Bethpage State Park Golf Course: Black

If you are a golfer from the Tri-State area, you must have heard stories from friends, family, and casual acquisitions about when they play bethpage. Did they camp in the parking lot last night to take a place on the Tee sheet, did they appear to play black but eventually played red, or did they watch a fight that was almost broken in the parking lot when the ticket was distributed for Walk-On time?

This is all the story that I heard before I traveled to a black course to take “The People’s Country Club”, now it is mine.

My day to Long Island began to be bright and earlier when I was driving to Bethpage State Park at 4:30 am. After doing research and calling a pro shop, I knew I had to be in the course before 6:30 in the morning when they started distributing tickets for Tee Walk-On time.

When entering an additional parking lot, the first thing to find is a numbered parking lot. I finally parked at place #51 and was lucky with parking near a Bethpage veteran, who filled me about how to navigate that day and told me about some courses history.

At 6:30 in the morning at point, a pro-shop employee distributed 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 I was called. Give or take some, I am around the 50th person who was called and so inside I could see 5 computer screens mounted behind the table with all the available TEE time. I can get black at 11:50 in the morning as a single walk-on. The price ticket for the round as a non-residening walk-on is $ 140.

Now I have TEE time, my first stop is a pro shop. September 2025 Bethpage Black hosted the Ryder Cup and the Shop is currently full of merchandise for the upcoming event (Ryder Cup Shop Online). After leaving the clubhouse, I gathered myself and went to the warm -up distance. Kisaran leaves something that is desired and not as I expect, because the beginner, the driver is not allowed to be beaten because of its small size. Forty-five golf balls run me $ 7 on artificial mats, but it’s enough to help me warm up and get ready for that day. The practice of placing green in front and behind the clubhouse is in perfect condition and is a true representation of the green speed on the field.

When you approach the starter, it is not possible to miss the famous ‘danger’ sign on the black wrought iron fence before the opening hole. Behind the fence there are a number of benches that created a pseudo gallery when Teeing On On. When I joined my group in the Tee box and looked around, I could almost see Tiger standing in the same place to get ready to do the opening shot at the US Open 2002. The opening hole was par 4 from the Tee box that was raised with fairway bent right and the tree on the right blocking any approach to green. The purpose of this opening hole is to direct the left center to do the smallest green shot in the field. I opened my day with the scourge and legs of Tiger’s other challenges in progress.

Black courses just walk, so get ready to walk around. Walking to the second hole is about 4 minutes, mostly uphill, this is a common theme throughout the day. Be sure to package your most comfortable golf shoes for this effort, the number of my steps is 18,133 steps for rounds.

When I approached the third hole, I was reminded once again about the upcoming Ryder Cup with a logo with proudly displayed in the maintenance building. The third hole is PAR 3 surrounded by a deep bunker on both sides and forest on the right. I crashed into iron 8 into green and about 18 inches short because of the wind. With green covered with leaves, I decided to boldly put through the leaves. After making my first par today, I felt like I finally got momentum in this wild animal.

The fourth hole is the absolute beauty of the Tee box. Par 5 is challenging the golfer to become a shot maker, because the hole is dogleg flanked with bunker and high green. Fortunately, the four of us have two remaining black customers, who can help me avoid disasters throughout the day. For me, the hole was rotated for a long time because I found a problem by not guarding the ball on the fairway and found the rude one, which seemed to trap my ball and took the opportunity I had to hit green in the rules. When I managed to reach #7, I was reminded that this hole played as PAR 5 for the public and par 4 for PGA … I would be happy that was par 5 for me! The hole entered the wind and a long time without a real way to cut any distance. After doing a good drive, you need 2 long hybrid/iron shots to make it green. After playing a hole and looking back to the Tee box, it is difficult to imagine a player can reach green at 2, however, I’m sure we will see Pars and Birdie in September from the Ryder Cup team.

After turning, a group member I commented on how the course would be more difficult and he was right. The wind behind 9 plays a role in the difficulty of courses as well as Tillinghast & Burbeck designs. You start the back with the 10th hole directly, put you to sleep to the wrong sense of security. When we reached the 10th hole, I began to worry because the game rate was significantly slowing down. In most of our TEE boxes are now waiting for the group in front of us to go with the group behind us pushing hard and often shouting to us with frustration about the pace of the game. I assume because this is November, staff at Bethpage are limited, however, Marshall to make groups continue to move will be useful. In addition to the pace of the game, the number of during the day is also something to be debated with this year in the northeast.

The 11th hole in the field is one of my favorites visually and fun to play with blind shots from the Tee box. Tee shot must be on the right side of the fairway to avoid bunkers and rough on the left. Your second shot must be easy enough to green. I finally hit a decent drive and left my short approach. Being short finally does not become the worst in the world because green is one of the most difficult to hold on the track throughout the day. A advice about this hole, make sure you leave the uphill putt (down the hill can be dangerous). The round continues and during the day continues to shrink. My favorite hole throughout the day is par 3 fourteen. This hole is extraordinary and challenging when calculating the wind and how to avoid fescue and bunker that protects green. Green slopes from back to front, so make sure to let yourself climb to avoid the ball running away and need to run back to your bag for slices. Walking from #14 to #15 is very large, but decreases, be careful when crossing the road because the driver in Long Island seems to not like to give up on pedestrians.

The last stretch in Bethpage is physically and mentally tiring. The fifteenth hole is nicknamed ‘Heartbreak Hill’, I assume that because the hole can damage your score card, however, I was told ‘No, that’s because many people have experienced a heart attack in the hole’. No need to say, the hole is uphill and you will run out of breath when you reach green. This hole is a long par 4 and requires a shot to the fairway to get the opportunity to reach green in the rules. Green is also 50 feet on the fairway and has two levels that make the challenging putt.

After traveling at #15, the 16th hole decreased slightly and gave you the opportunity to regulate your breath and make lactic acid flow from your calves (burning). When Tee off at #16 I knew that my day had to end immediately immediately after sunset and we waited about 8 minutes in each Tee box for the group in front of us to be safe in front.

I play #16, thank my group for an extraordinary day, and walk on #17 and #18 so that I can continue my journey to trace the traces of the Tiger championship. When I walked #18 on Pitch Black, I could see Clubhouse with a lights on, I knew that I would return in the future to play this course again.

In Long Island mode, Bethpage comes out.

See you at Fairway!

Courtney