FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — “Is the sign … missing?”
You did not have to be a Bethpage regular to have uttered those words on Monday morning, the same day that the Ryder Cup officially arrived to Bethpage Black. The Sign is so entrenched into Bethpage lore, so critical to the experience of playing the brute, that the mere suggestion it had been removed from its typical perch atop the black bars protecting the first tee box bordered on blasphemy.
A Bethpage Ryder Cup would not be a Bethpage Ryder Cup without The Sign. How else would these 24 highly skilled golfers know that The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers?
And yet, there it wasn’t — removed from its typical location among the hordes and placed … where exactly? This, reader, was the first question that needed answering on the first day of this year’s Ryder Cup. But good news: The answer proved quite satisfying.
5 Ryder Cup secrets spotted at Bethpage Black
5. The Return of The Sign
If you are a believer of history, you know that The Sign at Bethpage Black likely first arrived as a public service announcement — encouraging those who fit Bethpage’s more proletarian golf ideals to better enjoy their weekend afternoons on one of the property’s other four courses (yellow, green, blue, red, in rough order of quality). But if you are a believer in the supernatural powers of great golf courses, you know The Sign has come to represent something much grander (and more terrifying) about Bethpage Black. It is a reminder that the Black Course is rude and irascible. A grump. A grouch. A kick in the shins. A contemptuous beast.
It was for the latter group that U.S. Ryder Cup leadership made the decision to relocate The Sign from its traditional position to directly above the entrance to the enormous first-hole amphitheater. In its new perch resting above the player-entrance to the amphitheater, the sign serves as a small piece of psychological warfare, reminding those from the visiting side that the experience at Bethpage is designed to be fearsome. For golfers shaking in their boots, it will serve as a terrifying final reminder of the challenge quite literally pulsing ahead.
4. A tent city
For those who play a lot of golf at Bethpage, the sudden footprint of the Ryder Cup’s tent city has been a regular talking point in recent months. The structures went up overnight, and seemed to consume half the property.
But walking around for the first time on Monday afternoon, it seemed clear that even the most overeager Long Islander had undersold the sheer scope of the build. There are more buildings, more structures, more activations, more things on property at this Ryder Cup than I have ever seen at a major golf tournament. According to the PGA of America, there are three football-field-sized hospitality offerings this week — a “reserved table” offering off the first fairway, a “luxury suite” off the 15th fairway, and a “chalet” near the 18th green. There are also 11 on-course bars, nearly a dozen free “concessions” stands, a T-Mobile-sponsored podcast studio and lounge area with free food and entertainment offerings, and a merchandise tent large enough to easily convert into affordable housing for a half-dozen 747s .
The enormity of the build was only amplified by a proud PGA of America employee, who stopped me near the first tee box and pointed to a hospitality tent off in the distance with three stories of enormous seating and entertainment options.
“You see that?” He said with no small dose of pride. “It’s the first-ever triple decker.”
3. Course tweaks
Speaking of course setup, the biggest changes to this year’s layout (as directed by the home team) appear immediately. In the first fairway, players will tee off from the forward tees (in order to accommodate the amphitheater), play into a wider-than-usual strip of short grass, and have a first cut awaiting some of their near misses. With his practice round tee shot on Sunday, Rory McIlroy was spotted taking a preposterous line over the trees in the vicinity of the green.
These are the stakes as the Americans like them. As the home team, they get to keep a close watch over course conditions throughout the week at Bethpage Black. Thus far, the headline is that the course is set up for the see-saws of match play — and not nearly as thick or intimidating from off the fairway as the U.S. Opens of yesteryear.
2. A respect-off
The first Ryder Cup captain’s presser of tournament week is an exercise in insincere praise and preposterously guarded gamesmanship.
That tradition continued on Monday afternoon, as Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald spent the better part of a half-hour gassing one another up to the press. About the closest any reporter neared to tactical insight involved the two captains’ plans to share a cocktail on Sunday evening — plans with questionable odds of ever happening.
Still, it was oddly comforting to see both sides of golf’s great Ryder Cup rivalry share in the oddity of a press conference in which both sides are determined to fiercely (and somewhat facetiously) praise one another.
1. The sound of silence
Monday marked the final day at Bethpage for this year’s Ryder Cup teams without spectator attendance. The work of an early competition week was well underway for both sides. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood banged putts on opposing practice greens for the better part of an hour. Several groups played practice rounds, cycling through potential match play partners. The energy was quiet and serious.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley took advantage of the silence, calling his team to an early-morning meeting at the first tee box, where cameras captured an emotional pre-tournament moment. Bradley welcomed his Ryder Cup teammates to the tee with their first playing of the national anthem, followed by speeches from FDNY Lieutenant Chris Mascali and Nassau Players Club president Mike Pomerico.
“I had this vision of doing that for about a year, and to be out there and see it and see how emotional the guys got was a really special time for our team,” Bradley said. “It was a powerful moment. You’re looking around and seeing all the guys staring at what we were doing and so into it in such an emotional way. A lot of people have worked really hard to get to this point in their lives.”
Tuesday might not be much different from a competitive standpoint, but it’s a safe bet that the silence will end swiftly. With three days remaining of tournament prep before Friday morning’s opening session, the American faithful will look to have their voices heard for the first time on Tuesday. And if Mascali and Pomerico’s comments are any indication, they won’t be shy.
