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Bethpage Black Hole by Hole Guide

By: | Mon 13 May 2019


This week's 101st PGA Championship is being contested at the fearsome Black Course at Bethpage State Park, Long Island, New York. Having previously hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, many of the players will know what to expect from this prodigious layout. We take a closer look at each of the holes that will stage the quest for the Wanamaker Trophy.

1st, 430 yards, par 4: A severe dogleg right where a more aggressive tee shot requires precision before an approach to a narrow, sloping green.

2nd, 389 yards, par 4: Dogleg left with a green perched on a ridge and a relatively flat surface. There will be lots of birdies here.

3rd, 230 yards, par 3: The longest of the par threes. The green is set at an angle and recovery shots require a great touch as the green falls off in all directions.

4th, 517 yards, par 5: Before the 2009 US Open the area behind the green was changed to make it less likely that shots roll down the steep hill. Trees behind the green were also removed.

5th, 478 yards, par 4: A downhill drive to a fairway that sits at an angle. There are large oak trees to the left and the small green sits on a ridge.

6th, 408 yards, par 4: The green sits 50 feet below the driving area, but the hillside is now fairway and that allows for the option of driving to the bottom and leaving a short pitch.

7th, 524 yards, par 4: This hole was the longest par four in US Open history in 2009. The fairway has been widened on the right, but oak trees protect the corner of the dogleg right.

8th, 210 yards, par 3: The green now comes right up to the pond at the front and the yardage could vary on a daily basis. Anything coming up short will roll back into the water.



9th, 460 yards, par 4: A new tee is 40 yards back and with an added fairway bunker most approach shots will be played from a sloping lie to a blind green.

10th, 502 yards, par 4: Deep bunkers guard both sides of the drive zone, but the fairway was brought back closer to the tee in 2009 because of problems at the 2002 US Open. Length will still be a factor as the green is fronted by bunkers and a deep swale.

11th, 435 yards, par 4: A hole that is usually exposed to the winds. The fairway is blind with deep bunkers guarding both sides and the green is one of the most difficult, sloping from back to front.

12th, 517 yards, par 4: Play to the right of the deep cross-bunker and leave yourself a long approach or try for a 260-yard carry. The prevailing wind is against and the green has a pronounced tier. There could be some big numbers here.

13th, 608 yards, par 5: A monster, and the only par five on the back nine with deep bunkers to the left of the fairway. Two good shots will set up a birdie chance, but one bad shot will be punished.

14th, 161 yards, par 3: The green was enlarged in 2009 to allow three new hole locations, including one on a new front-left tongue. A new back tier also requires precise distance control.

15th, 459 yards, par 4: A dogleg with a two-tiered green sitting 50 feet above the fairway. The putting surface slopes severely from back left to front right.

16th, 490 yards, par 4: Played from a big tee, but the green is guarded by deep bunkers that partially obscure the view on approach shots

17th, 207 yards, par 3: The hourglass-shaped green is mostly blind from the tee, has two tiers and is surrounded by deep bunkers.

18th, 411 yards, par 4: Either lay up short of the bunkers on both sides of the driving area or be more aggressive and attempt to drive between or beyond them. The uphill approach is played to a blind putting surface


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Tags: us pga PGA



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