Black at Bethpage State Park Golf Course

This course is walking only. It’s very hard and you have to cross roads two times when playing here. They have 5 courses at this location so be sure to go to the one you pay for at the cashier window. Tell them that you live in NY and they charge you less.
I started playing with 3 other people.
They had little patience and we separated because I made an 11 on the first hole. I played really slow, it
Took 7 hours to golf 18 holes. That’s too long. I don’t
recommend my friends play here, they are not good golfers.

Dubbed “The People’s Country Club,” you’ll find plumbers, day traders and tourists lining up in the wee hours of the morning to secure an elusive tee time. Bethpage’s Black course, however, is not somewhere one comes in search of their game.

Tillinghast exposes any weakness one’s game possesses. The brawny par 4s always seem to be over 400 yards and invariably into the wind to perched up greens bracketed by yawning pits of sand. Quite simply, this place offers no quarter.

The rough here was among the most maddening I’ve ever encountered. Balls just do not want to launch out of it. And if you do manage to get a club on the ball, it’s nearly impossible to predict which way it will come out.

A round here is memorialized by scrambling for pars all day. If you make the 6-10 footers you can survive. Otherwise, it’s a parade of bogeys… or worse.

Finally, the course is walking only and the land is severe in places. So by the time you reach that interminably hard closing four-hole stretch, the last climbs await. Dead legs can betray a swing and make the finish a slog.

Walking off the 18th green, one is thankful to have played it. And equally grateful it’s over.

First and foremost, this was a 9-mile extreme hiking trail, that included golf. For older folks considering this track, I don't recommend it. I read a lot of reviews and watched many videos to prepare myself for Black. I'm 57 years old and in good shape. It was a struggle to finish my 5-hour round, simply because I was physically beat. The July heat, combined with the extreme peaks and valleys on the course challenged me more than the golf. I played with a 43 year-old guy with his 16 year-old son. Dad quit after 5 holes, (we flagged down a ranger to cart him back to the clubhouse), and it was me and the kid the rest of the way. I was having a ball, until maybe 13 or 14 when the fatigue set it and my golf game unraveled. From 14 on, I just wanted it to end. I had the thought of a marathoner gutting out the last couple miles of the race and kept that mantra in my head for the last few holes.

The golf course is amazing. I had planned to hire a caddie but none were available. If you've never played the course, I suspect a caddie would increase your joy and your success. Plenty of blind shots and position decisions have to be made. (And raking the 15 different bunkers I was in added to the task). It's an enormous property with 78 bunkers, many of them cavernous. Local knowledge would benefit any golfer. On a couple of occasions we didn't know where the next tee was. (Note, the many tees are far away from the previous green) It's old-school. There is no container with sand to fill your divot. Replace your divots. But each hole as we walked on the tee box was stupendous. The layout, scenery and elevation changes make it a treat to play.
I just wish I had a caddie.

Ahhh Bethpage Black, the legend lives! Got a chance to play on a work trip and may I say, it doesn't live up to the hype, it exceeds it! Rarely does any experience in life exceed such high expectations, but the Black Course certainly does. It's just such a golfers paradise at Bethpage - 90 holes of golf there, yes I said 90! And while surprisingly there is very poor areas for practice, nonetheless from the time you step on property, they create an atmosphere of all golf, all the time! Their teller windows for paying your green fees have every single opening, not just tee times but individual openings in a foursome, posted on big screens making it super easy for a walk on to pick your course and time. And the golf course, wow. Not only do they NOT allow carts on the Black, but they don't want you setting you bag down on the tee box, that's how much they care for their course. Everybody walks the black. As big as it gets, with winds, bends, sand, long whispy grass, boy this course was more than I could handle and kicked my butt! Just so memorable and gorgeous holes! I could go on all day, but if you are serious about golf, The Black Course at Bethpage State Park is a must.

Bethpage’s Black course is a beautiful brute of a golf course that starts out throwing haymakers and doesn’t let up the fight till the very last putt. Yet it offers a truly unique public golf experience that anyone fortunate enough to partake won’t soon forget.

The course brings such a high level of lore and prestige with it that it’s paramount for a first-time player of the course to adjust expectations upon arrival. Yes, it has a fancy clock and a cool clubhouse and a famous warning sign. From the back patio the courses (their are five in all) look majestic and meticulously maintained. You may initially wonder how it only costs an out-of-state player $165 to play a U.S. Open and future Ryder Cup host.

But it’s important to remember that this is, in the end, a municipal course, and one that hasn’t always looked so fancy. My first reminder of the course’s true station came at the driver-less driving range, a wedge of land tucked in the property’s corner where you have to wait in line to hit off a mat, aiming at some randomly placed and unmarked flags, while hitting next to a 9-year-old school girl in a penguin Halloween customer. I digress.

On the course, signs of this course being run by a city are also evident. The many, many bunkers on the course are littered with deep footprints. There are neglected ball marks on the greens. The place of play is bordering on Pebble Beach/Sawgrass long (5:22 for my round). Perhaps the hardest adjustment for me was a lack of a practice bunker or chipping area. This means the first few holes are all just a learning experience for how the club interacts with the extremely thick rough and heavy bunker sand.

That’s about all there is to complain about this course though and much, MUCH more to praise it for. For starters, it’s far more beautiful than I expected. Some of the photos I snapped during my round belong on a wall somewhere. This is my first Tillinghast design and I am a huge fan of how he presents holes from the tee. Pure majesty. The par-3 8th is one of my favorite short holes anywhere. Each hole has a unique and thoughtful design, it was absolutely breathtaking to behold.

But of course what really takes your breath away on this course is its difficulty. From deep fairway bunkers to rough that absolutely requires a humble punch out to the sheer length of many holes; this course knows how to beat you up and keep you on the ropes. A crescendo of difficulty awaits you on the back nine with only 13 and 14 offering what could be considered a respite. In the end I managed 14 more shots than I had a week prior at a normal “hard course”, with no appreciable loss in playing ability in between.

Footprint-laden bunkers aside, the course conditions are quite excellent, particularly the famous rough and the beautifully hand-placed fescue. The greens roll so smooth and fast. It was a real treat to putt on them. The fairways looked and played awesome as well.

The staff is absolutely first-rate. I was really impressed with their understated friendliness and attention to detail.

Finally, for $165 this is a great value, if you can get a tee time. Access is an issue (not unlike St. Andrews) but once you’ve secured a coveted spot, the actual cost of the round (and the merchandise, for that matter) is easy to swallow.

Bethpage Black isn’t a course I could enjoy every day or for $250. But it absolutely is a course that can be enjoyed for what it is: the hardest municipal course in the United States. And to that I salute it.

The Black course is as challenging as everyone claims it to be, definitely one of my favorite courses I’ve ever played. The rest of it was…lackluster. Staff was friendly, but when you’re restaurant says you’re going to open at 5:30 for breakfast, don’t open at 7:00. Same goes for the driving range. You’re one of the top courses in the country, notorious for allowing golfers to camp out to get an early morning round. After sleeping in your car to get that tee time, you want time to warm up or get a quick breakfast before the round.

This is the best course I have ever played. I got an 11 am tee time. The course was in amazing shape and the layout was challenging but fun. The driving range was not that good but that about all.

Got lucky and scored a 930am tee time on the Black online a few days before, it can done if you keeping checking throughout the day.
It was a wet morning with a few showers the night before, stayed fogging and misty throughout the morning until burning off in the afternoon.
I am an above average player that has been eyeing the Black all season as test to my progress this year. The first three holes allow you to get off to a decent start, giving you a slight false sense of confidence. Then the fun begins, you hit the 4th hole and the Black takes over. Every hole from there is a beast, relentless and grueling while staying very enjoyable and fun. The Black doesn't take any holes off to let you breath.
The course is long and hilly. The freeways tend to be pretty narrow, with a thick rough along each one, and on this day they were wet which only added to difficulty, Along with the rough, most holes have bunker covering as well. Once you make it to the greens be ready for bunker covering surrounding each hole. The sand is a soft as you'll find on any course and they are deep. Once on the greens you are treated to a wonderful putting experience, as they run smooth, fast and true.
The 10,11,12 hole run I found to be the most challenging, as you are half way through, and you are given these, long par 4s, the only real flat part of the course that leaves very little room for error. Once you're past that and go back across the road the final 4 holes give you a great feeling of achievement. You see the finish line, start to realize its almost over and you really start to take in how great a round of golf you've been lucky to have.
18 is a perfect way to end the day, you think of the Major Champs that have made the same walk you are making as you finish one of the best courses you will ever play.

We camped out for a tee time on the Black as we usually do. The course is always in great shape and is beautiful to look at. and that was no exception this time around. Tee boxes were great, no complaints. Same with the fairways. They weren't country club tight, but they were fast, firm and few divots. The greens are very lush, but they are not overly fast. Alot of ball marks, but that's on the public, not the course. The greens are healthy with a thick base which allows for balls marks to fix easily and not be noticed. The rough is thick, not overly long, but thick and very uniform throughout. You will never catch an unfair lie. The sand was soft, too soft. Get unlucky and catch the upslope or lip and your guaranteed to plug. No rakes either because of COVID. Cups had a small PVC pipe thing in it to prevent the ball from going all the way down. The pin was removable if you so wish though. The only negative is the range. Limited distance and mats do not instill confidence in your game before your duel with the black.

Bethpage Black is an outstanding layout. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars was because of the conditions. Had played it for the first time last year and thought the conditions were better then. This time the fairways were chewed up a bit, lots of unfilled divots and some drainage issues. The greens were quick, but not lightning speed as I would have expected. Noticeably more unrepaired ball marks than last time I played.

It appeared that maintenance had taken a few days off from cutting the grass. I don't mind high rough, it's supposed to penalize you. But the fairways and greens were a bit fuzzy and the aprons/fringe around the greens was not well maintained at all.

I'll be back for sure as it's one of the best layouts in the country, but for what they charge you'd think they'd spend a little more time making sure the conditions were worthy of the price.

Growing up in NJ I was always happy to pay the out of state price when someone would bless me with a tee time invite. So when I actually became a NY resident and got access to the tee time system life has never been the same! In a good way!

There is simply no better course, on the east coast, for the money, than Bethpage Black. Conditions are always immaculate and the course always presents a challenge even in the most favorable conditions.

On my most recent round, the weather was ideal and the rough was not at tournament length, as a result I was able to score well on the front nine. However, as usual, the brutal walk caught up with as we crossed round swamp road and I found OB right off the tee on 15. As I’m sure countless thousands of other low, mud and high handicappers have before me.

But no matter what you score, by the time you walk up that last hill to the eighteenth green, you know you e accomplished something special just by finishing. There is a mystique that can’t be defined about this course, but it’s always fun to try and describe it over a beer in the clubhouse after the last putt. There is really nothing you can’t love about this course. Except maybe the lack of a proper driving range.

It should be on every golfers top five bucket list courses and it’s public, and relatively speaking, cheap to play so there is no reason not to make the trip out to Long Island. (Unless you’re handicap is over 15, in which case do everyone a favor and just play the red course. It’s blacks nicer little brother and you can take a cart!)

I have played this course since the late 70's and have seen it go from good to poor to the fantastic shape it is in currently. Two US Opens, PGA, two Barclay's, multiple NY State Opens and the Ryder Cup in 2024. It is a true gem and the facility has four other 18 hole courses that are all excellent tests for golfers of all abilities.
If ever in the area it is a must visit, you will not be disappointed.

As a local, the few times I've decided to test myself and play the Black was during the off-season when the grass has yet to be fully grown. It's already a beast and playing it a couple weeks after the PGA Championship, makes it even more of a beast. The course layout speaks for itself and you know its special when you are probably getting your behind kicked but still have the biggest smile on your face. The course itself takes about 5 hours to walk on a normal pace but unfortunately, this round took 6 hours due to a group in front of us breaking every etiquette for pace of play. I usually carry but do recommend using a push cart as its a very tough walk, especially in the summer.

I play the black course a few times a year and some mixed opinions. The course itself is beyond amazing and I am always impressed by the conditions of the greens and (massive bunkers). It is visually stunning and is definitely a must play for anyone in the area.

My one piece of advice for people playing the course would be to NOT take a caddie. The pro shop charges $80 (cash) plus the tip and it is definitely not worth it. The experience is not even remotely similar to caddies at other top public tracks. The guys are not professional (mine ordered a mixed drink at the turn house last time), they do not read puts or give lines and offer little in terms of strategy. I would suggest just buying a yardage book and doing things yourself

Also because the price is so low for NY residents, I have been paired multiple times with local idiots who go out there to get drunk

Very good experience. My day started when I arrived around 3:30am to wait on my golden ticket. You can opt to book your tee time online but it’s hard to get an early round. I also wanted the full experience, so I show up at 0330 and I find 16 other guys already waiting in front of me. By the time the Marshall came around there were probably 60 vehicles that had shown up. The locals were very friendly and helpful. The greens had been punched a week before but there was very little signs. They rolled true (a little slow) and the fairways were rewarding. Stay out of the rough. Even cut back, it’s a game changer. I can’t wait for my next visit. I highly recommend this course to any mid to low handicap player.

My wife and I were planning on the early AM parking lot wait but got lucky and secured an online tee time for 2:27 the day before. Bethpage Black is a great championship golf course but very difficult for the average golfer. Narrow fairways, long and very lush rough in addition to elevation changes, tough bunkering and firm fast greens make for a challenging yet fair test of golf. Very tough for ladies as the forward tees are 6,200 yards. Wonderful conditioning adds to the experience. The starter was very helpful and friendly. Walking only so bring your carry bag or your push cart. I would love to play this course again but perhaps just once or twice a year.

Mythical Bethpage Black reputation is fully warranted. I’ve never been so happy and miserable at the same time on a golf course. It’s long, so long, and unforgiving — the rough is brutal and even the first cut isn’t gentle. The greens are mostly flat and fair and in good shape, not great, which is understandable given the amount of play.

But I can’t wait to go back. It was just a fantastic experience in every way. And I was able to grind and make a lot of shots and even post decent numbers. If your budget allows, take a caddy for sure and listen to their advice.

What a day it was!