Iconic Bethpage Black ‘Warning’ Sign Removed Ahead Of Ryder Cup

Around 250,000 fans are expected at Bethpage Black throughout Ryder Cup week, and many will have been hoping to get a photograph with its iconic sign between the clubhouse and the first tee.

The sign has offered a sobering warning to recreational players and pros alike for decades: “WARNING - The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.”

However, it has been temporarily removed for Ryder Cup week. Per the New York Post, the sign will instead be on display at the Ryder Cup Live Fan Zone at the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

According to Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns, the reason it has been removed is to accommodate a grandstand built for the match, necessitating the first tee moving 40 yards further forward.

He told the New York Post: “The sign is gone. The Ryder Cup will use a brand new tee that’s 40 yards in front of the existing tee.

“If we had built that grandstand with the existing tee, it would almost go into the clubhouse. [The sign] would’ve been underneath the grandstands. It just wouldn’t have worked out.”

The origins of the sign are disputed, with some reports suggesting it has been there since the 1960s and others dating its first appearance to the 1970s or 1980s.

Regardless of when it was introduced, it didn’t truly catch the attention of the public until the TV coverage of the 2002 US Open.

That was the first time the public course in Farmingdale, New York, had hosted such a high-profile event. In typical US Open fashion, it proved a brutal test, with only the winner, Tiger Woods, finishing the tournament under par, adding credence to the sign’s daunting message.

Nowadays, the sign is known throughout the golf world, and earlier in September, apparel brand Under Armour even released a ‘Warning' collection paying homage to it.

Per the Golf Channel, a big reason for the sign’s removal was to prevent fans from congregating for photo opportunities alongside it.

However, all is not quite lost, with several replicas of the sign on display elsewhere at Bethpage Black for the match.

Meanwhile, for gift hunters, there is also good news as the pro shop sells an array of souvenirs and miniature replicas featuring the warning.

With or without the sign, the 24 Ryder Cup players will learn soon enough just how accurate it is.

Bethpage Black measures 7,400 yards in length and is known for its plateaued greens, punishingly deep bunkers and penal rough.