Bethpage Black
The people's major venue, with a first-tee warning sign. A.W. Tillinghast, par 71, walking only.
The questions golfers search
Short, sourced, dated blocks. Ratings, slope, par and yardages come from the USGA and the course’s published scorecard. Averages and score comparisons appear once golfers post rounds from the app.
Is Bethpage Black hard?
Yes. From the Blue tees the course rating is 78.0 and the slope is 155. A slope of 113 is standard difficulty, so a higher number means the course plays harder for golfers who are not scratch. It is walkable, but it is a full day.
Can anyone play Bethpage Black?
Bethpage Black is a municipal / public course, open to any golfer with a tee time. Black Course 18-hole rates are $70 weekday / $80 weekend and holiday for NY State residents and $140 weekday / $160 weekend and holiday for non-residents, plus a $5 per-player reservation fee (NY State Parks price list dated 4/22/2026).
The SimplyStroke Scoreboard
How does your score compare?
One round has been posted at Bethpage Black so far. This tool turns on at 3 rounds, so there is nothing to compare against yet. Post yours to help build the field.
Best rounds at Bethpage Black
Baked into the page for search engines, refreshed live in your browser so you always see the current board.
| # | Golfer | Tees | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anonymous | 83 | +12 |
Playing Bethpage Black
Bethpage Black opens with a sign that warns the course is recommended only for highly skilled golfers, and it means it. A.W. Tillinghast built it in 1936 as part of a five-course state park on Long Island, and Rees Jones restored it before it began hosting majors. From the Blue tees it runs 7,486 yards to a par of 71, rating 78.0 with a slope of 155, one of the steepest numbers on any public card.
The Black has held the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, the PGA Championship in 2019, and the 2025 Ryder Cup. The KPMG Women's PGA arrives in 2028 and another PGA Championship in 2033. Golf Digest has called it the best municipal course in America, and the price of admission is a New York State resident card and a very early alarm to join the tee-time line.
There are no carts here. The Black is walking only, which turns 7,486 yards of thick rough and forced carries into a genuine endurance test. The 15th is the stroke-index one hole, a long uphill par 4 that has decided more than one championship. Only three public tee sets exist, White at 6,757 yards and Yellow at 6,207 stepping down from the Blue, so pick honestly.
Tees, ratings & hole-by-hole
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
| Blue | 430 | 389 | 230 | 517 | 478 | 408 | 553 | 210 | 460 | 3675 | 502 | 435 | 516 | 608 | 158 | 484 | 490 | 207 | 411 | 3811 | 7486 |
| White | 429 | 354 | 158 | 461 | 423 | 386 | 525 | 191 | 385 | 3312 | 434 | 421 | 432 | 559 | 149 | 430 | 457 | 195 | 368 | 3445 | 6757 |
| Yellow | 426 | 346 | 128 | 438 | 401 | 376 | 489 | 152 | 293 | 3049 | 377 | 412 | 403 | 472 | 136 | 417 | 431 | 178 | 332 | 3158 | 6207 |
| Handicap | 8 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 15 |
Scorecard and tee ratings from the course’s published card and the USGA course rating database. How we compute these stats →
Contact, rates & amenities
Contact & booking
Course info
Course details change: fees go up, phone numbers move, hours shift with the season. If anything on this page looks wrong, tell us and we will check it.
More courses on SimplyStroke
Played Bethpage Black?
Post your scorecard from the SimplyStroke app and you land on this leaderboard. Your name on the page every golfer searching this course will see.
Bethpage Black FAQ
Can the public play Bethpage Black?
Yes. Bethpage Black is a New York State park course open to the public, one of five 18-hole layouts at the site. Tee times are in high demand, so New York residents book online through a state park reservation, and non-residents can play at a higher rate. The famous warning sign at the first tee is real, not a marketing gimmick.
Is Bethpage Black walkable, and are carts allowed?
Bethpage Black is walking only. Golf carts are not permitted on the Black Course at any time, so every player either carries the bag or rents a pull cart. At 7,486 yards from the tips with heavy rough and hilly ground, it ranks among the most physically demanding public rounds in the country. Pace yourself and bring water.
When is Bethpage Black open?
New York State Parks lists the Black Course as open, weather permitting, from April 15 to November 15, and closed on Mondays except holidays. It is walking only: golf carts are permitted on the Red, Blue, Green and Yellow courses at Bethpage, not on the Black.
How much does it cost to play Bethpage Black?
New York State residents pay $70 on weekdays and $80 on weekends and holidays for 18 holes on the Black. Non-residents pay $140 and $160. A $5 per-player reservation fee applies on top. Those are the rates on the New York State Parks price list dated April 22, 2026. That makes a course which has hosted the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and the Ryder Cup one of the great bargains in American golf for state residents.
Who designed Bethpage Black?
A.W. Tillinghast is credited with the design, which opened in 1936, with park superintendent Joseph H. Burbeck closely involved in its construction. Rees Jones later restored the course ahead of the 2002 U.S. Open, tightening it for modern championship play. The par-71 layout has changed little in character since: long, penal, and unapologetically hard from the Blue tees.