Tiger Woods' victory at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black helped reintroduce golfers to municipal courses.
The sign reads: "WARNING -- The Black Course is an Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only for Highly Skilled Golfers." Double-black diamond cautions are routine above a ski area's most challenging terrain, but a dangerous golf course?
Welcome to Bethpage Black, rated the no. 3 golf course in North America and home of the 2009 U.S. Open (June 18-21). When it first hosted the Open in 2002, the Long Island state park course helped spark a "muni revolution" that has elevated the status of municipally owned courses from their previous hard-scrabble image to some of most highly lauded courses in North America -- with some of the best tee-to-green playing values you'll find. In addition to this year's Open, munis will host the 2009 Presidents Cup, 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open.
For weekend golfers, that revolution can mean championship-caliber golf at duffer prices.
Back at Black
When Bethpage Black played host to Tiger Woods' Open victory in 2002, it was the first time in over 70 years that a muni hosted the tournament. The infamous 18 will again befuddle the world's greatest players at this year's national Championship.
"Everybody who played here knew this was a world-class golf course," recalls Joe Rehor, Bethpage's director of golf. "But it still took a lot of faith for the USGA to come in and work with the State Parks Commission."
The 2002 U.S. Open and Bethpage Black quickly joined Augusta and Pebble Beach in major golf tournament lore. When Tiger Woods outdueled Sergio Garcia over a record 7,381 yards before 50,000 raucous fans per day (The Masters' "patrons" these were not!), the "People's Open" was born.
The A.W. Tillinghast-designed "Black" had always carried cache among hardcore golfers, but the U.S. Open's success led many elite golfers, who'd previously dismissed munis as easy courses played by rank amateurs, to reconsider their local public 18.
"My Men's Club has 60 single-digit handicappers out of 100 members," Rehor explains, in defense of muni players. "You find me a private or semi-private club with that percentage."
A 30-year teaching pro, Rehor makes no apologies for the decidedly low-key Bethpage golfing experience, where eager foursomes overnight in their cars to capture early tee times.
