Bethpage State Park - golf for everyone, right in the heart of Long Island

When you think of world-famous golf courses, you often think of exclusive country clubs with a strict dress code and proud membership fees. Bethpage State Park on Long Island shows that things can be done differently - and at the highest level. With the legendary Black Course, one of the most challenging courses in the USA, Bethpage not only offers great sport, but also remains consistently open to the public. "The People's Country Club" is written in large letters at the entrance - and this slogan is not just decoration here, but a living philosophy. Bethpage is home to five 18-hole courses, which are grouped in a star shape around a central clubhouse. The most famous: the Black Course, a regular in the top 100 US courses for years and the venue for the US Open and PGA Championship. In September 2025, the next major event will take place on this course: the Ryder Cup, probably the most prestigious team competition in golf. Amateur golfers who want to play the Black Course for this event pay (as of June 2025) 140 US dollars on weekdays and 160 US dollars at weekends - for New Yorkers with proof of residence, the fee is only half. This makes the Black Course by far the cheapest Ryder Cup course in the world. However, the other four courses - Red, Blue, Green and Yellow - also offer excellent playing conditions and some spectacular layouts.

Bethpage State Park - Uniquely public

The roots of the course go back to 1912, when railroad manager Benjamin F. Yoakum acquired the land and had the first course built. This later became the Green. The actual expansion took place in the 1930s, when the State of New York took over the site under the Long Island State Park Commission. Star architect A. W. Tillinghast then designed three more courses, including the Black Course, which opened in 1936. the Yellow Course was added in 1958. Today, over 200,000 rounds are played at Bethpage every year - proof of the enormous popularity of the course. The walk-up system for spontaneous rounds of golf is particularly impressive. Those who were unable to book an online tee time have the opportunity to secure a walk-up time early in the morning (or better still, deep in the night). A dedicated parking lot with 100 numbered spaces has been set up for this purpose. Golfers camp here in their cars - often from the day before. In summer, tickets are allocated by parking lot number from 4 a.m., the clubhouse opens at 4:30 a.m. and the distribution of free tee times begins. Personal attendance is mandatory, reservations for third parties are not possible. Particularly popular: the first slots on the Black Course, which only starts at 7:00 am, while the other courses open at 5:45 am. The green fees for the other courses are particularly attractive: Visitors pay 38 dollars on the Green, Yellow and Blue courses on weekdays and 43 dollars on weekends. The Red Course, a Tillinghast design like the Black Course, charges 90 dollars on weekdays and 100 dollars at weekends. Bethpage thus remains true to its public mission and proves that excellent golf does not have to be reserved for the financially strong elite.

Bethpage State Park is a beacon of public golf in the USA. If you want to play a round on a major course without spending a fortune, Long Island is the place to be. And if you are prepared to get up early or spend a night in the car, you will experience golf in its most original form - honest, challenging and accessible to all.