Just because Long Island is under attack from a winter "bomb cyclone" doesn't mean a housebound golfer can't envision his or her opening drive of the 2018 season. And while they're shaping shots in their mind this offseason, local players might need to rethink their strategy if they plan to tee of on Bethpage Black.
Bethpage crews lifted and replaced five elm trees on Black's opening hole, transplanting them from the left side to the right just before the blizzard arrived in the area this week. The change makes cutting the dogleg a tougher task. This comes from Bethpage director of agronomy Andrew Wilson, who keeps golfers up to date on renovations at the park through his Twitter feed (@Greensideup17).
Back in April, Wilson provided Golf On Long Island with a full overview of 2016-17 renovations at the park courses. So far this fall and winter, maintenance crews have begun renovations of bunkers on the Black, Red and Green courses, as well as irrigation fixes and some green expansion.
View photos of the renovations on Twitter at @Greensideup17. And be sure to look for a detailed overview of 2017-18 Bethpage course updates later this spring.