Little Known Bethpage Black Facts

Posted by doug

June 14, 2009

bethpage black1 Little Known Bethpage Black Facts

* Only walking is permitted

* The Black is one of five 18-hole courses at Bethpage State Park, the largest public golf facility in the country.

* Robert Moses, president of the Long Island State Park Commission, brought in A.W. Tillinghast to design the courses, although parks superintendent Joe Burbeck is credited as the architect, with Tillinghast as the consultant.

* Bethpage State Park was developed from an estate owned by the Yoakum family and other properties. The Yoakum family leased their estate to the Lenox Hills Corporation which subsequently used the property to build the Lenox Hills Country Club.

* In the early 1930s, the Bethpage Park Authority purchased the Lenox Hills Country Club and other adjacent properties to build what we now know as Bethpage State Park.

* All of the work on these four courses (Black, Red, Blue and Green) was performed by a WPA (Works Progress Administration) labor force of over 1,000 men who completed the Red, Blue and Green courses in 1935 and the Black course in 1936.

* The Black opened in 1936. The price for a state resident is $50 during the week, and $110 for out-of-state players.

* Rees Jones was given the responsibility of restoring the course to its former glory prior to the 2002 U.S. Open. Work commenced in July 1997 and the course re-opened in June 1998.

* Approximately 300,000 rounds are played annually on the five courses at Bethpage, all of which start from the Clubhouse area.

bethpage black Little Known Bethpage Black Facts

Additional Facts and figures for the 109th U.S. Open golf championship:

Location: Farmingdale, New York
Course Length: 7,426 yards
Grass: Ryegrass (tees, fairways, rough, greens)
Par: 35-35—70.
Format: 72 holes of stroke play.
Cut: Top 60 and ties, and anyone within 10 strokes of the lead after 36 holes.
Playoff, if necessary: 18 holes of stroke play on June 22.
Field: 156 players (142 professionals, 14 amateurs)
Purse: TBA ($7.5 million in 2008).
Winner’s share: TBA ($1.35 million in 2008)
Defending champion: Tiger Woods.