Guide to Bethpage
1 430 Yards
Par 4
Straight away, the player is faced with a choice: bomb it off the elevated tee, taking on the dogleg right, or play safe with a three-wood, leaving around 160 yards to the green. The front of the green has a severe slope, which could lead to balls spinning off.
2 389 Yards
Par 4
The shortest of the par fours, and arguably the easiest. Although the fairway is only 22 yards wide, most players will only be hitting a rescue club or fairway wood. However, the approach is played to an elevated green – relatively flat and firm – and most will view this as one of the few genuine birdie opportunities.
3 232 Yards
Par 3
A new tee has been added since the 2002 US Open, making this the longest par three on the course. The green is a diagonal, guarded by three bunkers, and finding the centre is the safe play.
4 517 Yards
Par 5
Where once players were forced to think twice about going for the green in two, the USGA’s decision to remove trees behind the greens has turned this into a risk-reward hole to encourage greater risk-taking. It can be played conservatively, with players strategically avoiding the fairway bunkers, but most will be tempted to go for the green.
5 478 Yards
Par 4
One of the toughest holes, players must take driver with a 260-yard carry to clear the centre of the giant cross bunker. Drives down the left will lead to problems on the approach, as a huge oak tree overhangs the left of the small green which has two bunkers in front and one at back.
6 408 Yards
Par 4
Decision time again, with the option of driving over the bunkers to a downhill slope that – providing the player finds the fairway – will leave a short pitch to the green; or players can lay up, leaving a downhill approach to the green.
7 525 Yards
Par 4
This is the longest par four in US Open history, and players will need driver for this dogleg right. The fairway has been widened down the right to challenge players to take on the dogleg, although oak trees await any pushed tee-shots. Players will hit hybrids or long irons for the approach to a green guarded by a deep bunker.
8 210 Yards
Par 3
This hole will use two elevated tees – one at 135 yards, the other at 210 yards – but the challenge will be similar. The green nestles beside a large pond and, once on the surface, a deft touch will be required on greens running at 13.5-14 on the Stimpmetre.
9 460 Yards
Par 4
Ranked as the easiest par four in 2002, this is now a tough dogleg left (a new tee has added 40 yards) and a new bunker on the corner means a carry of almost 285 yards. Players can bail out to the right of the bunker on what is the widest fairway on the course, but it leaves a long approach.
10 508 Yards
Par 4
In 2002, a lot of players couldn’t even reach the fairway. This time, the USGA has cut the fairway 36 yards closer to the tee – reducing the carry from 260 to 224 yards – and the tall grass behind the green has been removed, giving players a chance if their approach goes through the green. In front of the green are bunkers and a deep swale.
11 435 Yards
Par 4
An exposed hole, the tee-shot is played to a blind fairway with deep bunkers on either side. This hole is mainly about the green, with one nasty pin position on the front likely to see a number of putts roll off.
12 504 Yards
Par 4
This is the first time in the US Open a course has three par fours over 500 yards. This is the last of them, with a carry of 250 yards to clear a bunker on the elbow of the dogleg. The green is the largest on the course, with a pronounced tier separating front from back.
13 605 Yards
Par 5
The longest on the course, but statistically one of the easiest in 2002. It is reachable in two for the longer hitters, although a new bunker 35 yards short of the green will make players think about the second shot.
14 158 Yards
Par 3
This green has been enlarged, with a new “tongue” on the front left offering new pin positions. A bunker to the left has also been added, but it should still play as the easiest of the short holes.
15 459 Yards
Par 4
This slight dogleg left has the potential to be the toughest hole, with the approach to an elevated, two-tiered green that slopes from back left to front right. It is the start of an extremely difficult run for home. Expect many approach shots to spin back off the green into bunkers.
16 490 Yards
Par 4
The tee-box tends to make players aim left (where high rough awaits any pulled shot), but the safer route is down the right. The green is guarded by deep bunkers that partially obscure the view on approach shots.
17 207 Yards
Par 3
Regarded as a AW Tillinghas
special, with the green surrounded by sand traps, the tee-shot is played uphill to an hourglass-shaped green which is mostly blind to the players. They will be hitting anything from five-iron to rescue club, depending on conditions.
18 411 Yards
Par 4
Clusters of bunkers on either side of the fairway demand accuracy with the driver, but the reward for finding the landing area is just a wedge or nine-iron to the large, elevated green, bunkered left and right.
