From the Editor

 

Bob Albright

Surviving "The Black"

“Now look behind you to where they are going to be teeing off from in the Open."

That was the constant refrain from two of my seasoned playing partners as I wound my way through the six and a half miles it takes to walk the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, the site of the U.S. Open later this month (June 18-21). The two players, who had played the course on multiple occasions, seemed to have the right idea, it is all about perspective. Daunting holes like the 554-yard par-5 13th do seem to lose a little of their edge when you gaze back another 75 yards or so from your perch on the blue tees to where they were busy grooming the launching pad for Tiger and Co.

Ever since the 2002 Open at Bethpage I had been intrigued with the demanding course. It was not just for the way Bethpage brought everyone except Tiger Woods to their knees, but just as much for the fact that the very next day guys with mismatched clubs and landscaping businesses could be found playing “The Black” while they broke down the grandstands and corporate tents in the background. It was indeed the first U.S. Open played on a truly public course. Anyone, I was told, could play Bethpage and it was not a Pebble Beach type of deal where you had to dip into your child’s college fund to do so. Instead, you just had to survive a night in your car or under the stars, follow the rules, and you could get on.

So, as we looked at the possibilities for our road trip feature for the June issue, a trip down to Farmingdale, N.Y., quickly rose to the top. There were just two questions: Could you really just show up two months before the Open and actually get a tee time the next morning? And, more importantly, given its ranking by Golf Digest as the sixth toughest course in the country, could a “mid-20s handicap” – like yours truly – actually play 18 without losing a season’s worth of Titleists and/or his mind?

To find out the answers to those and a myriad of other pressing questions check out both the story on page 31 as well as the audio slideshow on the North Shore Golf Blog. Hopefully, it will give you a little different slant on the site of this year’s most prestigious major. Better yet, here’s hoping it prompts you to gather a few good friends, pack a grill and cooler, and make the four-plus hour trip to Farmingdale. You will not be disappointed, regardless of what the final scorecard says.

I’ll see you out on the fairways,

Bob Albright
editor

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