Browsing: Black

The first thing you notice while playing Bethpage Black is the price. At $78 for in-staters, it may be the best bargain in golf.

The second thing you notice is the volume. Bethpage Black is only open for about 200 days per year, but during those 200 days, the golf never stops. Golfers tee off from morning until night, a ceaseless march that batters the sod and boggles the mind. Golfers at Bethpage Black are “like planes at an airport,” the maintenance workers like to joke, an analogy that makes more sense after a morning spent taxiing for takeoff on tee boxes and greens while golfers clog the jetway in front of you.

For many years, the only real mystery around the Black Course was how you managed to snag a tee time. Rumors circled the fairways about “family friends” who could get any tee time they wanted, while the transition to an online tee time system required only a rudimentary knowledge of coding to hack. For the first few years of the online system, tee times disappeared in milliseconds — a reflection either of Bethpage’s inherent demand or a system rife with bad actors, depending upon your worldview and knowledge of Python.

Now, though, that appears on the verge of changing. On Tuesday afternoon, the New York State Parks Service sent an email to golfers announcing the creation of stringent new procedures around tee time bookings aimed at stamping out “bots” and other bad actors. The new changes, which will go into effect on Thursday, Oct. 9, will enforce a new “2-step authentication/booking code” requirement — effectively ensuring that all golfers who book a tee time on the online system are real human beings.

The new system will require all those looking to play one of Bethpage’s five public courses to type in a code sent via email at the time of booking in order to secure their time. Each new booking will require a new booking code, which will be sent via email.

The changes mark the second time in 2025 that Bethpage has enhanced security around its tee time system. In April, the park announced stricter cancellation rules and the upfront payment of a booking “fee” (previously part of the greens fee paid at the time of playing) to discourage customers from booking many times at once. Those changes made a noticeable positive impact on tee time availability, even in the midst of a historically busy playing season (even by Bethpage standards) ahead of the Ryder Cup.

Still, some critics argued that the booking and cancellation changes enacted in April failed to go far enough to cut off bots and other nefarious actors. Under the new system, these critics argued, bots were disincentivized,but they were not actually removed, and would not be until the park enacted a “ReCaptcha” or 2-factor system ensuring all bookers were human beings.

Now, in October, Bethpage has reached for those exact changes, with the unstated goal of removing as many bots from the platform as possible, and returning the “People’s Country Club” to the people.

The timing couldn’t be much better. Bethpage is fresh off a historically busy playing season — even by its own bloated standards — with some wait times for overnight, parking-lot tee times on the Black Course stretching to two days, the longest in many a Bethpage lifer’s recollection.

Of course, an international spotlight was part of the allure of bringing the Ryder Cup to Bethpage. The tourism dollars the event has and will continue to bring to the state are prolific.

But, to paraphrase Spider-Man,with great volume comes great responsibility. Even at the Black Course. And maybe especially at the Black Course.

WWE

Damian Priest laid down the challenge to Aleister Black to square off in a Last Man Standing match during next week’s “WWE SmackDown.”

Priest and Black have been feuding for the past couple of months, having first faced one another to a non-finish on August 1. Prior to Black’s attempt at the United States Championship against Sami Zayn on Friday night, each man had last faced one another in singles action on September 5, with Black getting the win on that night.Â

After Black had lost the title match on Friday, Priest appeared in a backstage interview segment with Cathy Kelley; she asked how far he was willing to take their feud, only for them to be interrupted by Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson, continuing his exchanges with Priest as a “figure of toxic masculinity.” But Priest ensured that Wilson, in a wheelchair from their last meeting, he would not be a distraction for too long after shoving him back down in his chair and disposing of him.Â

After that, he resumed his interview with Kelley, answering that he would take things as far as they need to go, before making the challenge to Black for their Last Man Standing match. The bout was made official with an announcement ahead of the main event of “SmackDown.”

Source link

I spent the week at Bethpage Black covering this year’s Ryder Cup. It was, at different moments, inspiring, ugly, deafening, silent, raucous, joyous, tense and absolutely thrilling.

After a day to reflect (and a full night’s sleep!) I flipped back through my notebook. Here are 10 scenes I’ll take with me.

1. “There’s only oneeeee Shane Lowry”

The songs still stuck in my head tell the story.

Europe will own the soundtrack of the Ryder Cup for the foreseeable future; it’s hard to imagine that advantage flipping unless American golf fans start spending a lot more time in European soccer (or football, choose your own adventure) stadiums. It doesn’t matter that the Ryder Cup only comes along every two years; Team Europe’s fans can launch into song and get full buy-in from the surrounding crowd before they reach the second line. And don’t take my word for it. Just ask Justin Thomas:

“Yeah, the chants — I don’t know how the Europeans do it. It’s really impressive, to be honest. I don’t know if there’s like a group text of 10,000 people that they just come up with these things, but they’re pretty awesome and impressive,” he said early in the week. He added this detail:

“Our daughter’s name is Molly, and the amount of times I had that Tommy Fleetwood chant stuck in my head and both Jill and I have caught ourselves singing ‘Mol-ly,’ right along to the ‘Tom-my’ song…”

The Tom-my Fleet-wood chant

That’s a good place to start, with the anthem of the Cup’s highest points-getter, Tommy Fleetwood, whose catchy chant just goes:

Tom-my.
Tom-my, Tom-my.
Tom-my, Tom-my.
Tom-my, Tom-my FLEET-WOOD.

And then it goes again. And again. Fans deployed the same chant early and often for the similarly syllabic Ro-ry Mc-Il-roy, though you have to elide his surname a bit.

Rory McIlroy — he’s in your head

Speaking of McIlroy, this was the loudest song (and most layered in meaning — he was in everybody’s head). To the tune of the Cranberries’ “Zombie”:

He’s in your heeaaaad
In your heeeeead
Ro-o-ry, Ro-o-ry, Ro-o-ry, ry, ry

Shane Lowry’s song

And then there was the emotional heartbeat of the team — and the man who retained the Cup:

There’s only oneeeee Shane Lowry!
Oneeeee Shane Lowry!

Europe’s on fire…

Finally there was this now-classic, which echoed around Marco Simone in 2023, to the tune of Gala’s ‘Freed From Desire’:

Europe’s on fire
USA is terrified
Europe’s on fire
USA is terrified
Europe’s on fire
USA is terrified
Europe’s on fire
Hoo!
Na na na na na na na na na na na na…

The song absolutely rips. It has an interesting history; it’s from the 90s but has seen a resurgence in the last decade as an anthem across European football (or soccer) stadiums (and elsewhere) for years, so it’s hardly a Ryder Cup exclusive. But when I went back to read those original lyrics, they seem particularly fitting for this European team’s mindset…

…my love has got no money
he’s got his strong beliefs
Want more and more
people just want more and more
Freedom and love
what he’s looking for…

A few more European sing-song highlights, most (all?) of ’em borrowed from other stadiums:

As the first-tee crowd got quiet:
Is this a library

As Europe built a massive lead:
Caaan we play you
Can we play you
Can we play you every week

As Europe got five points up:
Shoes offfff
If you’re five points up

As the Americans started filing out:
Is there a fire drill

The home crowd, on the other hand, had a few notable misfires, including:
-A series of cringey first-tee chants
-An overreliance on “U-S-A,” which inevitably peters out if there’s nothing really happening
-Their emcee getting booted after chiming in on a round of “f–k you Rory”
-On Friday and Saturday mornings, AFTER the cringey first-tee chants, the first-tee music was cut off for long stretches beginning at 7 a.m. ET to avoid interrupting NBC’s ‘Breakfast at Bethpage’ show, hosted by Colin Jost, which was airing live off the right side of the tee. This was a bit of a vibe-killer.

Worth noting: The best first-tee vibes for the home team actually came on Sunday, despite the U.S. team down seven points. The sun was out, the stands were full, the music was blasting. The peak came when Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy came out to the Killers’ Mr. Brightside, which seemed to hit a real sweet spot for the crowd.

2. The enraged, caged fans

By now you’ve read and probably watched videos of the Saturday afternoon atmosphere on course, particularly around Rory McIlroy’s group, so you hardly need my confirmation. But here it is anyway: yeah, it was nasty. There are two lines you shouldn’t cross as a golf fan — don’t get personal when someone’s family is literally right there and don’t interfere with someone’s actual golf shot — and fans raced across both. I joined the McIlroy/Lowry vs. Thomas/Young group near the end of the front nine and when I arrived, everyone who’d been walking with them — families, vice captains, support staff, media members — looked a bit shell-shocked by just how toxic the atmosphere had gotten. Things got marginally better once security presence increased, but it was still a different tenor than anything I’ve heard in the better part of a decade in this job.

Why was it so bad? I think it’s fair to start with [gestures at the comment section of any post on any form of social media] the general temperature of our cultural discourse and the way we’ve gotten use to talking to each other. But it’s also worth unpacking the mechanics of why this match and this session, specifically. I was a hole ahead of this group at one point and started to understand things a bit more clearly.

The home team was getting drubbed, so fans didn’t have much to cheer for. There were tens of thousands of fans on course and only four matches, which meant people weren’t able to see much and they were on edge. A segment of those fans had been drinking all day. And McIlroy’s group came through first, which meant that every hole he and Lowry arrived at, they encountered fans frothing at the mouth; they’d been waiting for two hours for this moment and got ready to unleash the nastiest invectives they could think of. McIlroy is the most famous of the Euros and has lived his life in the public eye; he also likes to give it back to the fans as he is, in his words, “quite an impulsive character.” As a result he can end up as both lightning rod and blast shield.

Rory McIlroy on crowd behaviour at the Ryder Cup:

“Look, I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf has the ability to you unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons.… pic.twitter.com/in1S2HOulx

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) September 29, 2025

Sunday was a far happier scene because none of the above was true. Fans didn’t start drinking early in the morning given the first tee time was at noon, both sides had something cheer for, there were 11 matches on the course instead of just four, Rory McIlroy was third out instead of first, etc. etc. There was still plenty of hostility. But I’m sure there are lessons to take from the mechanics of the matches that could limit the level of toxicity going forward.

3. The thrown beer

I was standing directly behind the 17th green on Saturday some 20 minutes after that McIlroy / Lowry match finished when Rory and his wife Erica came racing back down the hill to cheer on the Euros in the remaining matches — and to celebrate with the European fans. One particular group of supporters was in full celebration mode, embracing the fact that, with a day still to go, the Cup was essentially already theirs. (Or so it seemed at the time.) McIlroy dished out a few high-fives to a group of revelers who’d been dancing and singing and then, as he turned away, something happened: a drink came flying from the crowd, ricocheting off the front of Erica’s hat.

It was clearly a jarring moment for Erica and for Rory and for the entire Euro support staff, and with good reason — as bad as these personal insults were, “we’re throwing beers” marks an acceleration to an entirely different level of hostility. To their credit, nobody escalated the scene and they moved on, no doubt disturbed. But here’s the thing, and I’m cautious to even bring it up because I don’t want to be dismissive of the rest of scene: It’s actually still a little tough to tell how intentional this was. I was standing with my coworker James Colgan and we rewatched the video, zoomed, slowed down, over and over. The drink hadn’t technically been thrown; it had been slapped out of somebody’s hand from the middle of that Euro contingent. That leaves us with two possibilities:

a. The beer was hit intentionally in the McIlroys’ direction. This seemed pretty likely in real time and still seems pretty likely given the way it flew directly at them; it would be a strange coincidence for an accidental hit.

b. The beer was launched either by accident or just with excitement but wasn’t intended to fly towards either Erica or Rory.

Which was it? I genuinely have no idea. I don’t want to downplay the fact that somebody appeared to have tossed a beer at a player and/or his wife. I also think it’s possible it was an unfortunate accident. Does it matter? Yes and no. There was so much other nastiness happening around them that it’s not like this was a make-or-break incident. Still, it’s nice to stick to the truth, where we can. And the truth is that, in this case, I’m not quite sure — even standing right there.

4. Europe’s response

First there was Europe’s on-course response; their play showed that poking the bear isn’t always the right move. McIlroy and Lowry responded by ham-and-egging their way to a fist-pumping, fiery victory, and behind them Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose took it to the high-wattage American duo of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau in a match that included a near dust-up between players and caddies and about a thousand feet of European made putts. They finished the session 3-1 to open up a seven-point lead on the way to singles.

Then there was the off-course response. McIlroy was measured (for once) in his comments post-round when asked if things had gone too far outside the ropes.

“It’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not,” he said. “I’m just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”

Lowry said he’d embraced it all.

“Yeah, it was intense. It was like something I’ve never experienced. But this is what I live for,” he said. “This is it. This is, like, honestly, the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this. This is what I love doing. I love being a part of this team.”

Rose, too, wanted the focus on the match and the quality of the golf. “Yeah, I’m really disappointed that this has to be the talking point at the end of a really cool match. The level of golf was incredible,” he said.

“Very happy with how strong our team is, the firepower they have, the intensity. It kind of the anti-fragile mentality,” Donald added. “Things got tougher out there, and it fired them up even more. They were able to get better through those difficult moments out there. That is what makes me most proud as a captain, just their ability to take the punches and come back even stronger.”

It was the perfect response. They didn’t cry foul — even though they would have been justified in doing so. Instead they focused on themselves and the pride they had in each other.

In the words of the slightly less subtle Curt Schilling: “I’m not sure I can think of any scenario more enjoyable than making 55,000 people from New York shut up”.

5. Scottie’s pick-me-up

It was unfathomable to see World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who’s been winning at an historic clip, start the Ryder Cup 0-4. On Sunday, after he’d picked up a point against Rory McIlroy, he admitted just how tough it had been on him, too. But it was telling to hear how much he’d leaned on his teammates Saturday night to move past it.

“This week did not go how I anticipated it going for myself, and I’m a little bit bummed, but these guys on this team, they picked me up when I needed it last night, and we’ve got a great team,” he said, choking up after logging his first point on Sunday night.

Scheffler expanded on that answer in the team’s press conference.

“I can’t tell you how much I needed these guys this week, and it’s just a really special group,” he said. “It was probably one of the lowest moments of my career, but it turned out to be one of the most special just because I’ve got great friends in this room and I was really proud to be battling with these guys for three days.”

6. Xander’s pump-up speech

Enough American players referenced this in their post-round interviews that it must have left an impression. On Saturday night, down an historic margin, Keegan Bradley delivered a pump-up speech — and Xander Schauffele added a clear message: Play to the whistle.

From DeChambeau: “I just thought back to what Xander said: ‘It’s not over till the whistle blows.’ And I wasn’t willing to give up for this team.

From Cameron Young, after his win: We said we’d play to the whistle, and it looks like the guys are doing that now.

From Justin Thomas:

7. Bryson’s run

As the U.S. began its impossible charge on Sunday afternoon, Young made an inspired birdie putt at 18 to win 1 up, and Thomas made another to also win 1 up, and DeChambeau made a clutch par putt to complete a 5-down comeback. And then, as the rest of the U.S. contingent hopped into golf carts to rejoin the action some holes back, DeChambeau waved off a cart driver and took a full-adrenaline sprint down the length of the par-4 18th. It felt like a release of sorts, a moment of relief after days of tension and disappointment. Now the comeback was on, there was hope in his heart and there was the satisfaction of knowing he’d done what he could to help.

The good news is his run was mostly downhill. But 400-plus yards is a long way to go at full speed, so when DeChambeau hit the uphill back by the 18th tee box, he finally accepted the help from a passing cart.

8. Viktor’s neck

I’ve seen various viral posts basically implying that Viktor Hovland was faking the injury that kept him out of Sunday singles, some of them joking but some presumably not. Whatever you may think of the Envelope Rule (which at this point probably is antiquated, and also seems particularly silly in this exact situation, when one side needs a massive comeback and every half-point is precious), there’s no way that Viktor Hovland would have voluntarily sat out of a singles match. After all, before he was a last-minute scratch on Saturday afternoon he’d played 13 of a possible 13 sessions in his Ryder Cup career.

Also, Hovland was out supporting Team Europe on Sunday afternoon and a couple times I saw people wish him well and he’d do the thing you do when you’ve messed up your neck where you stiffly turn your entire body just to rotate a few degrees left. Get well soon, Vik.

9. Erica’s defense

There were countless meaningful moments in the European winner’s press conference, but as always it felt like McIlroy was the main character; he fielded the most questions, his eyes tearing up more than once as he basked in the satisfaction of a sixth Ryder Cup win.

Since the 2023 Ryder Cup McIlroy has made it clear what means the most to him as he nears 20 years as a professional; that short list includes winning at meaningful venues, winning another major (preferably the Masters) winning an away Ryder Cup. This year he won at Pebble Beach and at TPC Sawgrass against big-time PGA Tour fields. He won at Augusta National, completing the career Grand Slam in the process. He added on an emotional win at his home Irish Open. And then he went 3-1-1 at Bethpage Black to win his sixth Ryder Cup.

But it was a particularly touching moment to hear him talk about his wife Erica, given she was the target of so much abuse at the hands of the fans. McIlroy plays golf at a superhuman level and he’s been a celebrity for more than half his life, but this was a particularly human moment as he spoke about Erica and his teammates chimed in behind him.

McIlroy: “It should be off-limits, but obviously it wasn’t this week. Erica is fine. She’s a very, very strong woman. You know, she handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has. I love her — and we’re going to have a good time celebrating tonight.

Justin Rose: “Can I just pick up on that, if you don’t mind, because I actually had no idea that Erica had a beer thrown at her yesterday, so fair play to Erica. She didn’t bring that to the team room. We didn’t make that a big deal. That’s news to me. That says a lot about the strength of Erica and everybody on this team.”

Shane Lowry: “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing and the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”

10. Luke’s shampoo

I’ll start this final point by acknowledging that every point won in this and every Ryder Cup was won by superior golf shots and by fewer strokes taken. There’s no crowd chant that can teach you to stuff an iron shot to five feet under unfathomable pressure. Also, the U.S. absolutely dominated the singles session and nearly pulled off the most improbable comeback in the event’s history.

WITH THAT SAID, it’s hard to look at the decades of European success in this event, particularly the team portions, and wave it away as randomness or nonsense. They’re better at the little stuff. And they’re bought in on the idea that the little stuff is the big stuff. Y’know who believes that? Luke Donald, who Bradley (among others) called the greatest captain the European side has ever seen. Does this somehow mean they make more putts? It’s hard to say for sure but, as silly as it sounds, you certainly can’t dismiss the idea.

“My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things,” Donald said. Those small things?

“I’ll give you an example. At the hotel rooms this week, the doors to our hotel rooms had a big crack that let in light. We brought things that covered the light. We put different shampoos that had a better smell. We changed the bedding because the beds weren’t very good, and they just had sheets, and we created much nicer beds so guys could sleep. They could have more energy. Those are just little things.”

One final bit of Donald philosophy:

“That’s a big part of my captaincy is to create an environment where these guys are having the best weeks of their lives, honestly. We’ll always remember this.”

Based on the bus rides, I think he’s right…

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.

every time I see a video of this Euro team on their bus it looks like the most fun you could ever have. also ‘freed from desire’ absolutely ripspic.twitter.com/yoGc6KojvX

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) September 30, 2025

Dream Girl Ellie is a proud member of the Dark Arts.

While already a decorated champion on the indies, Dream Girl Ellie is always striving to learn even more about her craft as pro wrestler. Fortunately for her, her coaches are loaded with experience, both in the ring and in life.

During a recent interview with WrestleZoneâ€s Ella Jay, Ellie opened up about her experience learning under WWEâ€s Aleister Black and Zelina Vega at their invitation-only training gym, The Dark Arts. According to Ellie, one of Blackâ€s most important lessons is not only improving his students as athletes, but also as humans.

“Itâ€s actually really funny because with Aleister, heâ€s helping everyone come out of their shell in a confident way,†she said. “I was very confident when I would wrestle, but the real me wasnâ€t for a hot minute. I mean, everyone goes through their phase and stuff, but I think being there and he always says it, heâ€s like, ‘Iâ€m not just making you a better athlete, Iâ€m making you a better person.’â€

“Thereâ€s little things. There was stuff I didnâ€t think about,†Ellie continued. “Thereâ€s a gym in the school, and we always wipe down our equipment. And itâ€s one of those things where heâ€s like, ‘If youâ€re doing it here when you go to the gym, youâ€re going to do it there no matter what.†Youâ€re going to see something and be like, ‘Oh, let me go pick up this piece of trash.†Again, heâ€s making you a better person. So if youâ€re at the gym and you see cloths on the floor, Iâ€ve picked them up and I donâ€t even think about it anymore. Itâ€s just like normal.â€

Ellie Also Focuses On Psychology & Character

As a long-time fan of pro wrestling as well, Ellie is admittedly sometimes in disbelief of her opportunity to train with Black and Vega. Still, this disbelief comes with immense gratitude as the Florida native is able to further hone her skills, such as in-ring psychology and character work.

“From a fan standpoint sometimes Iâ€m like, ‘Wow, I actually know these people.†Then like I see them on TV and I was like, ‘Oh my god.†But from just a wrestling psychology standpoint, Aleister himself looks at wrestling so differently than everybody else,†Ellie said. “Zelina, sheâ€s such a great, I donâ€t want to say character because sheâ€s herself, but sheâ€s such a great character. We honestly have really, really good chemistry in the ring.â€

Watch our full interview with Dream Girl Ellie:

Source link

October 1, 2025 | Chris Bryden

Luton, UK – On 20th September 2025,the Over 50s Black Men Forum (O5BM) proudly hosted UKâ€s First Older Black Men Community Table Tennis Competition, bringing together seven (7) of our community centres for a day of spirited competition and joyful connection.

Centres from Luton North, Luton South, Stevenage, Chelmsford, Grays, Thamesmead and Southend gathered in Luton to compete in both singles and doubles matches. The atmosphere was electric, filled with cheers, laughter, and a shared sense of pride.

Chelmsford triumphed in the singles contest and Luton claimed victory in the doubles match. The winning teams were proudly presented with trophies by the Mayor of Luton, Councillor Amy Nicholls, in a moment that crowned the dayâ€s achievements.

We were also delighted to welcome Chris Bryden, Area Manager for Table Tennis England, who attended to support and observe the tournament, adding a valued presence to the dayâ€s proceedings.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Luton Borough Council, our members, volunteers, and every supporter who helped make this landmark event a success.

This event was made possible through the generous support of our funders. We are deeply grateful for the continued commitment of:

• The National Lottery Community Fund
• Sport England
• Active Essex
• The Stevenage Community Fund

Your belief in our mission empowers O5BM to create spaces where movement, joy, and community thrive, championing the health and wellbeing of older Black men across the UK.

Two short videos – Event summary (1m 40s) and Table Tennis England segment (1m 20s)

Source link

Rory McIlroy detailed his experience with the crowd at Bethpage Black during the 2025 Ryder Cup on Saturday.

“Look, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said, per ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti. “It’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge on if they [took] it too far or not.”

On the 16th hole of foursome play on Saturday morning, McIlroy told fans to “shut the f–k up” following taunting and yelling while he lined up to hit a shot.

The crowd didn’t seem to affect McIlroy’s play, as both he and Tommy Fleetwood secured a 3 and 2 win over Harris English and Collin Morikawa.

“I don’t mind them having a go at us,” McIlroy clarified after the match, via Uggetti. “Like, that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is. Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.”

The 2025 Masters winner and Shane Lowry also emerged victorious over Justin Thomas and Cameron Young later in the day, helping Team Europe take a commanding lead of 11.5 points to 4.5 points over the United States.

McIlroy has put together an impressive performance in the event, as he’s halved one match and won three others.

Team Europe is now on the verge of securing a second consecutive Ryder Cup heading into Sunday’s singles action.

Source link

It’s a blowout! After two days at the Ryder Cup, the Europeans are POURING it on, leading 11.5 to 4.5 and entering Sunday’s singles matches just 2.5 points (or two wins and a halve) away from retaining the Ryder Cup. It was a weird, wild, TENSE day at Bethpage, so let’s start the conversation right there…

1. Did the crowds “cross a line” at Bethpage on Saturday?

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26):Yeah, they did. But, I don’t know, I’m not thatupset about it? The energy and tenacity of this event is most of what makes it so special. The chaos of an active (and at times antagonizing) audience is incredible and incredibly unique. As with everything else in life, some losers take things too far. I’d rather a Ryder Cup that sounds like a rock concert than a church service.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Luke Donald articulated it well in his post-round press conference when he outlined the two categories of fans crossing the line. The first is making noise while players are actually hitting their shot. The second is getting personal. It’s too intimate a setting for that kind of stuff; if you’re yelling about a player’s family while that player and their family are right there? That gets gross pretty fast. So yeah, there were a whole bunch of instances of line-crossing and there were a whole bunch of people in the crowd grimacing at that stuff. But a lot of the atmosphere was actually … pretty awesome? It’s sports! Every time the fans went harder at the Europeans, the Europeans did more miraculous stuff.

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): I feel like you gents covered it well. What I was amazed at is just how infectious those three words became today: F–k you, Rory. I heard them hundreds of times.

2. Who’s responsible for the Euro dominance? No repeat answers!

Colgan:Perhaps the better question is: Who isn’t?I’ll go with Rory McIlroy, who has been undefeated, absolutely terrifying, and completely full of life. For my money, Rory’s performances at the Ryder Cup will become a large part of his enduring image as a golfer — and this week, well, he added a highly memorable chapter.

Dethier: Tommy Fleetwood. He’s 4-0-0, for one thing. His vibes are immaculate. He’s so universally beloved that even the American fans had a tough time rooting against him. He won the FedEx Cup a month ago and just stays winning.

Zak:Lemme go with David Garland, Luke Donald and Dodo Molinari. Together they seem to have everyoneinvolved with Team Europe’s attention. Garland is a longtime DP World Tour staffer who every player has a strong relationship with. He’s a back-room guy who everyone seems to converse with in the moments before the matches. Then there’s the guys getting more credit, like Donald for his captaincy and Molinari for his statistical mind. It’s all part of the whole package.

3. Who’s to blame for the American debacle? Same rules!

Colgan:The lawnmowers! Course setup is supposed to be a major ADVANTAGE of having a home Ryder Cup. Somehow, the Americans made it feel the opposite. The lack of true Bethpage rough turned the course into a putting contest … and the Americans weren’t ready for a putting contest.

Dethier: The Europeans! They made an absolute truckload of birdies. Look, this will be a two-year conversation and there are plenty more answers. But it has been remarkable to watch just how well these Europeans have played together. The stats suggest they’ve ham-and-egged the hell out of these matches, too. It’s been a masterclass.

Zak:It feels cheap to single out Scottie Scheffler, but I’m abiding by the rules. The greatest player on earth has played like … the No. 30 player in the world. That difference is everything when you get sent out every session and Rahm, Fleetwood and McIlroy are ballin’.

4. What’s the best Sunday singles match?

Colgan:Cam Young vs. Justin Rose, and not just because it might be the only match that takes place before the Cup has been more or less decided. Young has been the lone bright spot for the Americans this week; Rose has been an ageless wonder for the Euros (remember when he was an ageless wonder two years agoin Rome?). Young won’t turn the tide of Ryder Cup week, but he could send a major message with that start.

Dethier: Rory McIlroy vs. Scottie Scheffler. This has been the season of Rory and Scottie. Rory won at Pebble, at TPC Sawgrass, at Augusta, in Ireland — and now in an away Ryder Cup. Scottie won basically everything else, a half-dozen events in all including two majors. But now McIlroy’s 3-0-1 at this Ryder Cup and Scheffler’s an unthinkable 0-4-0. Forget the overall score; they’re both going to want this one bad.

Zak:I think Xander Schauffele vs. Jon Rahm is going 18 holes. And I think it’ll be tasty the entire time.

5. What’s the final score?

Colgan:21.5-7.5. The romp ends with a stomping, and the Americans suddenly wonder if a “new vision” for Ryder Cup leadership involves tearing the whole thing down.

Dethier: [Whispers] Lot of golf left, gang. If the U.S. can just … ehh, never mind. It’s not gonna happen. But I do think Team USA will feel comfier in the friendly confines of individual competition and win Sunday Singles 7.5-4.5 to give us a 16-12 final — a much closer final result than it ever felt.

Zak:18-10, and you know what that means. A full 5-session sweep for Team Europe.

BELLPORT, N.Y. — This is the high season for Ryder Cup insights and those qualified to provide them. Paul McGinley, for instance, the Golf Channel commentator. He was the captain of the 2014 European Ryder Cup team. Or Jim “Bones” Mackay, from NBC Sports, who caddied in a dozen Ryder Cups. Then there is Rees Jones, the golf-course architect, who gave Bethpage Black the makeover it needed to make it a primetime player again.

Based on his considerable experience at Bethpage, among other and Ryder Cup courses, Jones was coaxed into making a bold prediction about the outcome of this 45th Ryder Cup on Thursday afternoon.

“I think it’ll be close, but I think the Americans will win,” Jones said.

“Are you a betting man?” a friend asked.

“I used to be,” Jones said.

“What happened?”

“I was playing a lot with this bookie, and I thought I knew something about college basketball. Found out, I didn’t.”

“When was this?”

“Oh, 1975.”

When UCLA ruled college basketball, Jack Nicklaus was at the height of his powers and the Reds beat the Red Sox in an epic seven-game World Series.

Jones loves sports. He doesn’t love how the modern sports fan is bombarded with messages to bet and gamble and wager. But he’s so sure about his Ryder Cup prediction he’s willing to get sucked back into the action.

“What’s the most you’d be willing to lose on this Ryder Cup,” he was asked.

“Hmmm,” Jones said, considering. He’s a methodical man, not prone to rush things.

***

REES JONES AND I WERE at the village-owned course in Bellport, on the Great South Bay, 30 miles east of Bethpage and on the Great South Bay. People say Bellport is a Seth Raynor course but nobody really knows. I’ve been playing the course for 50 years and in my opinion Rees designed its two best holes, the longish, brackish par-3 14th, with a boomerang green and a wide creek running up its right side, and the par-4 15th, a classic Cape hole where you try to hit your drive into Bellport Bay (you can’t) before making a hard righthand turn to an elevated bayfront green.

Jones built these two holes in the late 1960s. On Thursday, he returned to Bellport for the first time since then. Through the afternoon, we talked a lot about the Ryder Cup and Bethpage Black, and Bellport’s village-owned course and Seth Raynor.

“Bethpage Black has really never had its star moment,” Jones said. “At the ‘02 U.S. Open, Tiger pretty much ran away with it.” Phil Mickelson finished second, three shots back. “The 2009 Open finished on a Monday. The PGA that Brooks Koepka won never really had that Sunday excitement.” That was in 2019. “This could be the one.”

Rees Jones, left, and the author at Bellport on Thursday.

Jones believes Bethpage Black, for Ryder Cup play, will not be anything like the beast it is for public-golf golfers. “The fairways are wide, the rough isn’t high, and the Americans are long, longer than the Europeans. I think that will make the difference,” Jones said. Shorter shots into difficult pins — it’s an ago-old recipe for golfing success. “The guts of the course — 9, 10, 11, 12 — favors the long driver.” Match-play is a momentum game. If you can carry a lead through the turn all you really have to do is keep on keeping on.

Some matches, Jones predicted, will turn on one of the most fascinating and difficult holes in championship golf, the longish par-4 15th hole with a severe green that slopes from back to front. You have to drive it long and in play, and you have to be able to lag putt. “Guys will win that hole with pars,” Jones said. In Ryder Cup golf, three days of match play, every hole is a fresh start. But when you win a hole with a par, it can be really demoralizing for the other side. You can watch play on 15 to gauge moods — and to predict outcomes.

Of the 24 elite professional golfers gathered at Bethpage Black, Jones believes that Rory McIlroy is the player most equipped to handle the variety of its challenges, including driving it long and in play and hitting lag putts to low-stress tap-in distance. In other words, the qualities that lets you win at Augusta are the qualities that a player will need to win matches at Bethpage Black. Perhaps it’s worth noting that there is only one two-time Masters champion among the 24 players Ryder Cup players, Scottie Scheffler of (per his open ceremonies introduction) New Jersey.

Rees loves Rory’s game, and America’s chances.

***

REES HAS BEEN A FRIEND for a long time. We’ve logged a lot of rounds on a lot of courses. When he was 64, he looked 74. When he was 74, he looked 74. Now he’s 84. He still looks 74. In terms of engagement, he’s at the height of his powers. He works more than many people half his age. He dotes on his wife, his children, his grandchildren, his friends, his caddies, his playing partners.

He loves public golf. He loves Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines, Wellman Golf Club, the city-owned course of Jacksonville, S.C. He did extensive work on all three of those courses. His father famously renovated Oakland Hills and Oak Hill, both Ryder Cup courses Rees knows well. Rees did extensive work to three Ryder Cup courses: the Country Club, outside Boston; Hazeltine National, outside Minneapolis; and Medinah No. 3, outside Chicago. He belongs to some of the most revered clubs in the world. But there he was, on a windy and muggy Thursday afternoon, at Bellport, at short, flat village-owned course that, for several hundred people on this golf-loving planet, I among them, is at the center of the golfing universe.

This Ryder Cup oozes New York spirit. So does watering hole down the street

By:

Michael Bamberger

Bellport is not trying to be Augusta National (where Rees’s architect father, Robert Trent Jones, does not, in my opinion, get enough credit for making the back nine, with its many water hazards, the exquisite torture chamber it is). Bellport is not trying to be the Westhampton Country Club, a Seth Raynor course 20 miles east of here. It’s not trying to be Bethpage Black.

Bellport is a course where you can learn the game, two-putt from anywhere, breathe air, play through the wind, make some pars, find your ball and break 100 without breaking your bank. As a teenager, in the 1970s, I had a junior membership for $50 a year. I could make that in an afternoon clamming in the Great South Bay and mowing lawns.

“Golf needs more of this,” Rees said as he stood in the 15th tee. His return to Bellport wasn’t emotionally wrenching for him, not at all. It just made him happy, to see the holes hold up so well, and to see golf in all its lovely simplicity. The course was quiet in this dank afternoon. There were some kids playing afterschool golf. They weren’t future pros. Just kids having a good time. Rees was once a kid like that, playing a dollar-a-side match, something like that.

Rees will be at the Ryder Cup all three days. He’s predicting an American win. He’d even bet up to $100 on it, but not a penny more.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

Sep 25, 2025, 03:37 PM ET

Forget the cheap $130 green fees or the fact that Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open here in 2022. The first thing any amateur golfer in Farmingdale, New York, will tell you about Bethpage Black is to check out for the warning sign.

It reads: “WARNING — Bethpage Black is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.”

It is an omen to any player out on one of the most unique courses in the U.S., and none more so than the stars on Team Europe and Team USA battling it out for the 45th 2025 Ryder Cup this weekend.

Not many courses are made like this one. For a start, it is a publicly owned municipal course, one of five in the Bethpage State Park, meaning that when it was designed, they didn’t need to make it super playable — everyday members wouldn’t want to play a course like that every week.

Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images

Instead, the joy here is in the design. “There’s a lot of thinking players have to do, especially off the tee,” Rees Jones, a famed golf course architect who has re-designed Bethpage on multiple occassions over the past two decades, said.

“That’s not the case for some of these championship golf courses, where they’ve taken out the trees and widened the fairways to 50 yards. Quite often, courses are penal. This is a penal golf course, but there’s also a lot of strategy.”

– Ryder Cup 2025: How to watch, tee times, more
– Who made Luke Donald’s final squad for Team Europe?
– Reliving Team Europe’s away wins as they aim for a fantastic fifth

How each team attacks Bethpage Black will go a long way to deciding who will win the 45th Ryder Cup.

ESPN spoke to Jones to get an inside look at each of the holes and how things are likely to play out this weekend.

Hole 1 – ‘The format will change things’

Par 4, 397 yards

Pro tip: “We moved the tee for this year’s event from the normal tee — the existing tee will be used for the stands. It’s a sharp dog leg normally, but less so now. They will probably have a choice of going over the trees and trying to get short of the green or playing a hybrid or an iron off the tee and play the dog leg around the trees.

“It’s one of the few holes where the trees really come into play dramatically. Most of the trees on the course frame the holes but really don’t come into play very much. Not on No. 1, though.

“It is not a hard hole. The format will change things. It’s a very narrow entrance into the green, so they’ll probably lay up. In foursomes, I think they’ll be careful. In four-ball, I think one player will go for it.

Hole 2 – ‘They’ll probably lay up’

Par 4, 389 yards

Pro tip: “The second hole is another birdie opportunity, so you really get off kind early on the golf course. It’s a short par four, a straight hole with an elevated green. They’ll probably lay up with a hybrid or fairway wood because they might want to hit a full shot into the green, and they won’t see the bottom of the flag on this hole because the green is that elevated. That’s the only problem they might have.

“They don’t want to hit in the right rough because that’s a side hill lie out over the rough and they wouldn’t be able to really spin the ball they want to, but if the pin’s in the front, it won’t be that hard. They just won’t be able to visualise the shot.”

Hole 3 – ‘Used to be shorter’

Par 3, 210 yards

Pro tip: “The third was shorter before the 2002 U.S. Open when we took the tee back substantially.

“They will probably have one of the few days they’ll have the pin in the back left. The organisers may have that on a day when they want the birdies.

“Remember it’s the Ryder Cup. It is not like the PGA or the U.S. Open. They are going to set it up a little more gently. They want to see birdies, and they want some excitement. So Keegan Bradley is going to have the fairway rough at about two and a half inches, he’s going to have the green side rough at over three. He wants the ball to stay near the surface if they miss it. I think he thinks it favours the skills of his players. That’s usually the mantra.”

Hole 4 – ‘Hard for amateurs, easiest for the pros’

Par 5, 517 yards

Pro tip: “This is a famous golf hole. It’s a part short par five, which is going to play like a par four during the Ryder Cup. It’s the hardest hole or the second hardest hole for the everyday player at Bethpage and it’s the second easiest hole for the pros when they play the events on it.

“The everyday player has a hard time with that second shot because they have to carry the very deep glacier bunker and then the fairway elevates after that. But for these guys, they’re going to be going forward with probably a mid-iron off the tee, they can hit it 300-odd yards and they’ll be just short of the glacier bunker.

“The green pitches from front to back, so if they hit it to the back of the green without any spin on it and the ball can go into a chipping area. It could even go further down. So they have to be careful not to take too much club, but it will be a definite birdie hole. So three out of the first holes four holes are birdie holes.”

Hole 5 – ‘Where Bethpage starts to show its teeth’

Par 4, 478 yards

Pro tip: “The fifth is where Bethpage starts to show its teeth. It’s sort of patterned off the 16th hole at Pine Valley because of the tree line on the left really kind of blocks your shot to the green. You have to carry a major sand area that we extended down the right side because you have to favour the right side.

“If you hit it left, you’re going to be blocked out, so you have to flirt with that sandy area.

“These guys, because they hit it so far, aren’t going to worry about it, but then it’s an elevated green, a lot of undulations in the green, a lot of little nuances and it’s heavily bunkered, so this is a good par.”

Hole 6 – ‘All about the drive’

Par 4, 408 yards

Pro tip:“The sixth is a hole that really is all about the drive because it’s a short par four that drops substantially from 280 yards onward. They have to flirt with the bunkers if they can’t fly them, but it’s off to the side where they hit a short shot and keep it on top of the ridge.

“They can decide to go through the slot, leaving a little flip shot into the green. But if they keep it on top, they’ll have a 170 to 180-yard shot, and then the green is completely encircled with bunkers.

“It does benefit the golfer if he goes through the slots, but it’s a difficult choice off the tee.”

Hole 7 – ‘The hole players whine about’

Par 4, 524 yards

Pro tip: “We converted it from a par five to a par four for the 2002 U.S. Open, they’ve played it that way ever since. [Former USGA director] David Fay and I were going around the course and we were just discussing whether or not we converted from a five to a four.

“I said the players are going to really whine about it because the trees come in on the right because it’s a sharp dog leg. He said that’s really good because if they whine about this hole, they won’t whine about the whole course.

“The drive is important because the trees come into play and the dog leg is fairly substantial now as a par four, so they will probably want to flirt with the trees and have a shorter shot in. As a par five, they would have played it further left. It’s a well-contoured green, but it’s got an open entrance.”

Hole 8 – ‘Only hole with water’

Par 3, 210 yards

Pro tip:“It’s the only hole that has water on it. It’s a par three downhill shot.

“For the back pin location, they’re going to have to release the ball to the pin. If they try to fly it and go over, they’re going to definitely have a lot of trouble recovering.

“For the front pin location, if they don’t spin it too much, they might put a little backstop in the green, but they have got to be careful. If they spin it too much, they might spin it into the water. So this hole is going to play very differently every day. When Keegan wants birdies, they’ll probably put the pin in the middle.”

Hole 9 – ‘Watch the massive bunker’

Par 4, 460 yards

Pro tip: “It’s another dog leg that plays very efficiently as a dog leg because we added a really massive bunker on the turn, and they have to flirt with that bunker to stay on top of the deck and not roll to the right.

“The players will have to hit it a long distance and hit it over that fairway bunker just to have the easiest shot into a well-protected, low-profile green. It’s a low-profile green that is not going to be protected by the slopes, but it’s got a lot of bunkering, as do most of the greens.”

Hole 10 – ‘Where Sergio gave the crowd the finger’

Par 4, 502 yards

Pro tip:“It was the hole at the 2002 U.S. Open where the players could not hit the fairway because the rough extended out so far, and the wind was blowing into their face, and it was a rainy day. That’s the day that Sergio Garcia gave the crowd the finger, but it wasn’t hittable. The fairway wasn’t hittable for shorter hitters.

“The fairway now extends further back towards the tee.

“The whole fairway is bracketed by bunkers so it doesn’t matter where the tee is located. The bunkers are going to come into play on both 10 and 11 off the tee, there are several. It’s a tougher tee shot, but it’s a wide target for these guys.

“This is a hard hole. No. 11 is shorter, but 9, 10, 11, 12 is the meat of the golf course.”

Hole 11 – ‘Can change on any match, day’

Par 4, 435 yards

Pro tip:“The course turns there and goes the opposite direction of Hole 10. So one will be downwind, one will be into the wind, or they could even be a crosswind.

“This is a hole where it’s got a little angle to it, so they can change its character on any given day, any given match of the Ryder Cup by moving the pin around. The back has a little elevated spot and that’s a hard spot. When Keegan wants birdies, he’ll probably put it in the middle front.”

Hole 12 – ‘Only hole that requires driver’

Par 4, 496 yards

Pro tip:“No. 12 is the only hole that requires the driver to hit the ball 280 yards off the tee over the bunker. That bunker extends a little bit to the left a little further, so if they pull it and they don’t hit 280 yards, they might still get in the sand.

“Golf has changed, though, so I don’t think they’ll be intimidated by it. Some players were in the 2002 U.S. Open. I think most of them will go over the cross bunker.”

Hole 13 – ‘A birdie hole’

Par 5, 608 yards

Pro tip: “No. 13 is a birdie hole. There’s a cross bunker about 30 yards short of the green. That really won’t come into play for them unless they’re in the rough off the tee.

“The tee got pushed back and back, but they’ll probably play it a bit shorter.

“It’s a fairly simple green. You’ll see a lot of birdies on this hole.”

Hole 14 – ‘Easiest on the course’

Par 3, 161 yards

Pro tip: “Hole 14 is the easiest hole in the golf course. It’s a short par three with a bunker on the front and on the left. The green has a little tongue to it, a narrow little slot in the front left, which is the hard hole location. I hope they use it one day because it’s very hard to access.

“They may want to play it safe to the middle and put back to it, but if they want to go for that pin position, it is a small target. Other than that, it’s going to be a birdie wall.”

Hole 15 – ‘Hardest on the course’

Par 4, 477 yards

Pro tip: “No. 15 is the hardest hole in the golf course. It has the most contoured green. No fairway bunkers at all. They can bomb it away. The rough on the right will come into play, except there’s going to be a lot of hospitality area over there. I don’t know how much they’ll be affected unless if they hit the hospitality area.

“The green is a two-tier green that is so steep in the front. They really can’t use the front, so they’ll have to use the back of the green. So the second shot is probably the hardest.

“It’s a very elevated green with three substantial bunkers, and if you miss it right, then you’re down a huge slope and have a very difficult recovery. The second shot is critical and it’s a very small target.”

Hole 16 – ‘Drive has to go left’

Par 4, 539 yards

Pro tip:“The green is protected by two large bunkers on the right, so you really want to hit it left. Although the way it sets up, you have to really kind of fight your own visual effect and you have to hit it away from what you normally would hit. You want to hit it left, you don’t want to come in over those two bunkers, especially if the pin is tucked to the right.

“They can hide the pin pretty effectively for a couple of days on the right side of the green, so the drive is very important to go to the left side to have the best angle in.”

Hole 17 – ‘A muscle-tightening hole’

Par 3, 179 yards

Pro tip: “No. 17 is a dramatic, wonderful par three.

“They’re not going to play at the length that we designed it to because they’re going to put stands back there.

“It’s a two-tier green with a lower area on the right and an upper area on the left, heavily bunkered, and it’s not that deep. They could go long into a bunker. They could go short depending on how they strike the ball. If the matches get to that point, this is when the muscles tighten. This is a muscle-tightening hole.”

Hole 18 – ‘The hole Scheffler, Rory like to play’

Par 4, 411 yards

Pro tip: “This is a real birdie opportunity. It’s bracketed by lots of bunkers on both sides.

“If they do lay up and hit it right, they’re going to be penalised. They probably won’t hit driver on this hole due to the long left bunker. If they do go for driver and fly it, they do have a penalty opportunity there.

“The green is heavily bunkered and elevated. It’s a small target, but this is a very good birdie opportunity if they get off the tee effectively.

“There’s a lot of thinking they have to do, especially off the tee, which is not the case in some of these championship golf courses where they’ve taken out the trees and widened the fairways to 50 yards.

“In this case, they’re going to have to think off the tee. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have stated this is the kind of hole they like to play.”

It’s the “People’s Country Club,” and that’s the challenge: tons of people want to play it. So how do you land a tee time at Bethpage Black, host of this week’s Ryder Cup, when demand is so much greater than supply?

Let us count the ways. (Hint: all of them involve advance-planning, luck or some combination of the two.)

The online option

In another lifetime, when people still relied on rotary phones and there was such a thing as busy signals, you could actually call (and call, and call) in the hopes of speaking to a staffer with a tee sheet spread before them. Not anymore. Like most everything, the booking system has moved online.

To use it, you first have to register for an account with the Bethpage State Park Reservation System, which you can do here. New York State residents get discounted rates and (slightly) earlier access to online times. But you can only enjoy those privileges if the system recognizes you as a verified in-state resident. For that, you need one of two forms of ID — a New York State driver’s license, or a New York State Non-Driver ID — which you can present online or in person at the Golf Office at Bethpage State Park.

Got it? Good.

Now, for the actual booking. If you’re a verified resident, you can make a reservation seven days in advance starting at 7 p.m. ET. Otherwise, you can book five days in advance starting at 7 p.m.

What’s it like camping out for a Bethpage Black tee time? Worth it

By:

Zephyr Melton

Unsurprisingly, the openings get snatched up quickly, sometimes suspiciously so, as bad actors using bots have been known to grab bookings as soon as they appear, depriving the general public of a fair crack at the tee sheet. To address this issue, Bethpage announced earlier this year that it would begin charging a $5 nonrefundable reservation fee while limiting the number of cancellations allowed per month. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these bot-deterring measures have helped. But online reservations still go fast, especially for a foursome. It helps to be quick on your computer, and adaptable with your plans. The fewer players in your group — yes, you can book as a single — the more likely you are to snag a time.

Online cancellations

Life happens. Plans change. Golfers cancel. If you tried — and failed — to book a tee time in advance, you can always log on the day before you hope to play in search of last-minute cancellations. No guarantees. But it often works. Be advised: you’ll likely have to click the refresh button frequently, and you’ll have to act quickly if an opening appears.

Camping out in the parking lot

It’s golf’s other tradition unlike any other: sleeping in the parking lot at Bethpage. Throughout the season, the first six foursomes of the day are set aside for walk-up play, and the line for those slots starts forming the day before, filled with golfers so eager to play the Black that they’re willing to spend the night in their cars.

The process is both crazy and beautifully simple. Parking spots are numbered. First come, first served. Arrive as early as you can and get as much shut-eye as possible. At around 4:30 a.m., a course employee will swing by and hand out numbered tickets, like the kind you’d get at a deli. Once you’ve got your ticket, proceed to the clubhouse and wait for your number to be called (here, the deli becomes more like the DMV), at which point you go to the counter to book your time. You can sleep later.

Daytime walk-ups

If sleeping in your car just isn’t your thing, you can always show up when you’d like and put your name on the waiting list. Throughout the day, one tee time per hour is set aside for walk-ups. One of those spots might become yours. If someone cancels online while you’re waiting, you might also get called to fill that open slot.

All of the above applies to normal periods of operation. But these are not ordinary times at Bethpage Black. When the course reopens after the Ryder Cup in early October, reservations will not be taken for roughly the first two weeks. Only walk-up play will be permitted. Play will also be limited to allow the course to recover from the competition and for grandstands and other infrastructure to be taken down. The schedule could fluctuate depending on the weather, course conditions and the pace of the take-down work.