Bethpage Black
The people's major — a walking-only Tillinghast monster that hosts U.S. Opens and Ryder Cups, with a warning sign on the first tee and a public green fee at the counter.
There’s a sign on the first tee at Bethpage Black, and it isn’t a gimmick. “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” Read it, swallow hard, and tee it up anyway — because this is the same Tillinghast monster that hosts U.S. Opens and Ryder Cups, and you’re about to play it for the price of a nice dinner, off a public tee sheet, like anyone else.
| Yards | Rating | Slope | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tips | 7,465 | 77.5 | 155 |
| Regular | 6,704 | 74.2 | 148 |
How it plays
Long, narrow, and uphill wherever it hurts most. The fairways are framed by rough you could lose a caddie in, the bunkers are deep and shaggy, and there’s no cart to spare your legs — the Black is walking-only, all 7,465 yards of it. From the back tees it is, flatly, one of the hardest courses you can legally pay to play. The move is to swallow your pride, tee it forward, and treat bogey like a birdie.
The warning sign isn’t a gimmick.
Where it bites
Everywhere — but the front nine sets the tone. The par-4 5th, climbing to a green perched behind a vast waste bunker, is the honest No. 1 handicap and a hole the pros fear too. By the time you reach the brutish par-5s on the back, the walk and the rough have already taken something out of you. Keep it in play, accept the long clubs into greens, and let the double bogeys go.
The pedigree
The Black was built in 1936 as a Depression-era public works project — championship golf, for the people, by design — and is usually credited to A.W. Tillinghast working with the park’s engineer, Joseph Burbeck. Rees Jones restored its teeth before the 2002 U.S. Open, and the course has since hosted a second Open (2009), a PGA Championship (2019), and the 2025 Ryder Cup. Not bad for a layout you reach through a state-park parking lot.
Plan your visit
Bethpage State Park sits on Long Island, about 45 minutes east of Manhattan. Tee times go through New York State Parks’ online reservation system — residents get priority and pay far less (roughly $70 weekday versus up to $160 for non-residents). It’s walking-only, there’s a range to loosen up, and five other (far gentler) courses on the property if the Black humbles you. Book the earliest slot the window allows; the good times vanish fast.
Who should play here
Anyone who wants to feel, just for a day, what a major feels like — and has the game (or the humility) to survive it. Bring your A-game and a walking bag. Bethpage won’t coddle you, won’t care who you are, and won’t cost you a fortune. That’s exactly what makes it the best hard golf in America: the velvet rope was never installed.
Full scorecard — Bethpage Black (Championship tees)
Par 71 · 7,465 yards · 77.5 rating · 155 slope
| Hole | Par | Yards | Handicap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 430 | 7 |
| 2 | 4 | 389 | 13 |
| 3 | 3 | 230 | 17 |
| 4 | 5 | 517 | 1 |
| 5 | 4 | 478 | 3 |
| 6 | 4 | 408 | 11 |
| 7 | 5 | 553 | 9 |
| 8 | 3 | 210 | 15 |
| 9 | 4 | 460 | 5 |
| 10 | 4 | 502 | 8 |
| 11 | 4 | 435 | 10 |
| 12 | 4 | 516 | 4 |
| 13 | 5 | 608 | 6 |
| 14 | 3 | 158 | 18 |
| 15 | 4 | 484 | 2 |
| 16 | 4 | 490 | 12 |
| 17 | 3 | 207 | 14 |
| 18 | 4 | 411 | 16 |
| Total | 71 | 7,465 | — |
Hole-by-hole yardages and stroke indexes are illustrative.
Bethpage Black, quickly
- How much does it cost to play Bethpage Black?
- New York State residents pay roughly $70 on weekdays; non-residents up to about $160 — a public price for a major-championship course.
- Who designed Bethpage Black?
- Credited to A.W. Tillinghast with the park's engineer Joseph Burbeck; it opened in 1936 and was restored by Rees Jones ahead of the 2002 U.S. Open.
- Can you ride a cart at Bethpage Black?
- No. The Black is walking-only — all 7,465 brutal yards of it.
- How do you get a tee time at Bethpage Black?
- Through New York State Parks' advance online reservation system. Residents get priority and lower rates, so book as early as the window allows.
We may earn a commission on the tee-time link above — we only point you where we’d book ourselves. Scorecard figures are illustrative.