All eyes of the golfing world are now firmly set on the Black course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York, which is hosting the 45th Ryder Cup on 26-28 September 2025.

The Black course was laid out by AW Tillinghast, alongside park superintendent Joseph Burbeck, and opened in 1935. GCA has already spoken with architect Rees Jones about the changes made in anticipation of the Ryder Cup and with director of agronomy Andrew Wilson about how his team has prepared the course and grounds to host this year’s spectacle. Now, it’s time to take a closer a look at some of the holes that could prove critical in this year’s contest.

Hole one
Par four | 397 yards
Every player’s opening tee shot will be met with a raucous reception from fans in the huge grandstand that sits behind the first tee and eighteenth green. That structure was built directly on top of the usual first tee, so Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead located a new tee for the event, that is forward and to the left and sets the hole up on a slightly different angle to usual.

Among the easier tee shots on the Black under most circumstances, the drive plays downwind to a fairway that doglegs right. Longer hitters like Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau may decide to hit directly over the trees to the front edge of the green – around 340 yards on a direct line. That approach is fraught with risk but could result in that all-important strong start.

Bryson DeChambeau testing out the direct route to the first green during his practice round (Photo: Michael Reaves/PGA of America)

Hole four
Par five | 517 yards
After waking off the third green, golfers get the big reveal of the intimidating but beautiful par-five fourth. The “Great Hazard”, a template employed on many other great courses, including Pine Valley and Baltusrol, may not be the primary concern for pros who will be aiming to reach the green in two. They are more likely to be concerned about how they can keep the ball on the elevated putting surface with a long second shot.

In a recent video about the hole, Sir Nick Faldo said: “Players can’t see a thing… just a pencil line of a green”. The putting surface has a deep slope from front to back, so many balls are likely to end up in the deep swale behind the green.

Driving accuracy and distance will dictate a player’s strategy for the fourth hole (Photo: Michael Reaves/PGA of America)

Hole fourteen
Par three | 161 yards
The shortest hole on the course, and the best chance to score a birdie according to Jones. That could be critical in the lates stage of matches. Players hit from an elevated tee down to a triangular-shaped green that is 40 yards from front to back. There is a massive bunker short-right and a smaller hazard to the left. The closer the pin is positioned to the right edge, the longer the carry over the huge bunker, and the greater chance that a tricky recovery shot will be required.

Driving accuracy and distance will dictate a player’s strategy for the fourth hole (Photo: Michael Reaves/PGA of America)

Hole seventeen
Par three | 179 yards
Bunkers on the par-three seventeenth are among the most dramatic and visually intimidating on the course, appearing to surround a very wide but shallow putting surface.

A ridge on the green creates two tiers, with the right side a lot lower than the left. In Golf Channel’s coverage during a practice round, former European captain Paul McGinley said, “it will be very difficult to get to a front pin position”.

According to the Ryder Cup’s channel, 20.9 per cent of matches have been decided on the seventeenth hole.

The par-three seventeenth could decide many matches in the Ryder Cup (Photo: Michael Reaves/PGA of America)

Hole eighteen
Par four | 411 yards
Nearly 40 per cent of Ryder Cup matches reach the final hole, and the Black’s eighteenth (top image of this article) is one of the most recognisable on the course, with massive clusters of bunkers that pinch the left and right sides of the fairway in the landing area. These bunkers put a premium on driving accuracy, which may also be tested by the forecasted windy and wet conditions. During the 2009 US Open, Lucas Glover proved that a conservative approach can prevail, hitting a six-iron off the tee and then a nine-iron into the well-defended green to seal his victory. A similar approach remains an option, but the hole will play 50 yards longer for the Ryder Cup.