Bethpage Black • Farmingdale, NY

6:45 am           -           My alarm goes off, or should I say my girlfriend woke me up, at around quarter til 7am, and I am scheduled to attend my first ever professional golf event.  Even if it is practice, I am going to call this a pro event.  I called my father, who got me the ticket, and he was driving from CT with a couple friends.  I told him that I was going to be hanging out on the 4^th hole and that I would hopefully run into him.  As there are no cell phones allowed, I knew that I was probably was never going to see my father in the sea of golf clothing brands and related paraphernalia.

7:05 am           -           After a quick shave that I do for my father, he always has a thing about first impressions and looking sharp, my girlfriend and I leave the apartment.

We have plenty of time before the 7:41 am Long Island Railroad (LIRR) train that will get me to my final destination, and my girlfriend and I slowly make our way to the station.

7:26 am           -           My girlfriend says “goodbye”, but I do not let her leave without taking my cell phone.  I was going to test the rule and try to sneak my phone into the event, but thought otherwise at the last minute.  I purchased my round trip ticket for the LIRR, and it ran me just $15.50.  Having a few minutes to spare I smoked a last cigarette and then loaded on to the silver bullet.

7:35 am           -           Entering the train, most would be amazed.  The car was immaculate and the seats were so comfortable.  All personnel involved in the process, from the ticket sales, to the cleaning crew were professional and I could sense a focus on customer service.  The signs to board the trains are informative and updated quickly to let riders know of delays or arrivals.

I did my usual train travel activities as I collected the AMNY and the Metro local free newspapers, and proceeded to almost complete both crosswords and sudokus.  This train trip was much different than most others in that I would soon be at the 2009 US Open, at a local course that I can play next week if I wanted for $50.  I was looking forward to seeing the pros, but I was almost more excited to see how the travel was for my personal golf use.

7:41 am           -           The train pulls out of the station exactly when scheduled.

7:50 am           -           We exit the underground and are greeted by the sun and blue skies.  As I am sitting on the train I am just contemplating about what I really want to take from this experience?  I decide to focus on the swing tempo of the pros.

I recently had a lesson with an assistant pro at my dad’s golf course, and we worked on my tempo.  I, like many others out there, sometimes seem to be too quick on both my backswing and then my finish.  We tried to take the club back as slow as possible and come to a short stop at the top of my backswing.  From this position I would then transition forward.  The pros have such good tempo, and I hope to be able to learn something while I am out there.

8:37 am           -           The train arrives at Farmingdale and the standing room only train quickly empties into the parking lot.  The staff was ready for the masses as there were shuttle buses ready to be loaded with golf fans.  I decided that I wanted to walk to the course.  If I do come back to play a round, there will be no courtesy van for me, that is why I wanted to see how long that it would take me to get to the pro shop by foot.

On my way to the course you walk through some really nice neighborhoods.  I asked a few people for directions as I made my way (to ensure I was going the right way), and it did not take long to get there.

9:05 am           -           It took me two hours from apartment to the pro-shop which is not bad for living in the city.  Upon arrival all fans must walk through a metal detector, and must not bring a cell phone.  Many other items were not allowed, but the phone was the big thing.  As I was checking my things and going through the detector, an older gentleman behind me had brought his phone by accident and he asked a guy what to do, the guy’s response was “Hide it in the Woods”.  I think they should have had some type of phone checking procedure.

9:06 am           -           Walking onto the grounds felt like entering an amusement park, an amusement park for people who love golf.

There was a practice are to my direct right that looked like it simulated a 240-275 yard dogleg right.  The course is so long with 2 par 4’s over 500 yards, that the players will be hitting woods into the greens.  Next to that area was a pitch and sand practice space, and finally adjacent to that was the driving range.  The driving range was like a fairway.  It was unbelievable.  I know the course is always going to be in different shape when the Open is coming, but I really wonder about the conditions of the course in a non Open year?

9:20 am           -           I walk up to the first tee and the sight is amazing.  I have the option to play this course is the only thought in my mind.  There is a gallery grand stand on the tee box and the first hole is a slight dogleg right with the landing zone being a fairly wide area with the only trouble being on the right side of the fairway.  The green is small and surrounded by two large greenside traps.

Crossing the street and walking to hole number 2 is where I really started to notice the rough.  If you do not hit fairways at Bethpage Black, you will not score well.  The rough is at some places waist high, and in most other places you cannot see your shoes.  The winner this weekend will be the golfer that stays away from the bad rough areas.

9:40 am           -           I decided that I would go to the 4^th hole and see if my father was there.  The 4^th is a 517 yard par 5, with two large bunkers in front of the green that make an eagle opportunity very difficult.  As this was a practice round, many of the golfers were taking multiple shots from the same locations.  The group comprised of Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, and Andrew Svoboda approaching the green.

As they had hit all their approach shots on the putting surface, one golfer putted, while the caddies for the other two golfers placed flat white markers at different areas on the green for the other two golfers to aim at for shots around the green in areas that they might end up during actual play.  This allows all players to get practice in on every hole, and try to learn as much as they can for when it counts.

It is during this time also that the caddies are doing some serious work. They are watching every ball on the green and making notes on their yardage books.

10:44 am         -           After waiting at the 4^th and not seeing my dad, I decided to do a little walking around.  Walking the golf course may cause some serious injury this weekend, especially if it rains.  There are many steep hills that fans will have to be very careful as to not fall and hurt themselves.  I would not be surprised if people end up getting stuck in certain areas around the course.  I am a very physically able 32 year old man, and I feel sorry for some of the people and what they might do to themselves at Bethpage.  Have the ambulances gassed up and golf carts charged to the maximum because they are going to need them.

I eventually found myself at hole number 8.  This par 3 has an elevated tee box with a yardage or 210.  There is a small pond directly in front of the green and the green has a sharp hill that any ball a little short will most likely get wet.  When Svoboda teed off, he was a little short and the ball began to roll towards the water.  There was a group of about thirty fans “Oohing and Aahing” as the ball slowly made its way into the drink.  It was great to hear that from a golf crowd.

10:55 am         -           Johnny Miller from NBC Sports stopped by the green to take some notes and get information for him to use when he is on TV.

11:02 am         -           Andres Romero puts two in a row into the pond.

11:11 am         -           I see the first fan with a cold beer.

11:24 am         -           Still at the 8^th green, Jeev Milkha Singh uses the club head cover for his putter as a makeshift pin placement.  It is methodical the way that these golfers study there shots and have such confidence in their shot making ability.  From a flop shot to a runner, they have almost every shot available in their bags when they hit the links.

11:36 am         -           I choose Budweiser over Michelob Ultra – $6

11:45 am         -           I make my way to the 12th tee box and I can’t believe the amount of grown men and women that are carrying around items for the pros to sign.  The most common item autographed was a collectible US Open Bethpage Flag.  I was really wondering where these flags were going to end up? Ebay…in a frame and on display…give to their kids?  Who knows.  The runner up piece of merchandise being autographed the most was the basketball size commemorative golf ball.

It is also right around now that I am enjoying this no cell phone thing.  It would be nice to be able to call my father right now and find him, but it is nice to not be able to also.  Not because I do not want to see him, people are rude on their phones and unfortunately they cannot be trusted to keep them turned off.  It really says something about us a society that they have to take the phones away because people still won’t follow rules.  How many times at the movies do people still use their phones? Crazy.

12:00 pm         -           I moved on to the 10^th tee to await the afternoon groups to start.  It was during this time that Colby Beckstrom teed off and his coach actually was filming every shot.  As Colby and his coach were proceeding down to the fairway, he had the opportunity to see his swing that he performed on the last shot. Repeat the good stuff, repel the bad stuff.

12:07 pm         -           Chad Campbell signed a quick autograph for me as he approached the 10^th tee.  Thanks Chad.  Someone in passing stated that Phil Mickelson just went off on the front nine, so I decide to leave the 10^th, and go and find his group.

12:40 pm         -           Phil was putting on the 4^th green when I saw the side show that was following him.  The amount of fans that were watching him practice was at least double and in some cases ten times as many fans as the others.  It is wild that all these guys are professionals, and they all hit great golf shots, but it is just those few elite golfers that get most of the attention.  There were fans standing, in some places ten people deep, at the tee box for the 5^th hole waiting for Phil to tee off.  Tiger did not have a practice time scheduled today at Bethpage, and I could not even image what it would have been like if he was there today.

1:00 pm           -           I headed back to the 1^st hole and to take in some of the sights.  I stopped at the green for the first hole and watched Kenny Perry and JB Holmes do some work on the surface.  From this angle you have an unbelievable view of the course.  There are two large grandstands for the 17^th green, and then there are the concession tents and the Trophy Club in the far distance.  There are people littered all over the place, and this would make an amazing picture to be made into a puzzle.

It is like a Grateful Dead show, but for golfers.

I soon choose to load up on the bus back to the train station, and I will be back next week to play Bethpage.  I can’t believe it.

“Putting is pace”

The hole is the biggest the slower the ball is rolling when it reaches the hole.

Read:  The ball can roll left or right and it can be uphill or downhill to the hole.   Decide how far left or right and how steep the uphill or downhill break is then find a spot on the green to roll your ball to that incorporates your read.  For example an uphill putt breaking left to right will have a spot left of the hole and past the hole.  A downhill putt will have a spot short of the hole.   It is important to acknowledge the speed of the putt will have on the amount of break.  Generally an uphill putt will break less than a downhill putt.

Aim: Set your putter face perpendicular to your target line.  Always set your body to your putter after you have aimed the putter.  Don’t stand behind your putter to aim it, you look silly and the putter will move by the time you setup.  Find something (blade of grass, ball mark) along your target line to use a reference when you aim the putter.

Roll: Roll the ball straight off your putter face.  Don’t try to make it, try to roll it somewhere, you will make more putts.  It is helpful to strike the ball below the equator of the ball to roll it straight.  Your stroke is like your fingerprint, it is most important the putter returns to the ball square to the target.

Drill- To practice rolling it straight use a striped range ball.  Aim the stripe at a target and practice seeing one stripe while the ball is rolling.

Chris can be reached at Paint Branch and The University of Maryland  Chris@golfclubmd.com

Chris Oleson,PGA
Teaching Professional
University of Maryland
Paint Branch Golf Complex
Golfclubmd.com