Bethpage State Park
| Bethpage State Park | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Old Bethpage, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°44′N 73°28′W / 40.733°N 73.467°WCoordinates: 40°44′N 73°28′W / 40.733°N 73.467°W |
| Area | 1,476 acres (597 ha) |
| Created | 1932 |
| Operated by | New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Status | Open all year |
Bethpage State Park is a 1,476-acre (5.97 km2) New York state park on the border of Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island. The park contains tennis courts, picnic and recreational areas and a polo field, but is best known for its five golf courses, including the Bethpage Black Course, which hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Golf Championships.
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[edit] Geography
The park is located almost entirely within the hamlet of Old Bethpage. In 1936, the adjacent hamlet of Central Park changed its name to Bethpage.[1] Following this name change, the hamlet originally called Bethpage resisted suggestions that it merge with the new Bethpage, and got approval from the post office to change its name to Old Bethpage, though it did not have its own post office until 1965.[2] Bethpage State Park remained so named, leading some to mistakenly believe that the park is located mostly in Bethpage.
[edit] History
The late Jesse Merritt of Farmingdale, Nassau County Historian, convinced Robert Moses to name the park "Bethpage State Park" after the 15-square-mile (39 km2) tract of land purchased by his ancestor Thomas Powell in 1695 from three Native American tribes.
The Long Island State Park Commission opened the park in 1932 after the State of New York acquired the Benjamin F. Yoakum Estate. The Green Course, then known as the Lenox Hills Country Club, designed by Devereaux Emmet, was completed in 1923 as part of the Lenox Hills subdivision at the northern edge of Farmingdale Village. By 1936, three more courses opened, designed by A. W. Tillinghast under contract to the Park Commission; a fifth (the Yellow Course) was designed by Alfred Tull and opened in 1958. The park has picnic facilities, bridle paths, playing fields, a polo field, tennis courts, cross-country skiing trails, and hiking and biking trails including one leading south to Massapequa, but it is best known for its golf facilities.
[edit] Golf at Bethpage State Park
| Bethpage State Park | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Bethpage, New York |
| Established | 1936 |
| Type | Public |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | U.S. Open (2 Times) |
| Designed by | A. W. Tillinghast |
| Par | 70 (2009 U.S. Open) |
| Length | 7426 yards (2009 U.S. Open) |
| Slope rating | 140 |
The park has five eighteen-hole golf courses, named (in increasing order of difficulty) the Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, and Black Courses. In 2002 the Black Course became the first publicly owned and operated course to host the U.S. Open. The tournament was won by Tiger Woods, being the only golfer to score under par for the tournament. The Tournament was seen as one of the most difficult and exciting U.S. Opens in history,[citation needed] breaking attendance records and creating a boisterous atmosphere for the U.S. Open. Bethpage Black also hosted the 2009 U.S. Open, which was won by Lucas Glover.
Prior to 2002, all U.S. Opens had been staged at private golf or country clubs or at privately owned resorts that, while open to the public, were very expensive for the public to play, with greens fees of several hundred dollars per round. The USGA's choice of Bethpage was seen as an egalitarian move; as of 2010, Bethpage Black's weekend price for 18 holes was $75 for New York State residents, and $150 for non-residents. There are a number of ways for golfers to secure a round on the always popular Black Course. To register for a tee time, guests must have their driver's license on file with the park's reservation system. Note that New York residents can reserve a tee time seven days in advance, while out-of-state residents can only reserve tee times starting at 7:00 pm Eastern Time two days before the intended date of play. Walk-ups are also accepted, although this option often requires that golfers wait in line in the parking lot through the night.
[edit] Rankings
In its July 2008 list of America's greatest golf courses, Golf Digest ranked Bethpage Black #26 overall, [3] #6 in the state of New York,[3] #6 of America's 50 toughest courses,[4] and #5 in its list of America's greatest public golf courses.[5] It is also the top-ranked course in the Golf Digest list that is operated by a governmental entity.[5] The PGA lists Bethpage Black as one of its top ten 'World's Most Beautiful Courses' list.[6]
[edit] Major tournaments hosted
| Year | Tournament | Winner | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | U.S. Open | Tiger Woods | 277 | –3 |
| 2009 | U.S. Open | Lucas Glover | 276 | –4 |
[edit] Polo
The Polo Grounds at Bethpage State Park offers a 900 ft x 400 ft field with bleacher seating. The field was built in 1934 and has seen both high and medium goal polo. Polo at the Park is hosted by Country Farms Polo Club at Bethpage State Park. Polo is played every Sunday from June through September. The 1994 U.S. Open Polo Championship was hosted by the Meadowbrook Polo Club and the finals were played at Bethpage State Park.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Metropolitan Area Loses One of Its Central Parks" ($ PDF $). NY Times. 1936-10-03. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F00F14F6345B1B7B93C1A9178BD95F428385F9.
- ^ Kellerman, Vivien (1996-08-18). "A Hop, Skip and Jump to Life's Amenities". NY Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E0D71431F93BA2575BC0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ a b "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses 07/08" (PDF). Golf Digest. May 2007. http://www.golfdigest.com/images/rankings/gd200705100greatest.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "America's 50 Toughest Golf Courses". Golf Digest. March 2007. http://www.golfdigest.com/rankings/courses/toughest/2007/gd50toughestcourses?currentPage=2. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- ^ a b "America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses 07/08" (PDF). Golf Digest. May 2007. http://www.golfdigest.com/images/rankings/gd200705100greatestpublic.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
In this context, "public" means a course that is open for the public to play, as opposed to a private club. - ^ "World's Most Beautiful Courses". PGA. http://www.pga.com/play/wmbc/. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ Ketcham, Diane (September 18, 1994). "Long Island Journal". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/18/nyregion/long-island-journal-250988.html. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
[edit] External links
- New York State Parks: Bethpage State Park
- LongIslandGolfNews.com: Bethpage State Park Golf
- Golf Club Atlas: Bethpage Black Course
- NY-NJTC: Bethpage State Park Trail Info'
- Polo: Polo at the Park'
