US Golf Open - 2002

The date is June 10th - June 16. The Bethpage State Park, Black Course, will host the U.S. Golf Open Championship. It will the first time the 102 year old USGA prestigious tournament to be held on a public golf course which charges a fee no highter than $39.00 for 18 rounds of golf.

It was announced in 1996 at a press conference held on the 1st tee. Present were Governer Pataki, David Frey, executive director of the United States Golf Association, Commissioner Bernadette Castro, and other dignitaries.

The Black Course opened in 1936, four years aftrer the park itself, and is commonly known as notoriously challenging designed by A. W, Tillinghast, Yearly 35,000 chose to play the Black Course taking 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours to complete the 18 holes, now improvements are needed to host the Open. Rees Jones, golf course architect, was commissioned to prepare the course for play. Mr. Jones donated his services and the USGA footed the $2.8 million bill for labor and equipment for the ten month restoration project. New York State Office of Parks, Recrestion and Historic Preservation headed by Commissioner Bernadette Castro, pledged to maintain the renovations.

Here are some of the improvements to be made: laser-leveled, resodded tree boxes, refurbished greens, irrigation system, restored bunkers with 8,100 tons of new sand, wrought-iron benches on slate base, tee sign replicating those from decades past, new locker rooms, new walkways, lighting outside the clubhouse, new facilities for dining and shopping. The 66 year old clubhouse interior has been redone while maintaining the historic charm. Resturant and catering facility, Carlyle on the Green, Steve Carl and Arthur Waldbaum (from the famous supermarket family) are responsible for the renovation. Arthur Waldbaum is no longer involved, Steve Carl runs the catering facility and A. W. Stevens the dining facility. The pro shop run by Global Golf was revamped into one of the nations largest at a cost of more than $1 million dollars.