Northeast
Northeast
Bethpage State Park, New York
Five Tillinghast courses on one New York State park, including a U.S. Open and Ryder Cup venue you can play for the price of a nice dinner.
Overview
Bethpage State Park is the best deal in championship golf, and it isn't close. New York State owns and operates five Tillinghast-designed courses on one sprawling property in Farmingdale, Long Island, about 45 minutes east of Manhattan. The Black Course has hosted two U.S. Opens (2002 and 2009) and the 2025 Ryder Cup, and a non-resident can still walk onto the first tee for $144. This is a destination for golfers who care more about the architecture and the story than about a spa robe and a caddie.
The golf is the whole point. Bethpage Black is the headliner, 7,468 yards of par 71 with the famous warning sign at the first tee telling you the course is recommended only for highly skilled golfers, and it means it. The Red Course is the park's quiet second act, a 6,756-yard par 68 that plenty of regulars will argue is the better walk for the money at roughly half the price. Green, Blue, and Yellow round out the set at bargain rates, all genuine Tillinghast routings, all playable for less than a cart fee at most resorts. A two-day trip that pairs Black with Red gives you the full flavor of the property.
Understand what you are signing up for. This is a municipal operation, not a resort. The Black is walking only with no caddies available, the queue culture is real, and the clubhouse is a clubhouse rather than a lodge. Groups base themselves at a hotel in Farmingdale, Melville, or Uniondale, or rent a house nearby, and drive fifteen minutes to the first tee. If half your group wants Manhattan at night, that is a legitimate option too. Bethpage is a buddy trip built around bragging rights and a very good value proposition.
Courses · 5
Black Course
Public (Municipal) · Championship
$70-$160
Best for: Low-handicap players and anyone who wants to walk a genuine major-championship venue. The sign at the first tee is not marketing; high handicaps will get chewed up here.
Insider tip: Twilight rates run $44-$100 and are the single best value in championship golf, but on the Black you need to be honest about pace and daylight if you want all 18. The course is walking only with no caddies available, so bring a pushcart or a light carry bag and train for it. The rough is the defense, not the length.
Red Course
Public (Municipal) · Championship
$43-$80
Best for: Players who want a real Tillinghast test without the Black's punishment, and anyone building a two-round trip on a budget. A par 68 that plays much harder than the number suggests.
Insider tip: The Red is the second-best course in the park and costs roughly half what the Black does, which makes it the smartest single booking at Bethpage. Regulars will tell you it is the more enjoyable round, and they have a case. Play it the day before the Black to learn how Tillinghast's greens release and feed.
Green Course
Public (Municipal) · Moderate
$38-$70
Best for: Value rounds, a relaxed warm-up the day you land, and mixed-ability groups where not everyone wants a championship beating.
Insider tip: At these rates the Green is essentially free golf on a real Tillinghast routing, which makes it the ideal arrival-day round to shake off the flight. Play it in the afternoon, keep the pace loose, and save your legs for the Black.
Blue Course
Public (Municipal) · Moderate
$38-$70
Best for: Groups who want the longest of the park's value courses and a fuller test than the Green or Yellow without paying Black or Red money.
Insider tip: At 6,684 yards this is the longest of the three bargain courses and the one that plays closest to a normal championship yardage. If your group wants a second 18 in a day and the legs are gone, this is the more forgiving walk than doubling up on the Black.
Yellow Course
Public (Municipal) · Approachable
$38-$70
Best for: Higher handicaps, newer golfers, and anyone in the group who wants an unhurried round while the rest of the party takes on the Black.
Insider tip: The Yellow is the most accessible course in the park and the right answer for a mixed-skill group. Send the low handicaps to the Black in the morning and put everyone else here, then meet at the clubhouse. Nobody has a bad afternoon on the Yellow.
Lodging
Premium
Long Island Marriott
$200-$350The closest full-service hotel to Bethpage, in Uniondale next to the Nassau Coliseum and about 20 minutes from the first tee. Real amenities, a proper bar, and enough rooms to hold a large group without splitting across properties. The natural default for a buddy trip that wants to keep the logistics simple.
NYC hotels
$200-$600Basing in Manhattan and driving out is a legitimate strategy, roughly 45 minutes each way outside rush hour. It turns the trip into a golf-and-city weekend with real nightlife and restaurants, at the cost of very early alarms on Black Course mornings. Best for groups with non-golfers or spouses along, and worst for anyone planning the 4:00 AM queue.
Mid-Range
Hilton Garden Inn Melville
$175-$300A solid mid-range option about 15 minutes from the park in Melville, with reliable rooms, breakfast, and easy parking for a group with clubs. Nothing fancy, but it is close, predictable, and leaves budget for a proper steak dinner. A good fit for a four-to-eight-man group.
Budget
Airbnb / VRBO Long Island
$150-$400Houses in and around Farmingdale that put you within ten minutes of the park entrance. For a group of six to eight splitting a three or four-bedroom place, the per-person cost drops well under any hotel and you get a kitchen and a common room for the evening card game. Book well ahead for September and October weekends.
Dining
Bethpage Black Clubhouse
$$American
The on-site restaurant and the right place to sit down immediately after the Black while your group is still processing what just happened. Casual, satisfying, and priced like the rest of the operation. No reservations, no fuss.
Peter Luger Steak House
$$$$Steakhouse
The Great Neck outpost of the legendary New York steakhouse, about 20 minutes from the park. This is the big group dinner and the meal everyone will remember alongside the round. Reserve weeks out and know that the house prefers cash or its own card.
Louie's Oyster Bar & Grille
$$$Seafood
Waterfront seafood in Port Washington, roughly 20 minutes away, with a deck on Manhasset Bay that is worth timing for sunset. The change of pace from steak and clubhouse burgers. Book ahead in summer when the deck fills fast.
Besito Mexican
$$$Mexican
Upscale Mexican in Huntington, about 15 minutes north, with tableside guacamole and a strong tequila list. A livelier, less formal option for the second or third night. Reservations recommended for parties over four.
Pro Tips
- 1
If you cannot land an online reservation for the Black, drive to the lot and queue for dawn tee times. Serious lines form by 4:00 AM and the tradition is half the story of the place. Bring a chair, coffee, and a friend to hold your spot.
- 2
Residency determines your rate and they check ID. New York State residents pay $70 weekday and $80 weekend on the Black, non-residents pay $144 and $160. Budget accordingly and do not be surprised at the counter.
- 3
Twilight rates of $44-$100 are the best deal in championship golf. Book them online in advance, and in June or July there is enough daylight after a twilight start to finish all 18.
- 4
Play the Red Course. It is the second-best track in the park at roughly half the price of the Black, and a two-day trip that pairs the two gives you the complete Bethpage experience for less than one round at most name resorts.
- 5
The Black is walking only with no caddies available. Bring a pushcart or a light carry bag, and take the elevation change seriously. Golfers who show up expecting a cart get a rude 7,468-yard surprise.
- 6
Target September and October. Firm fairways, low humidity, foliage through the park, and the best conditions the Black sees all year. Book the moment your window opens.
Sample Itineraries
weekend getaway
3 daysDay 1: Fly into JFK or LGA, check in near Melville or Farmingdale, and play an afternoon round on the Green Course to shake off the travel; casual dinner and an early night. Day 2: The Black Course, either on a booked morning time or via the 4:00 AM queue, walking with a pushcart; lunch at the Bethpage Black Clubhouse, then the group dinner at Peter Luger in Great Neck. Day 3: Morning round on the Red Course, the park's underrated second act, then a late lunch and a drive back to the airport. Two Tillinghast championship tests and a warm-up for less than one round at a name resort.
full trip
5 daysDay 1: Arrive at JFK, settle into a rental house near Farmingdale, and play the Yellow Course in the afternoon; dinner at Besito in Huntington. Day 2: The Red Course in the morning to learn how Tillinghast greens feed and release, then an afternoon at Jones Beach or Old Westbury Gardens for anyone sitting out; dinner at Louie's Oyster Bar on the Port Washington waterfront. Day 3: The Black Course, the marquee round, walking; recovery lunch at the clubhouse and the big dinner at Peter Luger. Day 4: Split the group, low handicaps back to the Black on a twilight rate and everyone else on the Blue Course; evening free, with an optional LIRR run into Manhattan. Day 5: An easy morning nine on the Green Course or a North Fork wine detour, then depart. Five days plays all five Tillinghast courses and still leaves room for the city.
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