Ryder Cup: 5 important things we learned about Bethpage Black

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Just as there is no place like the Ryder Cup, there is no place in the golf world like Bethpage State Park. Bethpage State Park is a huge property located in the middle of Long Island, just on the border between Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The park is proud to offer the public five outstanding golf courses that demonstrate what golf is all about. With over 300,000 rounds played annually, you can see that New Yorkers love this place too. But one course that stands out above the rest is the all-around black course, which is always brought up when discussing North America's most challenging courses. The US Open was held in 2002 and 2009, won by Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover, respectively. Brooks Koepka also won the 2019 PGA Championship, the most recent major tournament for a Black player. This is also the first time the PGA has been held in May. All three of these majors proved difficult, with only a combined nine players finishing the week under par.

But preparations are now underway for next year's Ryder Cup, which Bethpage Black will host for the first time. The public will also show up in droves, as New Yorkers everywhere smile with pride as The People's Country Club hosts American and European delegations.

Crowds in New York tend to be more hostile than friendly. See how it rains boo birds. yankees Whenever the Bombers fail to live up to expectations. Nevertheless, the home crowd will see plenty of glamor for the Americans next year as the Black Course will be decked out in red, white and blue. Every time this AW Tillinghast design hosts a major tournament, the atmosphere is truly emotional. That's it, and in 2025 the U.S. hopes to take back the Cup from the Europeans.

So without further ado, here are five key things we learned about the 2025 Ryder Cup: logistics, course setting, and how organizers plan to create an unprecedented First Tee experience.

5. PGA of America is working with local agencies to avoid Solheim Cup-like disasters

Logistics are key to hosting a successful golf tournament, especially in the New York metropolitan area, which more than 20 million people call home. To that end, representatives from the PGA of America and Bethpage have been meeting almost weekly with leaders of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to discuss strategy and schedule for next year's Ryder Cup.

Since then, Solheim Cup turns out to be a logistical nightmarerecent conversations have revolved around avoiding such disasters. So the MTA, which operates the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), has agreed to run dozens of trains from Penn Station and Grand Central in the early morning hours to ensure fans arrive at the course in time for the opening tee. Guaranteed. shot. Visitors take the train to Farmingdale Station and then take the shuttle bus to the main gate.

But what makes the Ryder Cup so different from the U.S. Open or PGA Championship is that a lot happens at dawn. Early bird for everyone involved, especially fans who want to arrive early to secure a good spot. This explains why the PGA of America has come to the forefront to ensure the MTA has enough LIRR trains available.

4. Bethpage Black doesn't show her teeth.

Photo credit: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

There's a reason this sign hangs proudly on the first tee. Yes, the Black Course is that difficult, but it won't be played that way in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Andy Wilson, manager of the Black Course, explained, “There will be more birdies than bogeys at this tournament.''

“That's what this tournament is really about. It's all about more action, more back-and-forth between teams. That's why I'm excited about this tournament, because in every tournament so far, the players They're trying to break par and I'm trying not to let them break par and get up on the course.''

The mower cuts down the thick rough that lines the fairways to about 2.5 to 3 inches. This is much shorter than the 5 inches that everyone is used to. The rough will still be healthy and thick, but there will be fewer penalties than we've seen in previous major championships.

The green speed remains the same, at about 13 on the stimpmeter, or what Wilson calls “championship speed.”

However, this course serves as a great match venue. The routing itself never ceases to amaze those who play it, and is always challenging and intimidating to those who step into it. But he probably won't play as tough as the majors.

3. Keegan Bradley made slight changes to the course.

Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images

No one on the PGA Tour knows Bethpage Black better than Keegan Bradley, who played the course hundreds of times during his days at St. John's University near Queens. It is his de facto home course. So Bradley, who will be captain of the U.S. team next year, wants to focus on America's strength: driving distance.

Because so many American players routinely hit drives 330 to 340 yards and hit most greens with wedges or short irons, Bradley asked Bethpage Black to widen some fairways. . He wanted to give his players more space and be able to play more aggressively from the tee, which he hoped would give them an advantage over their European counterparts. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Ludwig Oberg can also hit the ball far.

Bradley asked the park to widen the fairways of the 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th in exchange for 15 to 20 yards of healthy rough. Most notable is the 11th fairway, which is about 20 yards wider than before. Other changes include widening the fairway bunker on the par-5 13th to make it more suitable for the modern game while reducing penalties.

Bradley also wants to start playing the par-3 17th from the middle and forward tees. He wants the PGA to build a grandstand surrounding the penultimate teeing area, which stands atop the championship tee. Because the 17th tee box is adjacent to Round Swamp Road, tournament organizers have no choice but to move the teeing ground slightly higher to accommodate this potential spectator area. This hole is a difficult hole of any length and is the toughest par 3 on the course. So unless you're European and surrounded by deafening crowds of Americans, this change won't have much of an impact.

2. The biggest Ryder Cup in history

Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday via Getty Images

Bethpage Black is located about 30 miles east of midtown Manhattan, so next year's Ryder Cup will have the largest corporate presence in the event's history. More than 350 companies have already signed on to set up hospitality tents lining the 15th, 16th and 17th fairways.

More than 50,000 people are expected to visit the Black Course during each day of play, an impressive number considering only four matches pass through the course at a time. Demand for tickets for next year's Ryder Cup is also skyrocketing as the PGA of America was forced to introduce a lottery system. The organization expects that about 10% of all users who request access to tickets will be able to purchase them. Registration for this access will close on October 22, 2024, 48 weeks before the start of the Ryder Cup.

If you're lucky enough to get a ticket, you'll receive free food and non-alcoholic drinks as part of your package. This makes visiting the concession easier, but also significantly increases prices. Tickets for Friday are currently on sale for about $500. Still, demand for this championship in the New York area is so high that tickets will run out quickly and many will be watching from home.

1. The opening tee shot is insane.

Bethpage Black's par-4 first hole will play 397 yards in next year's Ryder Cup, but by all accounts it can only play about 330 yards. That's because Black's opening hole is a sharp dogleg to the right, hiding the green. Beyond the clump of trees that menace you from the tee.

However, given the nature of team match play, it is possible for one player to attack this green while another player goes short and lays up toward the fairway. Fireworks are definitely going off through the gate, but not just because of the hole itself.

In recent years, the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup have all collaborated on building large structures around the first tee. A stadium-like atmosphere like no other sets the tone for the day. Fans sing and chant, cheering on their favorite players while booing their opponents. The players accept that too.

The problem with the first tee on the Black Course is that it backs up to the veranda behind the clubhouse. All bricks, the famous “warning sign” or the starter shed adjacent to the teeing ground cannot be moved. So, with the American PGA Bethpage officials came up with another idea instead..

They decided to build a new tee at the bottom of the hill to the left, much closer to the 18th green.

As a result, the huge grandstand that has become familiar to Ryder Cups will wrap around the 1st tee and 18th green, creating an unprecedented atmosphere for fans. The approximately 6,000 spectators who will fit in these stands will be able to watch the players begin and end their rounds if the match reaches the 18th green. Granted, only 25-30% of matches do that, but it still creates an incredible atmosphere.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.