Step onto the hallowed grounds of Bethpage Black with this exclusive hole-by-hole breakdown from two of golf’s most insightful voices. Forget the screaming headlines and shallow analysis; this is a deep dive for the serious fan who craves genuine insight. With statistical and factual analysis, our hosts dissect the strategic nuances of each hole, from the risk-reward par-5s to the brutally difficult par-4s, revealing why this legendary course separates the good from the great. Get ready to gain a new appreciation for the precision, power, and mental toughness it takes to conquer Bethpage.
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Okay. So, so now let’s just let’s do something really interesting because if you don’t mind, I’d like to take I’d like you as a player to take us through Beth Page, okay? Because you played that course a couple of times. I played it once. I never want to play it again because it was the most aggravating experience of my entire life. But let’s start with the first hole, which plays about 430 yards. It’s a par4. What do you see on this hole? Yeah, it’s a dog leg, right? And this is driver for everybody. Everybody’s going to be sending driver up towards the screen. And to me, it’s it’s a crime if we don’t send out if we don’t send out Bryson first and let him just send this T-shot at the green. Um, this is it plays downhill about 20 yards and a dog leg. So, to the front edge is only about 350 uh three, you know, something like that to the front edge, which is uh which Bryson is very capable of hitting. But you’re going to see everybody hitting driver. You’re going to see a lot of birdies right out of the gate on number one. It’s a short it’s a short hole. Guys are going to be chipping into the screen and and so right out of the gate, you’re going to see action. All right. What about the second hole? One of the shorter par4s out there. 389 yards. Yeah, I think it I think it’s it might be the shortest. Uh but this is an iron off the tea dog leg left. You’re just looking to put something in the fairway and then from there um you’re hitting into another another hole that I feel you’re going to see guys score on. So, right out of the gate, you got you’re going to have guys hitting wedges into the greens and you’re going to you’re going to see birdies made on the first two holes at Beth Page. All right, then the first par three is the third hole playing about 200 yards. It says it’s the easiest hole on the golf course. Does it play like it? Yeah, this is going to be five between a five and a seven iron depending on where they put this uh put the uh the T’s and then also where they put the flag. Um but yeah, I’ve never felt like this was a crazy hard green to hit. It favors a guy that hits a draw pretty well bunkered. Um but yeah, a solid hole. Now, but this is when you start to get into um you know, places where you got to start stepping up and hitting some really quality shots. All right, then we will go into the first par five, uh the fourth hole, playing about 572 yards. And this is interesting, Tony, because it’s a par five, and it’s the second toughest hole on the golf course. Yeah. Yep. The reason is uh you you have to you can only hit it about 300 yards off the tea here. So, you’re going to see guys hitting like three wood, five woods, and then you have a long iron into a green that’s really well bunkered. And if you’re not hitting it high and soft, it’s impossible to hold this green. So, that’s going to be the biggest issue for guys um is is is hitting the fairway first, but the second shot, the green runs away from you. You know, it’s an opposite of of what a normal standard golf course would be. It’s not back to front. It’s actually front to back. And so when you’re hitting a four or five iron into a green that slopes front to back, you really have to hit it high to hold the green. And so you’re going to see a lot of good second shots here. Roll over the back of the green. And then it’s just about the guys short game to get up and down. Yeah. I think this you’re going to see birdies and eagles. You’re going to see birdies and eagles there though. Yeah. Yeah. And then we get to number five is just a beast. About 400 480 yard par4. Yeah. It’s extremely difficult driving hole. um to hit this to hit this fairway, you’re going to have to have your best stuff. The fairway slopes left to right. So again, maybe favors somebody that hits a draw to kind of hold the fairway. Um but this is a hole. If you don’t hit the fairway, it’s a layup because it’s guarded by 80 yards of rough leading up to the green. And then again, a really hard green to hit. It slopes back to front and left to right. Um so this is where you’re going to start seeing some some maybe some uh groups start to separate themselves. you’re starting to hit really high quality shots in some of these holes, you’ll start to take it um you’ll start to win some of these holes even with a par. All right, then we get to the sixth hole, which is another uh sort of standard length par4 about 410 yards. Yeah, this is one of the very few um blind t-shots you have at Beth Beth Page. The guy’s going to be hitting to a fairway that’s, you know, 10 to 15 yards below where the T- box is and a really weird angle. The T- box is hard left and it slopes and the fairway slopes right to left. Um but yeah, another one you’re you’re going to see guys hitting driver, but you’ll also see guys hitting Woods off the tea and then very well bunkered as you can see. Um turtle back type of green. So anything in the middle of this green is going to be good. You’ll see some birdies, but you’ll also start to see uh some some big numbers over the last couple holes. And then seven, I think, is going to play as a par five, 550 yards. Yeah, this is probably the most most scorable hole on the front. Um, you know, you’ll have guys like Bryson and Rory taking it over the corner here and and hitting only like an eight iron or a seven iron into this green. So, uh, everybody can get there and a pretty lenient fairway from what I remember. So, you’re you’re going to see a lot of action here. Guys are going to make birdies, guys are going to make eagles. And this is a point in the match where um you really you really want to start uh uh gaining a lead as we move into the back move into the back nine. Okay. Then we get another par three in the eighth playing another about 210 yards is what the scorecard says. Yeah, 210 yards, but it plays, you know, 7 to 10 yards downhill. Um the right side of that green is guarded by this tree. uh just need a high high quality mid iron uh to hit this green and if you hit it short of the green, you know, there is a hazard there. So, very well um bunkered and and very very well protected. But this is this is a hole. If you make a birdie, you’re probably going to win. You’re probably going to win number eight. And then you finish up the front nine with just a gentle handshake of a hole. Just a 460 yard par4. Yeah, this is this is a hole. Again, you have to hit the fairway at Beth Paige. Um, that’s the most important thing. Um, but you also have to hit it with some length. This is a hard dog leg right to left. And again, a hole that I think just favors guys that draw the golf ball. Start it right at the bunker and and turn it over. Um, and then you have a green that’s again very well bunkered and a turtle back green. But this is a whole because guys hit it so far these days. You know, I still remember hitting wedge, nine iron into this green, even a gap wedge. And so guys will guys will make birdies on this hole. Some guys will, not most of us watching. Uh then the the back nine starts with a you know I remember this hole the first time they played the US Open there. It just it seemed like impossible just to find the fairway. That’s how long this hole felt. Playing about 600 yards par five. Yeah. Yeah. No, this is actually a par four. Um about par four. I’m sorry. Yeah, it’s a par four. My apologies. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it’s it’s 500 to 510 yards. Everything you can handle here. It’s a it’s it’s far. It’s long. It’s straight. It’s narrow. Really all the hardest things in golf. This hole is you’re going to see a bunch of pars win this uh win this in singles. You’re going to see pars win this in baseball. And for sure pars win this in in alternate shot. It’s that it’s that tough of a hole. Um so this is where Beth Page really starts to show its teeth. I feel like is on the back nine and and right out of the gate is going to kick you in the teeth right on number 10. And then we get to what I think is the heart of the golf course. 11, 12, and 13. 11th is a 435 yard par4. Yeah, this is one where guys uh will be laying back with uh with fivewoods, you know, something that’s, you know, you just want to hit something between 250 and 280. So, a lot of guys that’s going to be a three iron to a 3-wood. Um, and then this is a hole that I actually see guys making some birdies. You’re going to have wedges into this green. It’s a really tricky green, especially the back pins. They’re really hard to get back to cuz you don’t want to hit it long. Um, but I still see this whole yielding uh yielding some birdies for these guys. Uh, and then we get uh to number 12, which is uh another long par five, par four, excuse me. 500 yard par 12. Yeah, 12 in my opinion is the hardest hole on the course. Um, it’s a hard T-shot. It’s it’s, you know, your ball’s kind of landing over the bunker there. Um, and it’s just a it’s just a hard hole. There’s no, you know, you have to hit the fairway. After you hit the fairway, um, it’s not a guarantee you’re going to hit the green and most likely you’re going to be hitting a mid to long iron into this green. Um, so everything you can handle. And then we’ve got 13, the last par five out there. It’s probably going to be close to 600 yards. Yeah, no doubt. Um, this is where, you know, it really gets uh dicey, really gets really fun, but uh again, a premium on on hitting the fairway. This is that famous two iron tiger hit, you know, where he has that club twirl and and hits it right to the middle of the green uh in 2002 when they had the US Open there. But this is the hole that uh that Tiger made famous because of that two iron. Um but guys are going to guys are going to be able to get there if they hit the fairway. really hard to hit the green into two, but uh because it’s a par five, you know, you’re still gonna see guys um make some birdies here. Yeah, I remember watching the T- balls in 2002. Like, how could they even find the fairway of the the T- box was that far back and then we got a a sort of a little a little breather kind of a short par three on 14. Yeah, it’s a breather uh as far as length, but because of the way the green is shaped, um it’s a it’s not it’s not an easy it’s not an easy hole. This is a a green that moves again front to back and so you’re going to need, you know, your distance control and spin control dialed in here if you’re going to want to hit this green and hit it close. And then we get to the finishing stretch starting with a 478 yard par4. Yeah, 15 to me is the second toughest hole on the course. Um hard fairway to hit and if you were to hit the fairway, it’s still a hard second shot to hit the green. Um this is just patent uh Beth Paige, you know, hard hard T-shot, hard second shot. Um if you’re able to hit two really good shots to the middle of the green, you you’re going to have a putt with a lot of slope. Um but par is a par is a fantastic score here on 15. Yeah, number one handicap score a hole on the card. And then 16. Uh we get to another adventure here. Yeah, dog leg left downhill t-shot. Uh again, kind of a blind t-shot just in that you’re hitting, you know, 20 yards, 15 20 yards downhill. Um, but this is the point of the match where things really um, you know, you really start to pucker up and you got to hit some shots. You know, if you’re getting to hole 16 and in match play and especially out of RDER Cup, that means the the match is tight and you’re going to have to step up and hit some shots and it’s everything you can ask for right here. You have to hit a straight T-OT and then you’re going to have a mid to short iron in and uh, you got to execute to the best of your abilities over the last couple holes, 15 and 16. Yeah. And then 17 is another long par three. Yeah. 17 is a lot of matches are going to be made and uh you make or break here. It’s a tough tough It’s not an incredibly hard green to hit, but it’s tough to hit it close. They’re going to be guarding these pins um you know, front right, back left. You just have to be really precise to hit it close. And it’ll be really, really fun to watch guys down the stretch play this hole. As you can see, it’s a narrow green. Even though it’s very wide, it’s a very narrow green. So, you know, five, six, seven irons into this green. Um, you’re going to have to be real precise with the yardage. It’s going to be fun watching these guys come down the stretch though here with the with this tough 17 hole. Yeah, absolutely. Then 18 is just a you know, it’s a little uphill 410 yard par4. I there’s so much strategy that would go into this hole depending on on how the matches get here because you know if you if you’re if you’ve made it to 18 the match is close and you’ve really got to be strategic when you see all that bunkering. That’s right. That’s exactly right. Just you just have to hit this fairway that you know that’s the bottom line. Um I can’t say I’ve played this hole great over the years because of how tight it is. I just hit the driver because I’m like, I want to be able to make one good swing and make the hole a lot easier. If I hit the fairway with the driver, it’s a wedge. Um, and so that’s always been my strategy. But it’ll be really interesting to see. I see guys hitting four irons to driver there. Um, but guys are so good with their driver these days that I just I do still see guys just hitting driver off 18 and and again trying to make it easy. But this is going to be a hole that’s going to make or break the RDER Cup and uh going to be so much fun to watch these guys come down the stretch and and just see if they can make some birdies.
