Red at Bethpage State Park Golf Course

Of all the 5 courses at Bethpage, I played the Red the most. In my opinion it's the best value for the money. It's the most fairest course I played on. Not too ridiculously hard but will still punish you if you hit errant tee shots.

Having played the Black course two previous times, I was eager to play the Red course after hearing so many good things about it and being such a fan of A.W. Tillinghast courses. I had always heard that the 1st and 18th holes on the Red are better than their respective counterparts on the Black course.

To sum it up, I really enjoyed playing the Red course. As a single, I got paired up with two other gentleman than provided a good bit of local knowledge which helped. The course starts out with a brute of a 1st hole (449 yards from the whites, 466 yards from the blues). The remaining portion of the front nine gives you a bit of a breather before you hit the back nine, which is where the course's teeth bite into you. Five par 4's on the back nine over 400 yards from the white tees. The course finishes up on a terrific and intimidating 401 yard par 4 (463 yards from the blues). Such a better finishing hole than the Black course.

Overall, it was a great day and I recommend the course to both intermediate and more skilled golfers. My only complaint was the round took right at five hours (typical for Bethpage when teeing off late morning) and the greens on the Red were a little slow on the day I played.

If you ask the locals, they'll tell you the Red ranks right up there with the famed Black Course. In fact, if the Red got the same attention as the two-time U.S Open course, it might be on par with the Black,. As is, the Red is a terrific layout with plenty of challenge. From the back at 7,000 yards, it's all the golf most players can handle. Play it from the proper tees, and you've got a great test of golf, especially with the treacherous bunkering throughout.