N.Y. GOLF
Don’t fret, Bethpage golfers, the bad greens are only temporary.
At last count, there were 19 temporary greens on the five courses at the Long Island golf mecca, including eight on the fabled Black Course, which just 22 months ago played host to the U.S. Open.
Dave Catalano, Bethpage State Park’s superintendant, last week blamed it all on the cold, nasty weather this past winter but confirmed that all five courses are in “full recovery mode.”
“It’s the worst since I’ve been here,” said Catalano. “We had winterkill – extensive ice damage for quite a period of time.
“Without getting too technical, it was a buildup of carbon dioxide and other gasses in the soil. But the greens are overseeded and aerated. All we need is some sunshine, warm weather and as little traffic as possible.”
On the Black Course, superintendant Craig Currier and his staff roped off the infected greens at the first, second, fifth, sixth, ninth, 14th, 16th and 18th holes.
To give golfers their money’s worth, temporary greens were installed in front of each of the greens.
“They’re puttable,” Catalano said. “Craig has done a good job cutting into the fairways to make a smooth putting surface.”
One hole on the Black – the par-3 14th – is closed entirely. In its place, the par-5 13th was divided into two holes – a short par 3 with a temporary green and a par 4 that plays to the 13th green.
On the Blue Course, you’ll find “temps” at 8, 9, 12 and 18. On the Red, temps are in use at 9, 12 and 18. The sixth and 14th greens are closed on the Yellow, while the Green has damage at 3 and 6.
Still, getting a tee time on the Black is not easy. A call to the reservation line on Thursday night yielded only a 3:15 starting time available for a Sunday foursome. Though the holes aren’t as challenging as normal, the Black remains a bargain for $31 weekdays, $39 on weekends.
“People have been understanding and extra supportive,” said Catalano. “They’ve seen all what we’ve been doing for the past seven years.”
Despite all the temps, Catalano says play at Bethpage has been steady.
“We’re actually ahead of last year’s numbers,” he said. “Play on the Black Course is down. Last year we sold every tee time but that’s not the case right now.”
Weather permitting, Catalano said all greens will be open as soon as possible.
“Blame the weatherman. We’ve had a terrible spring again,” he said. “All we need is for the seeds to germinate and grow.
“We expect a full recovery, but it’s in nature hands.”