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Any Bethpage Hints?

• TXBowhunter 82 Posts

  Tue, Jun 2 2009 9:21 AM

  Ok, so if you are like me, you have been obsessed with playing Bethpage.  What are some of the hints/pointers you would give based on your experience.

  Here are some of mine.

  1) Play a lot of backspin to get more carry out of drives, and to help stop on greens

  2) Play the wind to really move shots from left to right, and visa versa

  3) Make any put under 16'

  4) Stay out of rough at all costs....even lay up.

  5) On Par 3 #8, go one less club than you think.

   

  #2 is the bane of me!  It should be a birdie hole, but I just can't keep the darn ball on the big green.  Is that one made of green painted concrete?

• KeithMoonsGhost 9 Posts

  Tue, Jun 2 2009 10:03 AM

  couldn't agree more. the only thing i'd say is consistency is the key...every tiny mistake will be punishable in a big way.

   

  and you really need to nail every putt, which is so frustrating at times.

   

  Jess

• Keith35 20 Posts

  Tue, Jun 2 2009 11:24 AM

  Since so many people are having trouble with the BP Black I started working on sort of a guide on how to get a decent score here.  Keep in mind the best I have been able to do myself is a 69 but i definitely left a few out on the course so a great score can be done.  Just so you know I use a R9 driver and the rest of my clubs are tour starters.  Anyway this is my first try at writing a guide so any comments are welcome.

  Keith35

  Hole #1

  This is easiest par 4 on the course.  This hole always has a crosswind so aim your drive to land on the left side of the fairway.  Try not to miss the fairway to the right because the trees will give you big troubles. A 230 yard drive will leave you about 190 from the flag.  The pin is in the back left of the green, so with a good shot you can run the ball up close for a decent birdie try.

  Hole #2

  Now the fun starts. Fairly easy fairway to hit but can end up in the rough if you aim too far left.  Drive should leave you about 150 to 170 yards out from the elevated green. You might want to aim left of the flag here to avoid landing in the bunker in front of the green.  It is very hard to stop a ball on the green here. Most shots will run through the green leaving you a short chip (6-9 yards) from behind the flag.  The only way I have been able to stop the ball on the green is if I hit the rough in front of the green just right. This is a tough birdie hole but not too hard to par.

  Hole #3

  Long par 3.  The flag location is real tough to reach without an upgraded driver but with the standard driver you can reach to the green to the right of the flag and set up a long birdie put.  Even with the upgraded driver it is tough to stop the ball on the green leaving you a short chip but it can be done.  Tough birdie but doable.

  Hole #4

  Fun par 5. With the wind this hole is a decent birdie hole.  Your drive has to be just long enough so that you can reach the second section of fairway with you next shot.  If this hole is playing against the wind this can be real tough with the free club set and you might have to lay-up. Your second shot should leave you 100 to 120 yards to the pin.  The pin is in the front of the green and it slopes front to back so it can be tough to keep it close but you can get it close enough for a good birdie try most of the time.

  Hole #5

  This is a long par 4 with and elevated green that always plays downwind.  It is un-birdie-able unless you hole the approach shot and even par is a good score here.  The fairway is reachable with an upgraded driver but hard with the free one.  But it really doesn't matter if you can reach the fairway or not because you can't reach the green with your second shot either way. You will always have to lay-up at the end of the fairway whether you drove on the fairway or the rough.  So laying up will leave you about 90 yards to the elevated green. This is the key shot to this hole as you really need to stick this close to escape with a par. The green slopes big time back to front so try and land one close to the pin.  You should be able to par this hole most times.

  Hole #6

  This drive can be a little trickie with the wind but with practice you should be able to get one between the 2 bunkers. This leaves you with about a 170 yard approach shot.  You want to aim a bit left of the flag here to avoid the bunkers on the front right.  You should be able to get one in fairly close for a good birdie shot on a pretty flat green.

  Hole #7

  Another un-birdie-able par 4.  Everyone can reach the fairway here just don't try and hit it over the bunkers because you ain't gonna make it  :)  Your second shot should leave you about 120-140 yards out and its better if you aim for the left side of the fairway with this shot for a better approach.  Again you need to nail the third shot to get your par which you should be able to do about half of the time.

  Hole #8

  Easiest hole on the course.  Grab you 175 yard club, check the wind and put one within 3 or so yards.  You should be able to birdie this hole most times.

  Hole #9

  Tough par 4.  Drives end up a lot of the time on the far left of the fairway due to the slope.  From here it is very hard if not impossible to make the green so I lay-up 90% of the time to the end of the fairway, left side if you can.  Even if you get luck on the drive and reach the green with your second shot, you will never be close enough to the pin for a decent birdie shot.  Most time you will regret trying for the green in two so I rarely bother.  After laying up you will be left with about a 70 yard shot to the flag.  The green is pretty flat so you should be able to get par here most times.  Birdies here will be very rare!

  Well that is the front nine. With some luck and a lot of practice you should be able to par or even get to -1 on these holes.  I'll Work on the back nine in a couple of days.

• xdawg12 9 Posts

  Tue, Jun 2 2009 1:26 PM

  Here is my gameplan:

   

  Hole #1

  Hit perfect drive.  Hit perfect approach.  Miss putt.  Throw hands up in the air and wonder what sick joke God is playing on you.  Get a JD and Coke. 

  Hole #2

  Realize that you will never finish this round under par.  Get a JD and Coke.  End the game and invest your time in something less frustrating like insanely hard Sudoku or Ken Ken puzzles.

   

• TXBowhunter 82 Posts

  Tue, Jun 2 2009 1:52 PM

  Keith,

  Perfect summary of the front 9.  Absolutely perfect.

• KeithMoonsGhost 9 Posts

  Wed, Jun 3 2009 6:19 PM

  really good stuff that Keith, thanks for posting...the fact i'm relating to your tips must mean im doing something right. just gotta grind a few less bogeys out.

• Keith35 20 Posts

  Thu, Jun 4 2009 10:27 AM

  Well I finally had some time to complete the BP Black guide, so here you go.  And BTW thanks for the positive comments  :)

  Hole #10

  OK, forget thinking about any birdie here, this is the one hole that the fairway is pretty much unreachable with any club, even the R9.  Once in a while if you have a favorable wind, you can get one to just eek out onto the fairway but that is rare.  The good news is that it really doesn't matter if you make the fairway or not because you can't reach the green with your second shot no matter what you do with your drive. So on your second shot just grab your old 3 wood and hit it on down the fairway as far as you can.  This shot should leave you about 100 to 120 yards from the pin.  Try and stick a short iron close and make your par which is fairly easy on this flat green.

  Hole #11

  Relatively easy par 4 here.  Just drive it down the middle or a bit to the right side for the best approach to the pin.  This will be around a 200 yard second shot to the green but it slopes a lot back to front so don't be afraid of landing one close to the pin. Being long here is much better than short. Birdies here should be fairly easy.

  Hole #12

  Another un-birdie-able par 4 that can't be reached with 2 shots.  So just like 5,7,9 and 10, put your 3rd shot close and try and escape with a par.  Fairly flat green here so you should make par most times.  Watch your putt swing meter here.  It tends to start at 60ft a lot for some reason and that can really mess up your round if you don't catch it.

  Hole #13

  Looooooong Par 5 but all in all a fairly easy hole.  Your third shot to the green should be in the 130 to 150 yard range.  I don't recommend going right at this flag as there is to much trouble close.  I prefer to aim a little left and a little long here to be safe.  The green is pretty sloped here but you should get a decent shot at a birdie.

  Hole #14

  Second easiest hole on the course.  You can go right at the flag but DON'T be short.  This green will test your putting skills as it is very sloped. You need a birdie here most times.
   
  Hole #15

  Ah, the last of the unreachable par 4s. See holes 5, 7, 9, 10 or 12 on how to proceed  :)  Third shot club selection can be a little tricky because of the elevated green but the given club works most times.  You don't want to be short here and you can land one close to the pin because of the severe slope back to front. One of the tougher greens to putt, grab a par and consider yourself lucky.

  Hole #16

  This long hole is reachable in two with the upgraded driver and a tail wind, but even if you don't reach you should only be left with a short chip to the pin.  The green is fairly sloped making this a tougher birdie hole but one you should par.

  Hole #17

  Long par 3 but reachable with a 3 wood.  Green is pretty sloped so stopping the drive near the pin should be no problem.  Going a little long here is better than short.  Fairly easy birdie hole.

  Hole #18

  I hope you don't need a birdie here to qualify because birdies here will be few and far between.  Put your drive down the left side of the fairway for the best approach to the green.  Your second shot here will be in the 180 to 190 range and going right at the pin will be very hard to pull off.  In using enough club to get over the bunkers on the right, you will never be able to stop the ball on the green.  Your best shot at birdie is to aim left of the flag and try an nail a 30 footer or so for birdie or just be happy with your par.

  
  Well that's it!  Good luck on qualifying and I hope this guide helps but not enough that it knocks me over the cut line  :)

• seniorbruno 797 Posts

  Thu, Jun 4 2009 11:44 AM

  Nice job, Keith. If only it were that simple. I shot 70 on my third try and it's been downhill since. When the putting senitivity changed it killed my scoring. But I want to ask your advice on #4, the par 5. I hit two perfect woods and had 75yds left, six mph at my back. I chose the 75yd club(54degree) and hit it perfect, w/ full backspin.  The ball landed 5 yds short of the pin and rolled 16 yds, leaving me an 11 yd putt. Nice backspin,huh?  I've been close one time on this hole and the ball caught the rough in front and rolled on. So how do you play it?

• xdawg12 9 Posts

  Thu, Jun 4 2009 7:46 PM

  This course is not for anyone who has not invested the buck to buy the tour driver.  Seriously, it is a world of difference.  I was struggling to break 80 until I broke down.  The next round I shot a 72, and side from 1-putting from 30 feet, I would say the difference was all in the drives.  Run, don't walk, RUN to your wallet and shell out the greenback for that club!!!

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Fri, Jun 5 2009 5:14 AM

  seniorbruno:

  I hit two perfect woods and had 75yds left, six mph at my back. I chose the 75yd club(54degree) and hit it perfect, w/ full backspin.  The ball landed 5 yds short of the pin and rolled 16 yds, leaving me an 11 yd putt. Nice backspin,huh?

  Hey Seniorbruno,

  You have to keep in mind that it is a fairly big uphill shot from that distance, so the shot will play naturally longer and have less effect from the backspin, cancel some of that with the wind at your back and the distance is about right, so what I think happened to you is that you landed too short on the green and got the downhill slope of the green that kicked you 11 yards past.  It happens to me all the time.  You are lucky when you are less than 10 feet past the hole here.  My advice here would be to land the ball, at the furthest, 2-3 yards before the hole, then you will see more backspin.

  Lee