Bethpage State Park Golf Course: Black

If you are a golfer from the tri-state area, you have most certainly heard stories from friends, family, and casual acquantiences about the time they played Bethpage. Did they camp out in the parking lot overnight to grab a spot on the tee sheet, did they show up to play the Black but ended up playing the Red, or did they witness a fight almost breaking out in the parking lot when tickets were being handed out for walk-on times?

These were all stories that I had heard before I made the trip to the Black Course to take on “The People’s Country Club”, now here’s mine.

My day to Long Island started bright and early as I made the drive to Bethpage State Park at 4:30 am. After doing some research and calling the pro shop, I knew I needed to be at the course before 6:30 am when they started handing out tickets for walk-on tee times.

When entering the auxiliary parking lot the first thing to look for is the numbered parking spots. I ended up parking in spot #51 and lucked out by parking near a Bethpage veteran, who filled me in on how to go about navigating the day and telling me about some of the course’s storied history.

At 6:30 am on the dot, a pro-shop employee handed out tickets to everyone in the parking lot, and with my ticket in hand, I followed the crowd to the pro-shop and waited to hear my number being called. Give or take a few, I was around the 50th person called and once inside I could see the 5 mounted computer screens behind the counter with all of the available tee times. I was able to get on the Black at 11:50 am as a walk-on single. The price ticket for the round as a non-resident walk-on was $140.

Now that I had a tee time, my first stop was the pro shop. September 2025 Bethpage Black is hosting the Ryder Cup and the shop currently is stocked with merchandise for the upcoming event (Ryder Cup Shop Online). After leaving the clubhouse I got myself together and went to the range to warm up. The range left something to be desired and was not at all what I expected, for starters drivers are not allowed to be hit due to its small size. Forty-five golf balls ran me $7 on an artificial mat, but it was enough to help me warm up and get ready for the day. The practice putting green in front and behind the clubhouse was in impeccable shape and was a true representation of the green speed on the course.

As you approach the starter it is impossible to miss the famous ‘Danger’ sign on the black wrought iron fence before the opening hole. Behind the fence are several benches creating a pseudo gallery when teeing off on one. As I joined my group on the tee box and looked around I could almost see Tiger standing in the same spot getting ready to hit his opening shot in the 2002 US Open. The opening hole is a par 4 from an elevated tee box with the fairway bending right and trees on the right blocking any approach to the green. The goal on this opening hole is to aim left center to have a shot into the smallest green on the course. I opened my day with a bogey and another leg of the Tiger Challenge was underway.

The Black course is walking only, so be prepared to walk- a lot. The walk to the second hole was approximately 4 minutes, mostly uphill, this is a common theme throughout the day. Be sure to pack your most comfortable golf shoes for this endeavor, my step count was 18,133 steps for the round.

As I approached the third hole I was reminded once again about the upcoming Ryder Cup with the logo proudly displayed on a maintenance building. The third hole is a par 3 surrounded by deep bunkers on both sides and woods on the right. I hit an 8 iron into the green and was about 18 inches short due the the wind. With the green covered in leaves, I decided to boldly putt through the leaves. After making my first par of the day I felt like I was finally getting some momentum on this beast of a course.

The fourth hole is an absolute beauty from the tee box. This par 5 challenges golfers to be shot makers, as the hole is a dogleg left flanked with bunkers and an elevated green. Fortunately, our foursome had two regulars of the Black Course, who were able to help me avoid catastrophe throughout the day. For me, the hole played long as I found trouble by not keeping the ball in the fairway and finding the rough, which seemed to trap my ball and take away any chance I had of hitting the green in regulation. As I made it to #7, I was reminded that this hole plays as a par 5 for the public and a par 4 for the PGA…I’m certainly glad it was a par 5 for me! The hole was into the wind and long with no real way to cut off any distance. After hitting a good drive, you need 2 fairly long hybrid/iron shots to make it to the green. After playing the hole and looking back to the tee box it is hard to imagine a player being able to hit the green in 2, however, I am sure we will see pars and birdies this coming September from the Ryder Cup team.

After making the turn, a member of my group commented how the course was about to get much harder and he was right. The wind on the back 9 played a role in the course’s difficulty as did the Tillinghast & Burbeck design. You start the back with a straightaway 10th hole, lulling you into a false sense of security. As we hit the 10th hole I started to get concerned as the pace of play had significantly slowed down. On most tee boxes we now were waiting for the group in front of us to tee off with the group behind us pushing hard and often yelling out to us in frustration about the pace of play. I am assuming since it is November, the staff at Bethpage is limited, however, a marshall to keep groups moving along would be beneficial. In addition to the pace of play, the amount of daylight hours was also something to contend with this time of year in the northeast.

The 11th hole on the course was one of my favorites visually and was fun to play with a blind shot from the tee box. Your tee shot needs to be on the right side of the fairway to avoid bunkers and unforgiving rough on the left. Your second shot should be pretty straightforward to the green. I ended up hitting a decent drive and left my approach short. Being short ended up not being the worst thing in the world as the green was one of the toughest to hold on the course all day. A word of advice on this hole, make sure you leave yourself an uphill putt (downhill can be treacherous). The round continued and the daylight continued to dwindle. My favorite hole all day was the par 3 fourteenth. This hole is magnificent and challenging when factoring in the wind and how to avoid the fescue and bunkers that protect the green. The green slopes from back to front, so make sure to leave yourself an uphill putt to avoid having the ball run off and needing to run back to your bag for a wedge. The walk from #14 to #15 is substantial, but downhill, be careful when crossing the road as drivers on Long Island don’t seem to love to yield to pedestrians.

The final stretch at Bethpage is physically and mentally exhausting. The fifteenth hole is nicknamed ‘Heartbreak Hill’, I assumed it was because the hole can ruin your scorecard, however, I was told ‘no, it’s because multiple people have had heart attacks on the hole’. Needless to say, the hole is uphill and you will be out of breath by the time you reach the green. This hole is a long par 4 and requires a shot into the fairway for a chance to hit the green in regulation. The green is also 50 feet above the fairway and has two tiers making for a challenging putt.

After the trek on #15, the 16th hole is slightly downhill and gives you a chance to catch your breath and have the lactic acid drain from your calves (which are on fire). When teeing off on #16 I knew my day was going to have to come to a close very soon as the sun was setting and we were waiting about 8 minutes on every tee box for the group ahead of us to be safely out in front.

I played out #16, thanked my group for an amazing day, and walked the storied #17 and #18 so I could continue my journey of retracing Tiger’s championship footsteps. As I walked up #18 in the pitch black I could see the clubhouse with the lights on, I knew right then that I would be back in the future to play this course again.

In Long Island fashion, Bethpage out.

See you in the fairway!

Courtney