RYDER CUP
WATCH ONLINE Every Hole at Bethpage
BEASTS OF BETHPAGE The Black Course tests players physically in match play, as with the 457-yard par-4 15th, all uphill.
tunities for recovery on misfires. Other tees throughout the design can be al- tered so that players will have to react to their opponents and the situation of their match. Because of the tee-box limitations at Bethpage, that course has less flexibility – its holes are designed to be long and difficult. The par 5s, num- bers four and 13, need to be as lengthy and challenging as they can be, but an intriguing option would be to move the markers as far forward as possible at holes like two and, especially, 18 to try to tempt players into going for the green with carries of around 315 to 325 yards. GREAT GREENS Putting is as important a component to winning holes as driving and iron play. It follows that great matchplay courses should possess fascinating, challeng- ing green contours. The only way to truly test the putting acumen of the best players is through a world-class set of rolling or sloping greens like at Augusta National or Oakmont, where two-putting can put as much strain on the psyche as hitting narrow fairways. Of all the courses in Golf Digest’s top 50, Bethpage (No 38) likely has the least distinguished set of greens. Though
ment introduces a range of landing zones, putting added emphasis on ad- aptation and decision-making. Part of the head-to-head calculus is selecting the correct club based on the standing of the match and what the opponent has just done – the wider the range of targets, the tougher the choices. Adjustable setups also factor heav- ily in foursomes, where teammates alternate shots. Setups that irregularly alternate between very long and shorter holes require strategic forethought into pairings and the order of who hits the tee shots. If courses can mix these com- binations up daily, the pairings become a puzzle. Even though par values don’t matter in matchplay, the psychology of a hole changes when a routine par 5 is set up as a formidable par 4. Most courses that host major matchplay events already have at least one par 4 that’s reachable from the tee, but an adjustable setup can throw a twist at the competitors if a usually long two-shot hole is presented as driveable. The par-4 eighth and ninth holes at Cypress were fascinating to watch. Both reachable from the tee but requiring high-risk shots that present dire oppor-
US team struggled: Le Golf National in France, where the narrow fairways demanded pure accuracy, and Marco Simone in Italy, which presented op- portunities for power players to cut cor- ners and aggressively shape big carries. Cypress Point, on the other hand, is vulnerable to power. It was listed at 6 620 yards (6 053 metres) for the Walker Cup and in normal conditions, the amateurs pushed drives well down the fairways to set up wedges and pitch shots into most par 4s. The brilliance of Cypress Point, ranked number three for over a decade on America’s 100 Greatest Courses, was never predicated on it be- ing long. Players work to score by navi- gating the tilting fairways through the maze of Alister MacKenzie’s bunkers and with precise approaches into small, heavily sloped greens. Some competi- tors were tempted to bomb away, but more birdies came not because of driver distance but rather savvy, risk-taking and crafty short games. ADJUSTABILITY The ability to keep players off balance hole to hole and day to day is essential to great match-play courses. Length adjustment through tee-marker place-
62 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
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