In case the distance and scores from professional golfers weren't enough to steer away any casual duffers, Bethpage Black even has a sign warning those that approach.
"WARNING," the sign reads. "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers."
The origins of the sign were a mystery for a long time, but the New York Post reported ahead of the 2019 PGA Championship that the sign came about thanks to Mike Asheroff, who was the deputy regional director for the Long Island State Parks in the 1980s.
"We went out there and some guy had decided he was going to teach his wife to play golf on Memorial Day on the Black Course," Asheroff told The Post in a telephone interview. "There were four or five empty holes in front of them and a foursome of very angry Asian golfers behind them. They were getting upset with the man and the woman and their English wasn't good. To hurry them up, they hit several balls into him and his wife. He turned around and hit the balls back at them. They all became extremely angry."
Asheroff was eventually able to get the slow group off the course and settle the situation but to avoid future conflicts, he scribbled down the copy of the sign and sent off parks superintendent Eric Siebert to get it made.
And thus, the most iconic image of Bethpage Black was born.