & what this course deems a normal round.

2. U might have stated this but does NY resident have to be in the group or can anyone register to play?

Thanks and and awesome stuff

I've played the Black 3 or 4 times and it's never taken less than 5 hours. It is a very difficult course and even good players can do a lot of ball searching.

Anyone can register to play.

 

[ddec]

Awesome read. I haven't posted on here in quite awhile but I have a couple questions.

1. 5.5 hrs is a very long round. Was there a marshal asking u to keep pace or was that the pace of play & what this course deems a normal round.


2. U might have stated this but does NY resident have to be in the group or can anyone register to play?

Thanks and and awesome stuff

Answer to number 1: I told JB that the round didn't feel that long. In fact talking to Pete on the way home, we played a tournament round earlier in the year that was about 5hrs 45 minutes. When I told him that this round was only 20 minutes faster, we were both surprised. Bethpage is a very large course and walking only. I would imagine if they had a set pace for it, it would be around 5 hours. This day with the heat everyone was moving just a bit slower. With that said, I think we waited on 3 tee boxes the entire day. So while the time shows that it was as slow round, the pace didn't feel it. If that makes any sense.

As for marshals. There were lots of grounds crews out on the course and you'd see a random person in a cart every now and then. Not sure if they were marshals or not.


Answer to number 2. Anyone can register. However if you are an out of stater, you can only reserve a tee time 2 days in advanced as opposed to 7. I highlighted the article with the method used to register and reserve a tee time earlier in the thread. However I will post it under this spoiler tag as well. Side note, not sure if it's the norm or not, but all guys in my group were charged the state rate, which was $80. I've read lots of accounts where they check ID's when you check in for your time and charge your accordingly. However that did not happen, they checked my ID and said 80 a person.

Spoiler

It's completely public. In fact it's run by the NYS Parks department.

Here is the webpage that really helped guide me to getting a tee time. http://www.golftripper.com/bethpage-tee-time-phone-reservation-system/

Below is the process they highlight,

Step 1: Get registered with the system – To do this you must fax OR mail a photo copy of your state driver’s license. In the blank part of the page you must write out, in CLEAR handwriting, all of the details on your drivers license in the event that the photo copy is not legible. The number to fax this is 516-753-0413 and the address is 99 Quaker Meetinghouse Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735. If faxing the registration you may dial 516-249-0701 and press zero to confirm that it went through and was received.YOU MUST ALLOW 72 HOURS FOR THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.
Step 2: Confirm your registration number – Each person will receive a 9 digit registration number. For New York State residents this is your 9 digit driver’s license number. For out of state visitors you will be assigned a 9 digit number. When you send in the copy of your drivers license you must also include contact information for their records, preferably an email address. Out of state visitors will be contacted with their 9 digit number to use in the system. If you are an out of state visitor and you have not heard back from Bethpage State Park after 72 hours of submitting your registration you may call 516-249-0701 to inquire about your registration status. After registering and being processed I strongly suggest calling the reservations phone number to make sure that your 9 digit number works and you are able to get into the system.
Step 3: Decide what day you want to play – Bethpage Black is closed at various times throughout the season so it is wise to make sure that the course will indeed be open for play on the day that you are planning to try to get a tee time. NOTE: The Black Course closes from around Thanksgiving until mid-April the following year.
Step 4: Smile and dial – New York state residents will want to call 7 days prior to the desired play day at 7:00PM Eastern Standard Time. For example, if you want to play on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday you will need to call in on the preceding Thursday, Friday or Saturday . . . 7:00PM SHARP. Out of state residents will want to call on Tuesday for a Thursday, Wednesday for a Friday, Thursday for a Saturday, etc. Be forewarned that there is a very high likelihood of hearing A LOT of busy signals and “all circuits are busy” messages before you finally get through. Keep plugging away at it and dialing as fast as you can.
NOTE: It is not necessary to wait for the automated operator to finish talking before pressing the buttons. Speed matters and you want to push the buttons to navigate your way through the system as quickly as possible. I strongly suggest doing a “dry run” several days in advance of when you will be booking to 1.)make sure that your 9 digit number is indeed in the system and 2.) so you can get familiar with the system.
Main Number: 516-249-0707
Once you are connected here is the sequence of numbers to quickly navigate the system:
Press 1 immediately – this gets you past the introductory message
Enter your personal 9 digit number followed by the # sign
Press 1 for being correct – this confirms you entered your 9 digits correctly
Press 1 to choose a course
Press 1 for Black
Press the number for the day you want to play – Sunday(1), Monday(2), Tuesday(3), Wednesday(4), Thursday(5), Friday(6), Saturday(7)
Enter the time you would like to play – 0800* is 8:00AM
Press the number of golfers – 1, 2, 3 or 4
If there are tee times available the automated phone operator will let you know and you can press 1 to confirm or 2 to cancel.
Once you have your tee time all you have to do is make sure your Great Aunt Hazel is available to play with you!

 

[Shankosaurus]

Answer to number 1: I told JB that the round didn't feel that long. In fact talking to Pete on the way home, we played a tournament round earlier in the year that was about 5hrs 45 minutes. When I told him that this round was only 20 minutes faster, we were both surprised. Bethpage is a very large course and walking only. I would imagine if they had a set pace for it, it would be around 5 hours. This day with the heat everyone was moving just a bit slower. With that said, I think we waited on 3 tee boxes the entire day. So while the time shows that it was as slow round, the pace didn't feel it. If that makes any sense.

As for marshals. There were lots of grounds crews out on the course and you'd see a random person in a cart every now and then. Not sure if they were marshals or not.


Answer to number 2. Anyone can register. However if you are an out of stater, you can only reserve a tee time 2 days in advanced as opposed to 7. I highlighted the article with the method used to register and reserve a tee time earlier in the thread. However I will post it under this spoiler tag as well. Side note, not sure if it's the norm or not, but all guys in my group were charged the state rate, which was $80. I've read lots of accounts where they check ID's when you check in for your time and charge your accordingly. However that did not happen, they checked my ID and said 80 a person.

Wow. They have always checked my id when paying. I guess I look unreliable.

I haven't played it in that kind of heat. I'm not sure I could make it around until I lose the 70 pounds I'm working off.