Best Match Play Holes at Bethpage Black

To kick off Ryder Cup week, Garrett Morrison and Matt Rouches sat down to talk about a few holes at Bethpage Black that they think will be well-suited to match-play golf.

Garrett Morrison: Before we get into specifics, Matt, do you think certain kinds of holes fare better in the match-play format than others?

Matt Rouches: For a good match-play course, I look for features that make players think or create clear-cut outcomes. These can be cross bunkers right at that yardage where players can just barely carry or severely undulating greens that leave difficult two-putts or even multiple routes to get the ball to the hole. These types of features can create definitive lines between a good drive and a bad one, or a great approach and an average one, leading to lots of drama and fluctuation throughout the match.

Garrett: I agree. The more the course generates variable outcomes, the better. So a good match-play hole might provide multiple, clearly distinguished strategic options, or just create the potential for scoring variance through punitive hazards or severe contouring. In other words: get weird!

As Brian Schneider pointed out in the latest episode of Designing Golf, however, these kinds of features can make stroke play more compelling, too. The only real difference is that players are more willing to accept bold, unconventional design elements when they aren’t keeping track of individual scores of handicaps.

In any case, what do you make of Bethpage Black as a match-play course?

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Matt: Well, the greens really lack internal movement, so I could see the Ryder Cup becoming a putting contest. The relative lack of contouring in the greens will prop up those who are putting well, but also provide a great opportunity for players to recover more easily, resulting in fewer high numbers.

While heavily undulating greens would probably create a better distinction between good and bad, the Black does at least have some severe natural landforms, which may encourage some separation and interest on certain holes.

Garrett: Let’s hope. So what’s the first hole at Bethpage Black you’d like to get into?

Matt: The sixth. I think this is not only an awesome golf hole, but it also has a chance to force some interesting decision-making off the tee.

Right around 250 yards from the tee, a few things happen: large bunkers come into play, the fairway narrows in width, and the land dives down a hill. If the first player to tee off gets out of position, we may see a lot of layups to the range where the fairway is 10-plus yards wider and offers a flat lie to approach the green.

It may be naive of me to think every player won’t just smash driver over the bunkers and down the hill, but I’m hoping for some indecision off the tee.

Garrett: Six is an underrated hole, for sure. Probably better for amateurs who are just able to get it over the bunkers, though.

My first hole to look out for is a bit of a sleeper—No. 9. I think this is a really strong par 4 that, like No. 6, might pose some genuine questions off the tee.

One of the Black Course’s problems as a tournament venue is that a lot of its best strategic hazards—like the big diagonal bunkers on the fourth, fifth, and seventh holes—are no longer in play for elite modern players. The “Hell’s Half-Acre” bunker on No. 4 might actually be more of a factor on tee shots than second shots during the Ryder Cup, which is a depressing thought.

But on No. 9, challenging the bunker on the inside of the dogleg requires a carry of about 300 yards—child’s play for Rory and Bryson, maybe, but not for all of their teammates. If shorter-hitting (or simply tentative) players avoid the bunker and bail out to the right, they will be looking at a longish shot into a pushed-up, bunker-fronted green. They will also probably have an uneven lie, given the tilt and undulations in that portion of the fairway. Cool par 4.

What’s your other hole to watch for?

Matt: No. 15 is a no-brainer based on the hole itself and where it's positioned in the round.

This long par 4 is infamous—an absolute brute with its lengthy uphill approach shot. Missing in the rough off the tee makes your second shot a lot harder, since the green sits roughly 40 feet above the fairway. Plus, the green is fronted by deep bunkers and pitches strongly from back to front, meaning any miss makes for a difficult par. This hole could very well bring about a flip in momentum or definitive end in several matches later this week thanks to the severity of the land.

Garrett: If there’s one hole that defines the Black, it's 15. Low-ball-speed players need not apply.

Before wrapping up here, I’d like to touch on the two par 3s in the Black’s closing stretch—Nos. 14 and 17. A lot of matches could turn on these holes.

The 14th is the more benign of the two, tipping out at only 161 yards, with one of the biggest greens on the course. (In general, the par-3 greens at the Black Course are larger and less conventionally shaped than the others. This allows for varied pin positions and a broader spread of wear and tear.) But this hole seems to make players nervous, perhaps because the putting surface looks much shallower from the tee than it is. In the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka missed the 14th green long, leaving himself with a tough chip from the bottom of a sharp run-off. He made a bogey that could easily have been a double.

The 17th is a more straightforwardly stout hole, demanding a high shot to a shallow green benched into a ridge. I suspect the main story of this hole will be its atmosphere rather than its design. It sits in a natural amphitheater and will be surrounded by grandstands, so when close matches roll through, the decibel levels will rise. In a fun way, I hope.

And that’s really my number-one takeaway from Bethpage Black: as a tournament course, it has some weaknesses; as a tournament venue, it’s elite.