How To Play Bethpage Black, Hole by Hole, Shot by Shot

Elite Performance: A Comprehensive Blueprint for Success Created for a High Handicap Golfer

Ever feel like your golf game is stuck in a rut? You know you have the potential to play better, but a mix of inconsistent shots, frustrating course decisions, and a high score at the end of the day leaves you feeling like you’re hitting a wall. You need a personalized strategy to lower your handicap.

If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. The journey from a mid-to-high handicap to a lower one isn’t about one magic fix; it’s about a comprehensive, data-driven strategy.

We recently performed an in-depth Elite Performance analysis for a golfer named Mike, who plays off a 23.9 handicap. We broke down his game to create a full blueprint for success, and it’s one that can help any golfer like him finally start to see real improvement.

Mike’s Game: The Strokes Gained Breakdown

Mike’s data revealed some common, yet crucial, areas for improvement. His ball striking tendency is a positive—he hits the ball relatively straight—but his biggest weakness lies in his penalties per round (2) and approach shots. His Strokes Gained data tells the story:

• Tee Shots: -0.42
• Approach Shots: -0.42
• Short Game: -0.35
• Putting: -0.20

This showed us that while every part of his game has room to improve, the biggest gains can be made by addressing his ball striking and decision-making from the tee and on approach. Penalties, in particular, are score killers.

A Structured Strategy for Consistency

To help Mike improve, we developed a personalized cohesive strategy focused on a few core principles: playing smart, not aggressive; improving tempo; and getting the ball in the hole with fewer strokes. Here’s a look at the strategy we recommended:

• Embrace the 3/4 Swing: For many golfers, swinging at 100% power leads to a loss of control and an increase in penalties. We advised Mike to focus on a controlled 3/4 swing off the tee, and aim for a consistent ball flight even if it means sacrificing a few yards.
• Play to Your Strengths: Since Mike hits the ball straight, we recommended a course strategy that focuses on finding the fairway, even if it means clubbing down off the tee. A straight 3-wood in the fairway is far better than a wild driver that leads to a penalty stroke.
• Prioritize the Short Game: The data shows Mike struggles around the green. The most significant scoring improvements for any amateur come from 100 yards and in.

To help him with this, we suggested these simple but effective drills:

• The Pause Drill: At the top of his backswing, pause for 1-2 seconds. This simple act helps improve balance and tempo, preventing a rushed transition and leading to a smoother, more controlled swing.
• Ladder Drill: With his wedges, practice hitting shots to different targets at 10-yard increments (e.g., 30, 40, 50, 60 yards). This builds a better feel for distance control and helps eliminate the dreaded “short-long-short” approach shots.
• Putting Gate Drill: Place two tees just wider than his putter head at the beginning of a putt. Practice rolling the ball through the “gate” to develop a consistent putting stroke that starts on the correct line.

Equipment That Fits His Game

Choosing the right equipment is one of the easiest ways to lower your scores. For a golfer with Mike’s swing speed (approximately 90 mph), we recommended a move to more forgiving, game-improvement clubs and a softer, lower-compression golf ball.

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Tackling the Toughest Course: the Infamous Bethpage Black

A detailed course strategy can be the difference between a good round and a great one. We created a complete, hole-by-hole plan for Mike to take on the famously difficult Bethpage Black, host of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

The core of the strategy is simple: embrace the bogey. It’s easy to get greedy on a long course like this, but avoiding the trouble is far more important than a few extra yards. The secret to success at Bethpage Black isn’t to be a hero; it’s to be a smart player. That was the basis for this personalized strategy to lower his handicap

Mike’s Strategy for Bethpage Black, Hole-by-Hole

Here’s what we recommended for Mike to do if he wants to take on the front 9 of one the toughest golf courses in the world:

• We recommended he start from the Front / Red tees at 6,223 yards (the most appropriate tee given his distance stats).
• We calculated Mike’s Course Handicap as a generous 35, based on the Front tees’ Slope Rating & Course Rating of 149 / 74.6. This means that a score of approximately 106 (Par 71 + 35) would be considered a tremendous success.
• We recommended he use a TaylorMade Tour Response golf ball for distance off the tee and “stickiness” on the green.

Overall Strategy

The overall strategy for Bethpage Black is centered on risk management and avoiding the course’s most penalizing features. The primary defensive elements of Bethpage are not the bunkers, but the dense rough and trees that line the fairways. The strategy is to play conservatively, aim for the center of every fairway and green, and embrace a “bogey is a good score” mentality on many holes. Bethpage is a test of discipline, not ego.

Mike’s strategy looked like this to start the round:

The Front 9, Hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot

• Hole 1 (Par 4, 429 yards, SI 8): This is the ultimate test of first-tee composure. The hole is a dogleg right that plays significantly downhill. Do not hit the driver. Use a 5-hybrid (156 yards) or 5-wood (168 yards) and aim for the left side of the fairway. The downhill slope will provide additional roll. The goal is to simply put the ball in play and avoid the dense trees on the right. His second shot will be long, but a clear approach to the small green is far better than a recovery shot from the woods.
• Hole 2 (Par 4, 354 yards, SI 16): A short par 4, but the approach is steeply uphill. Use a 5-wood or a 5-hybrid off the tee and aim for the center of the fairway. The key is to leave a manageable approach from a flat lie. The approach plays about 30 feet uphill, so he should take an extra club and aim for the center of the green, away from the deep bunkers on the right.
• Hole 3 (Par 3, 158 yards, SI 18): This is a long par 3 that plays slightly downhill. Club selection is critical. The green is wide but shallow and guarded by deep bunkers. He should use a 6-iron (131 yards) or 5-iron (142 yards) and aim for the front-right of the green, as the putting surface angles away from him. A miss left or long will be severely penalized in the deep bunkers or a drop-off behind the green.
• Hole 4 (Par 5, 461 yards, SI 2): This is a classic risk-reward par 5. The smart play is to play it as a three-shot hole. Use a driver and play to the left of the “Glacier Bunker” on the right side of the fairway. On the second shot, the goal is to lay up. Use a 5-hybrid or 5-wood to advance the ball to a comfortable wedge distance (around 75 to 100 yards) from the elevated, blind green. On the third shot, use a scoring wedge to a clear view of the green, aiming for the center. This should leave a two-putt for a stress-free par.
• Hole 5 (Par 4, 423 yards, SI 4): This is a brutally difficult hole with a massive complex of cross-bunkers. Do not attempt to fly the bunkers. The safe play is to lay up with a 3-wood or a 5-wood to the left of the bunkers. This will leave a very long second shot, but a clear approach is better than a lost ball. On the approach, take an extra club as the green plays uphill and is well-protected.
• Hole 6 (Par 4, 386 yards, SI 10): The fairway is pinched by two large bunkers. Mike should aim for the safe, wider landing area short of the bunkers. Use a 5-wood or 5-hybrid to hit a shot around 160 yards. This leaves a manageable approach to a green that is encircled by sand.
• Hole 7 (Par 5, 502 yards, SI 6): For an amateur, this is a very reachable par 5 and a prime birdie opportunity if played correctly. The key is a straight tee shot. Use a driver and aim for the widest part of the fairway. The goal of the second shot is to lay up with a 5-wood or 5-hybrid to a comfortable wedge distance, avoiding the trees and large bunker complex on the right. A third shot from 100 yards is a far better option than a risky second shot to a guarded green.
• Hole 8 (Par 3, 191 yards, SI 14): A visually intimidating par 3 with the only water on the course. The hole plays significantly downhill, so Mike must club down. He should use a 5-hybrid (156 yards) or 5-wood (168 yards). Aim for the center-right of the green, well away from the pond guarding the front. A long putt is a far better outcome than a wet ball.
• Hole 9 (Par 4, 385 yards, SI 12): A long par 4 that doglegs left. The inside corner of the dogleg is guarded by a massive bunker. Mike should play safely to the right of this bunker with his driver, even though it leaves a longer approach shot. The longer approach from a clear lie is a much better option than a shot from a difficult contoured lie in the fescue.

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Ready to Get Your Own Blueprint?

You don’t have to guess how to improve your game. With a personalized strategy to lower your handicap, you can stop focusing on the wrong things and start targeting the real weaknesses in your game.

Take the guesswork out of your golf journey and get a structured, data-driven blueprint for success.

Click below to request your own custom Golf Course Intel Strategy Guide and start lowering your scores today!

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