Bethpage Black Caddy Book

Hole	Information	Overhead
1 Par 4 Handicap 8 Distance Green	The opening hole requires a choice right off the bat - lay back with something less than a driver or challenge the rather severe dogleg right. The front third of this putting green is severely sloped back to front, which will likely bring balls played short and with spin back to the very front of the green. Bethpage Notes Hole 1:
2 Par 4 Handicap 16 Distance Green	At 389 yards, the 2nd hole is the only par 4 measuring less than 400 yards. The ability to curve the ball off the tee around the large oaks will be of great benefit in widening the fairway. The green is perched up on a ridge, so only the top half of the flagstick is visible for the short-iron approach shot. Bethpage Notes Hole 2:
3 Par 3 Handicap 18 Distance Green	A new teeing green has been added since the 2002 U. S. Open, making this hole the longest par 3. At 241 yards, the third plays to a diagonally-set green effectively making it fairly shallow in depth. Recovery shots require a great touch since the putting green falls off in all directions. The putting green itself is relatively flat. Bethpage Notes Hole 3:
4 Par 5 Handicap 2 Distance Green	Perhaps Bethpage's best hole in terms of beauty strategy, the fourth is a par 5 measuring 517 yards. This is a birdie hole that will give players options. It can be played conservatively as a three-shotter or may be challenged in two. The green, which slopes front to back away from the player, is not particularly receptive to approaches from the lower drive zone. Bethpage Notes Hole 4:
5 Par 4 Handicap 4 Distance Green	At 478 yards, the par-4 fifth will be one of the toughest holes. The downhill tee shot is played to a fairway that sits at a slight left-to-right diagonal. Tee shots must hug the right-side cross bunker in order to not be blocked by large, overhanging oaks left of the hole. The green is relatively small and slopes back to front. Par is a good score here. Bethpage Notes Hole 5:
6 Par 4 Handicap 10 Distance Green	Most players will lay-up their tee shots to the top of the hill overlooking the green. This will leave mid-irons to the green that sits some 50 feet below the drive zone. However, the USGA converted the hillside from rough to fairway since 2002, allowing for the option to drive to the bottom of the hill. This par 4 should yield a fair amount of pars and birdies. Bethpage Notes Hole 6:
7 Par 4 Handicap 6 Distance Green	With a new teeing ground that added 36 yards since 2002, the 525-yard seventh will play as the longest par 4 in U. S. Open history. Long irons and hybrids will be used for approach shots to a green that is closely guarded by a deep bunker on the front right. Par will be an excellent score on what will likely be the toughest hole on the front nine. Bethpage Notes Hole 7:
8 Par 3 Handicap 14 Distance Green	This downhill one-shotter will likely end up being the most exciting of the par 3s. The hole location in the front requires players to carefully consider just how aggressive they want to be with their tee shots. However, conservative play off the tee will call for a deft putting touch coming back down the hill to the front portion of the green. Bethpage Notes Hole 8:
9 Par 4 Handicap 12 Distance Green	No tee shot has changed more since 2002 than the one at the ninth hole. Since Reese Jones' installation of a new teeing ground some 40 yards back and a new left bunker, most approach shots will now be played from a severely sloping right-to-left lie to a green that is mostly blind. The putting green is fairly large and flat. Bethpage Notes Hole 9:
10 Par 4 Handicap 9 Distance Green	At 508 yards, the 10th is one of three par-4 holes measuring more than 500 yards - a first for any U. S. Open. A slight dogleg to the left, the hole's location on the course exposes it to the wind - and also exposes errant tee shots to the fine fescue grasses in the rough. Deep bunkers guard both sides of the drive zone. A par on this hole will be a very good score. Bethpage Notes Hole 10:
11 Par 4 Handicap 11 Distance Green	Like the 10th, this straight-away, 435-yard hole is out in the open and exposed to the winds. The tee shot is played to a somewhat blind fairway with deep bunkers guarding both sides. The mid- to short-iron approach shots must be played beneath the hole. The putting green is one of the Black Course's most difficult, sloping steeply from back to front. Bethpage Notes Hole 11:
12 Par 4 Handicap 7 Distance Green	The last of a difficult three-hole stretch, this 504-yard par 4 played as the second hardest during the 2002 U.S. Open. Landing the fairway from the tee is crucial as there is commonly a left-to-right prevailing wind against The putting green is one of the largest on the course, but has a pronounced tier separating the front and back of the green. Bethpage Notes Hole 12:
13 Par 5 Handicap 3 Distance Green	At 605 yards, the 13th is the longest hole on the course but still reachable in two shots by longer-hitting players. The bunker that appears to front the green is actually about 30 paces short, allowing for run-up approaches. The green slopes generally back to front Birdies and even eagles are a possibility, but overly aggressive play may translate into bogey. Bethpage Notes Hole 13:
14 Par 3 Handicap 17 Distance Green	At 159 yards, the 14th is the shortest and should be the easiest of the four par 3s, A miss short will likely take birdie out of play while a miss long over the green will almost certainly take par out of the equation. The 14th is still a birdie hole, but a mediocre tee shot may make par challenging. Bethpage Notes Hole 14:
15 Par 4 Handicap 1 Distance Green	At 458 yards, the slight dogleg 15th is not the Black Course's longest par 4, but it will likely again be the toughest hole for the U.S. Open. Finding the fairway off the tee will be crucial to having a realistic chance to reach the green in regulation. The 15th putting green is without a doubt the scariest on the course as it slopes severely from the back left to the front right. Bethpage Notes Hole 15:
16 Par 4 Handicap 5 Distance Green	This gentle dogleg left 490-yarder Is played from high up on a teeing ground that overlooks the entire hole. The green is guarded by deep bunkers that partially obscure the view on approach shots. The putting surface has "bowl-like" features on the right and left, making both recovery shots and putts a challenge. Bethpage Notes Hole 16:
17 Par 3 Handicap 13 Distance Green	The 207-yard 17th plays uphill to an hourglass-shaped putting surface that is mostly blind from the teeing ground and is surrounded by deep bunkers. The putting green is very wide but relatively shallow in depth and is bisected by a ridge that separates two distinct tiers. The 17th is sure to be an exciting hole that might greatly impact the outcome on the final day. Bethpage Notes Hole 17:
18 Par 4 Handicap 15 Distance Green	The home hole provides a dramatic finish. The downhill tee shot on this 411-yard par 4 gives the player a choice-lay up short of the deep cluster of bunkers or be more aggressive off the tee and attempt to drive his ball between or beyond the bunkers. The uphill approach shot is played to a blind putting surface that cants from back to front. Bethpage Notes Hole 18: