Bethpage Black: The People's Major Championship Course
Bethpage State Park Black Course is the most important public golf course in America. Not the best — Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines make stronger cases for that distinction — but the most important. When the USGA brought the US Open to Bethpage Black in 2002, they brought major championship golf to a $30 municipal daily-fee course where people camp overnight to get tee times. The statement it made — that major championship golf belonged to everyone, not just private club members — has not been made more clearly since.
The Course
A.W. Tillinghast designed the Black Course in 1936 on the farmland of the Central Long Island plain — rolling terrain that Tillinghast turned into one of the most demanding walking courses in America. The course plays to a par 70 at over 7,000 yards from the championship tees, with rough that grows to four inches on either side of fairways that require precise driving. The greens are large and fast with significant undulation. A sign on the first tee reads: "WARNING: The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers."
The US Opens
Bethpage Black hosted the US Open in 2002 (Tiger Woods, dominant wire-to-wire win) and 2009 (Lucas Glover, in a weather-shortened final round that confused everyone). It hosted the PGA Championship in 2019 (Brooks Koepka, his fourth major in three years) and will continue to appear in the major championship rotation. Every appearance confirms that a public course can provide a major championship experience equal to any private club.
Getting On: The Queue
Bethpage Black tee times are available through the New York State park system. Weekend morning tee times in summer are effectively allocated by overnight queue — golfers camp in their cars in the parking lot beginning Thursday or Friday night to secure Saturday and Sunday morning times. The queue culture has become as much a part of the Bethpage experience as the golf itself.
Online reservations open seven days in advance for New York State residents (three days for non-residents). The walk-up queue for same-day times requires arriving in the pre-dawn hours for any chance at a morning tee time in peak season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bethpage Black open to the public?
Yes. Bethpage Black is operated by New York State Parks as a public course. Green fees are approximately $45-$85 for New York State residents and $75-$150 for non-residents, depending on day and season — among the lowest fees for a major championship venue in America.
How hard is Bethpage Black?
Bethpage Black has a course rating of approximately 76.6 and a slope of 148 from the back tees — among the hardest course ratings of any public course in America. The warning sign on the first tee is accurate: it is not suitable for high-handicap golfers.