Bethpage State Park on Long Island has been known as “The People’s Country Club” for generations. Now hosting the Ryder Cup this September at the park’s famed Black course, fans from around the world will tune in for the biggest event in golf with all eyes on Bethpage.

What does it take to put on a tournament of that magnitude? Bethpage’s current and former park directors, greens specialist, course supervisors and more share their behind-the-scenes preparation ahead of the big week.

“The Ryder Cup really is the pinnacle of the sport. It’s the biggest tournament that the sport has,” said Director of Agronomy Andrew Wilson. “So, for us to prepare the stage for that, it’s great. It’s a challenge, but it’s something that we have to look forward to… we’re really trying to make State Parks proud.” 

Wilson started at Bethpage in April 1989 as a teenager maintaining the clay tennis courts. After working his way up the park ranks and studying at the Rutgers Golf Turf Program, he’s been a big part of both U.S Opens (2002, 2009), both Barclays (2012, 2016 PGA Tour playoff events), and the 2019 PGA Championship.  

“Having the Ryder Cup here is like the cherry on top,” Wilson said. 

Bethpage State Park is the first publicly owned and operated facility to host the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, and the second course in New York State to do so (Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester). 

“Having the Ryder Cup here at Bethpage, which is the best public golf facility in the country, is really great,” said Park Director Scott Matson. “It is the Super Bowl of golf.” 

Bethpage radiates pride and effort from the staff, who provide consistent, excellent conditions every day, whether the Ryder Cup is coming or not.  

“Making the place beautiful, that’s the main thing,” said Linda Moro, Bethpage’s Clubhouse Maintenance Supervisor. “Each little, tiny aspect makes the biggest difference. And it’s nice to make the park beautiful…that is our Long Island way.” 

Moro, now with the park for eleven and a half years, started her career indoors as a cashier and has worked her way to become part of the grounds team. She makes sure the shrubs are pruned, and the clubhouse grounds get a regular haircut to keep the front door and welcome mat pristine for visitors.  

“Everybody is insanely excited about the Ryder Cup,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be a wild ride.” 

We’ll See You Out There

These days there are two signs every golfer playing the Black course will notice. One is the iconic “Warning” sign that reads: “Warning – The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” 

The other is bright red that golfers pass as they exit the parking lot that reads: “See You in September.” Not as iconic as the first, but just as memorable for those counting down the days until the 45^th Ryder Cup matches taking place September 26-28. 

“We’re going to do our best to shine for that moment,” said Matson, who sometimes strolls out to the intimidating and infamous first tee on the Black — just to watch. There are benches with people watching and golfers waiting. It’s a nerve-wracking experience and every now and again, they might heckle your tee shot. You need to be long, accurate and patient, he said. 

“The sport’s hard enough as it is, but for the Black course, it really is,” Wilson said. “For the excellent players… the warning sign isn’t a joke. You really should be a ‘highly skilled’ player to play the Black course or it’s going to be a very long afternoon.” 

Wilson and his team arrive by 4:30 AM each morning. Golfers are already lined up, some having slept in their car, to get a coveted spot on the Black course. He and the superintendents — there is one for each of the five courses — meet to discuss the weather, followed by what is planned: Are we fertilizing, do we have a tournament, do we need to shift crews to another course? 

“Some people have said Bethpage is maybe the golf course that never sleeps because we have golfers here 24 hours a day now,” Wilson explained. “They’re waiting in the parking lot at sometimes 2 or 3 o’clock for the following day, people will be practicing putting until it’s so dark they can’t see and sometimes even if the lamp post by the clubhouse will let them practice, they’ll still practice. There are people here all the time.” 

The courses are not flat. They have undulations, hills, mounds, a variety of acreage — an oasis in the middle of Nassau County. As suburbia encroached, Bethpage held fast, and the locals appreciate that. After all, they don’t call it “The People’s Country Club” for nothing.  

“The staff here at Bethpage is phenomenal… just aces,” said Matson. “Preparing for the biggest Ryder Cup ever has been really rewarding with the PGA of America. We’ve been talking to [the PGA] basically daily for the last three years.” 

A core part of the team is Suzanne Friedrichs, who’s been at Bethpage for 40 years. Her dad used to play the course and came home one day to tell the then 17-year-old that Bethpage was hiring. She got a job as a starter on the Blue Course and never left.  

“I’ve seen people grow up here,” she said. “I grew up here.” 

Friedrichs now runs the day-to-day operations including golf registration, “which means dealing with all the golfers, the payments… and everything else,” Matson said. 

“Having the Ryder Cup at a public course definitely tells the daily golfer that they’re good enough to be here and they’re worthy enough to be here,” Matson said. “You don’t have to be a country club member to enjoy golf and having the Ryder Cup here shows that.”  

Unlike the past Majors held in May and June, the Ryder Cup is in September and the finishing build-out of all the corporate tents, concessions and media center is happening in the summertime – the heart of the golf season. 

“We’re going through the whole summer of the build-out. It’s a little more intense because it’s our busy time,” Friedrichs said. “Most people understand what’s going on and appreciate it. For the most part, people are very excited.” 

Part of the huge build-out for the Ryder Cup is closing courses, adding stadium seating and infrastructure and actually paving roads on the grounds. There’s need for stands, hospitality tents, a media center and concessions. And when it’s all over, it will all disappear. Those pavements will be torn back up and replaced with grass to get all five courses ready for spring. The Bethpage team is already thinking about that, too. 

“By next March,” Wilson said with a smirk, “the golfers are going to be looking at us like ‘you’re not done yet?’” 

Years in the Making

To get to this point to host the Ryder Cup, you have to go back 30 years. At that time, Bethpage was just a park with five courses that the Long Island locals enjoyed. But there wasn’t a lot of money or staff (about 28 full-time) dedicated to the park, according to David Catalano, then Director of Bethpage State Park, who is now retired. 

After years of “really no investments,” Catalano watched as Bethpage got a much-needed facelift, from grounds to concessionaires to the clubhouse. Catalano’s credit list for the transformation is long and begins in the workshop at Bethpage and goes all the way to the Capitol. 

Catalano started as a Bethpage seasonal worker in 1967. He was “picking up garbage and cleaning toilets” in the picnic area at age 19. “I came back every summer,” he said. He worked at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve and Sunken Meadow but returned to his first love, Bethpage, in 1995. When he retired in 2011, Bethpage had an ongoing path of professional golf championships while keeping its public roots.  

“It was a magical time, there was a lot of stress, a lot of intense work,” he said. “The State Parks staff stepped up big time. It was my privilege to be there. I sit back and smile. A lot of great, great memories. Not to get too poetic, but it wasn’t a job, Bethpage was a way of life.” 

With just over a month before the September tournament, emotions run the gamut. Team member bring up the pride they feel, and also the nerves that go part and parcel with the anticipation. Without wanting to wish this moment away, they also acknowledge the sense of relief that will arrive when it’s over.

“We have daily conversations about the Ryder Cup,” Matson said. “How great it’s going to be for the area, for the state of New York, and for public golf.”

— Written by John Craig, Digital Content Specialist