The sign for the Black Course at Bethpage Black – scene of this year’s Ryder Cup – is one of the most famous in golf.
And it leaves golfers in little doubt about what they’re about to face.
Beneath a big red ‘warning sign’, the 16 words read: “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.”
The scorecard for the Ryder Cup shows a par 70 reading 7,459 yards, the outward half 3,646 yards and the inward a daunting 3,813.
It’s a test from start to finish but what are the holes that will really stretch the talent and mental prowess of the 24 golfers playing in the biennial challenge between USA and Europe.
Golf365 picks out the hardest holes – three from each nine.
3rd hole – 230-yard Par 3
Average proximity for tee shots to the first ‘short hole’ on the course is 45+ feet, a rating which puts it in the toughest 4% of Par 3s worldwide.
It also has the highest 3-putt rate on the course (12%), the green sitting on a diagonal with sand left and a fall-off right.
It’s a stern test and par may well be enough to win the hole.
5th hole – 478-yard Par 4
This is the toughest par 4 on the front nine. A missed fairway on this dogleg right costs over a half a stroke (+0.59), due mainly to bunkers bisecting the landing surface.
The test doesn’t end there as this is the hardest green to hit on the entire course.
Only 37% of shots find the putting surface in two, the lowest rate on Bethpage Black.
7th hole – 524-yard Par 4
At 524 yards, the 7th is in the top 1% of worldwide par 4s when it comes to length.
The average approach is hit from 201 yards while it’s another hole where the Greens In Regulation rate is below 50%.
For this one it’s 46% while the chance of making a birdie (or better) is just 5.9%.
12th hole – 515-yard Par 4
This brutal dogleg left tied for the second highest scoring hole average (4.32) when Bethpage Black staged the 2019 PGA Championship.
It yielded a birdie rate of 6% in that major six years ago.
The 12th is another great example of a long par 4 that will test players to the hilt as even if they find the fairway, the long iron to what looks a tiny target is a huge challenge.
15th hole – 484-yard Par 4
An absolute beast of a hole if matches reach this far.
The fairway turns left but slopes right and the last 180 yards rise to a tough, elevated, two-tiered, fast-running green which is almost blind from the fairway.
Massive greenside bunkers add another layer of difficulty and bogey is almost certain if you don’t find the short grass from the tee.
It played as the toughest hole in both US Opens held at Bethpage Black (2002 and 2009).
16th hole – 490-yard Par 4
If 15 doesn’t get you, there’s every chance that 16 will.
Approach shots are played to an angled left-to-right green which yields a 45% GIR hit rate.
It’s in the toughest 10% of Par 4s worldwide and there’s a big penalty for finding the vast greenside bunkers.
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Article Link: Ryder Cup: The six most BRUTAL holes at Bethpage Black