Bethpage Courses (Not Just Black)

[TeeAreNY]

I finally got my license switched to NY and now registered with Bethpage. I have heard about the long rounds and how busy it gets but Im looking more for opinions on the other courses besides black as I plan to play them at least once. Also, does the one hour prior check in rule to avoid losing your tee time actually enforced?

[PC51]

I finally got my license switched to NY and now registered with Bethpage. I have heard about the long rounds and how busy it gets but Im looking more for opinions on the other courses besides black as I plan to play them at least once.

 

Also, does the one hour prior check in rule to avoid losing your tee time actually enforce?

 

Red: Nearly as long as Black but not as punishing. Lots of long irons in if you can't get off the tee well enough. Very exposed to wind in some spots, making it play even longer. Many feel it has the best opening and closing holes at the park.

 

Green: Relatively short and more of a shotmaking course. Plays over similar terrain as the Black. Some highly elevated tees and greens.

 

Blue: Very hilly course with many tee shots and fairway approaches that play over deep gullies, including all the par-3s. Front nine is very tough. Some love it, some find it repetitive and boring. Count me among the latter. Some of the holes are simply odd.

 

Yellow: Similar to Blue, but easier in general. Most forgiving of the five courses. The stretch from #10 to #14 is the highlight of the course, as they are some of the park's original Tillinghasts and much better than any holes before or after.

[chas521]

 

Also, does the one hour prior check in rule to avoid losing your tee time actually enforce?

 

Parking can be tough sometimes in the parking lot. Depends on what time you get there. Although the one hour requirement is actual, they do give some leeway of about 15 minutes. But I wouldn't press it. Do the one-hour thing!

[chas521]

I finally got my license switched to NY and now registered with Bethpage. I have heard about the long rounds and how busy it gets but Im looking more for opinions on the other courses besides black as I plan to play them at least once.

 

Also, does the one hour prior check in rule to avoid losing your tee time actually enforce?

 

Red: Nearly as long as Black but not as punishing. Lots of long irons in if you can't get off the tee well enough. Very exposed to wind in some spots, making it play even longer. Many feel it has the best opening and closing holes at the park.

 

Green: Relatively short and more of a shotmaking course. Plays over similar terrain as the Black. Some highly elevated tees and greens.

 

Blue: Very hilly course with many tee shots and fairway approaches that play over deep gullies, including all the par-3s. Front nine is very tough. Some love it, some find it repetitive and boring. Count me among the latter. Some of the holes are simply odd.

 

Yellow: Similar to Blue, but easier in general. Most forgiving of the five courses. The stretch from #10 to #14 is the highlight of the course, as they are some of the park's original Tillinghasts and much better than any holes before or after.

 

I never understood the 4th hole on the Blue's tee-shot. Especially when they move the tee to the right as they do sometimes. I think the par 4 6th might be one of the toughest holes on LI. FYI, the Blue used to be the signature course at Bethpage before the Black was reconditioned.

[TeeAreNY]

I had another follow up comment, for green yellow blue, it would cost $85 to ride a cart and $48 to walk? I get the higher price for the red and black but are these others worth the price? I found better deals and played Pine Ridge, Middle Bay, Wind Watch with a cart for around $50-60.

[WillMK5]

I had another follow up comment, for green yellow blue, it would cost $85 to ride a cart and $48 to walk? I get the higher price for the red and black but are these others worth the price? I found better deals and played Pine Ridge, Middle Bay, Wind Watch with a cart for around $50-60.

 

The cart fee is the same regardless of the course. FYI, no carts on Black at all. You can walk or take a caddie. Obviously "worth" is subjective. I like to walk and I truly believe that the Bethpage courses are the best on Long Island for that. Obviously there are great courses where you can ride (Wind Watch, Harbor Links, etc) but for walking a golf course, I'll take Bethpage any day of the week.

 

It should be noted that you can probably play a faster and cheaper round in a cart if you head to Suffolk.

[chas521]

As I recall. it's $37.00 to ride a cart plus the actual greens fee. Incidentally, the $37 can be divided by two if you share the cart.

[TeeAreNY]

As I recall. it's $37.00 to ride a cart plus the actual greens fee. Incidentally, the $37 can be divided by two if you share the cart.

 

Thanks, I was wondering and hoping that was the case. $37 for a cart regardless if its 1 or 2 people would make more sense. $67 to ride for each person is much more aligned with the other courses.. I interpreted the fees at first as $37 per person to ride. I prefer to walk as well but that's usually with a buddy of mine who is at the same skill level. Sometimes I play with friends who are recreational golfers, who prefer to ride, drink and just have a good time hacking away.

[TeeAreNY]

Thanks for everyone's help. This may sound like a stupid question and sorry in advance but in regards to the Black course...how literal is that infamous sign? I'm around a 12-13 handicap and hit my driver around 260-270. I don't expect to play well and really just want to experience it. I'll drop in the fairway if needed to keep pace and all that to avoid holding people up. I'm more so curious on if I am "good" enough to be out there without getting reactions from others questioning why I am even out there in the first place lol.

[PC51]

Thanks for everyone's help. This may sound like a stupid question and sorry in advance but in regards to the Black course...how literal is that infamous sign? I'm around a 12-13 handicap and hit my driver around 260-270. I don't expect to play well and really just want to experience it. I'll drop in the fairway if needed to keep pace and all that to avoid holding people up. I'm more so curious on if I am "good" enough to be out there without getting reactions from others questioning why I am even out there in the first place lol.

 

The sign is more mythical than anything. As long as you don't play from the wrong tees, play slow or act like an a**, nobody will have a problem with you. Like every course at Bethpage, you'll have a bunch of people watching you tee off on #1, but other than that nobody cares. In terms of actual skill level necessary, you need to get off the tee well to have any chance at a decent score. It'll beat you up if you're short or erratic off the tee, but you can still enjoy the greatness of the course as you walk.

[TeeAreNY]

Thanks for everyone's help. This may sound like a stupid question and sorry in advance but in regards to the Black course...how literal is that infamous sign? I'm around a 12-13 handicap and hit my driver around 260-270. I don't expect to play well and really just want to experience it. I'll drop in the fairway if needed to keep pace and all that to avoid holding people up. I'm more so curious on if I am "good" enough to be out there without getting reactions from others questioning why I am even out there in the first place lol.

 

The sign is more mythical than anything. As long as you don't play from the wrong tees, play slow or act like an a**, nobody will have a problem with you. Like every course at Bethpage, you'll have a bunch of people watching you tee of on #1, but other than that nobody cares. In terms of actual skill level necessary, you need to get off the tee well to have any chance at a decent score. It'll beat you up if you're short or erratic off the tee, but you can still enjoy the greatness of the course as you walk.

 

Oh, that's even better news that they have different sets of tees as I assumed that the only sets of tees were PGA length....in which case I was planning on hitting my driver for fun, picking up/dropping in the fairway from various distances in order to have different irons into the green. The last thing I want to do is hit a hybrid/long iron into every green. With my distances noted above, which sets of tees do you recommend? Also, would you recommend playing it for the first time this early into the season as it may be more forgiving or wait until the fescue and such starts to grow in to appreciate it in its fullest form.

[SouthShoreLIgolfer]

I finally got my license switched to NY and now registered with Bethpage. I have heard about the long rounds and how busy it gets but Im looking more for opinions on the other courses besides black as I plan to play them at least once.

 

Also, does the one hour prior check in rule to avoid losing your tee time actually enforce?

 

Red: Nearly as long as Black but not as punishing. Lots of long irons in if you can't get off the tee well enough. Very exposed to wind in some spots, making it play even longer. Many feel it has the best opening and closing holes at the park.

 

Green: Relatively short and more of a shotmaking course. Plays over similar terrain as the Black. Some highly elevated tees and greens.

 

Blue: Very hilly course with many tee shots and fairway approaches that play over deep gullies, including all the par-3s. Front nine is very tough. Some love it, some find it repetitive and boring. Count me among the latter. Some of the holes are simply odd.

 

Yellow: Similar to Blue, but easier in general. Most forgiving of the five courses. The stretch from #10 to #14 is the highlight of the course, as they are some of the park's original Tillinghasts and much better than any holes before or after.

 

Nice spot on summary of the courses. I played the Red today... greens were recently aerated and sanded. All in all the course was in pretty good shape considering the colder than usual spring weather we're having. It just hasn't been warm enough for the grass to really start growing yet, which can be a good thing if you're off the fairway. New procedure if you're going to ride you now pay for your cart in the pro shop, then head over to the same spot to pick it up.

[4Par]

Thanks for everyone's help. This may sound like a stupid question and sorry in advance but in regards to the Black course...how literal is that infamous sign? I'm around a 12-13 handicap and hit my driver around 260-270. I don't expect to play well and really just want to experience it. I'll drop in the fairway if needed to keep pace and all that to avoid holding people up. I'm more so curious on if I am "good" enough to be out there without getting reactions from others questioning why I am even out there in the first place lol.

 

I played it about 3 years ago and got a good chuckle as I was left of the bunkers on 18..... some poor guy was playing 1 and was in the left hay only about 150 yards off the tee. I watched as he took three lashes trying to extricate his ball back to the fairway and only moved it 20 or so yards each time.... I still remember him saying “damn, this sucks!!” Lol.... I thought “Bro, you ain’t seen nothing yet!!!”

[BRIDGESTONE1]

Driver is everything on the black. Red is a solid track.

[TeeAreNY]

Since were still having 40-50 degree nights in April, when do you guys expect the black to be at its ideal state in terms of conditions? I’ve got some out of state friends already asking to play but I want them to experience it in its full capacity. Not short cut down fescue, etc. I want it as least forgiving as possible haha.

[chas521]

Black is toughest during June.

[LPSISCO]

I've played the Blue, the Red, the Green, and the Black. Frankly, unless I can get on the Black, I leave Bethpage and go elsewhere. It is abysmally slow - I've played the Red twice, and both times my noon tee time led to a first hole 12:30 tee shot, followed by a wait on every shot for the next 5 and 1/2 hours. Just horrific. The other courses are similar, except the Black. The Black will be a long round, but it's mostly because it's just a long walk, and a hard course. You have to wait sometimes, but not like the other courses.

[WillMK5]

I've played the Blue, the Red, the Green, and the Black. Frankly, unless I can get on the Black, I leave Bethpage and go elsewhere. It is abysmally slow - I've played the Red twice, and both times my noon tee time led to a first hole 12:30 tee shot, followed by a wait on every shot for the next 5 and 1/2 hours. Just horrific. The other courses are similar, except the Black. The Black will be a long round, but it's mostly because it's just a long walk, and a hard course. You have to wait sometimes, but not like the other courses.

 

This is the sad truth. Noon is a death sentence. I prefer as early as possible to avoid this. Part of the issue is the lack of rangers enforcing play. I guess it's not part of the state budget.

[msena88]

I've played the Blue, the Red, the Green, and the Black. Frankly, unless I can get on the Black, I leave Bethpage and go elsewhere. It is abysmally slow - I've played the Red twice, and both times my noon tee time led to a first hole 12:30 tee shot, followed by a wait on every shot for the next 5 and 1/2 hours. Just horrific. The other courses are similar, except the Black. The Black will be a long round, but it's mostly because it's just a long walk, and a hard course. You have to wait sometimes, but not like the other courses.

 

Yep, basically every tee time from 11-430/5 is going to be a problem on a weekend. The problem really is county wide though, the quickest 18 can usually be had at Peninsula by running back the 9 but that's also not the world's most interesting course by any stretch. Suffolk moves much quicker on average in my experience, basically eliminate the city/queens/brooklyn element and just more sparsely populated in general out there.

[gregkeller]

Thanks for everyone's help. This may sound like a stupid question and sorry in advance but in regards to the Black course...how literal is that infamous sign? I'm around a 12-13 handicap and hit my driver around 260-270. I don't expect to play well and really just want to experience it. I'll drop in the fairway if needed to keep pace and all that to avoid holding people up. I'm more so curious on if I am "good" enough to be out there without getting reactions from others questioning why I am even out there in the first place lol.

 

The sign is more mythical than anything. As long as you don't play from the wrong tees, play slow or act like an a**, nobody will have a problem with you. Like every course at Bethpage, you'll have a bunch of people watching you tee of on #1, but other than that nobody cares. In terms of actual skill level necessary, you need to get off the tee well to have any chance at a decent score. It'll beat you up if you're short or erratic off the tee, but you can still enjoy the greatness of the course as you walk.

 

Oh, that's even better news that they have different sets of tees as I assumed that the only sets of tees were PGA length....in which case I was planning on hitting my driver for fun, picking up/dropping in the fairway from various distances in order to have different irons into the green. The last thing I want to do is hit a hybrid/long iron into every green. With my distances noted above, which sets of tees do you recommend? Also, would you recommend playing it for the first time this early into the season as it may be more forgiving or wait until the fescue and such starts to grow in to appreciate it in its fullest form.

 

I played Black for the first time last summer. I'm about a 7 right now and had trouble off the tee on a few holes on the front and shot a 45, the back was much better and shot a 38 with two birdies. Like was said earlier, if you can put it in play 250+ and don't hit any off the reservation, you should be fine. I felt the greens were great, rolled as true as any I've played and weren't stupid fast. I really liked the green complexes and bunkering. If you missed in the right side of the green getting up and down was a possibility, if you short sided yourself you had some work to do. I walked off 18 feeling that it was a extremely thorough test of my game. I am pretty sure I hit every single club in my bag. When I hit the ball well, I had lots of looks at birdie, and when I didn't, the course let me know that. We played from the white tees which measure around ~6700. The back tees stretch that out to almost 7500. I'm a long hitter and don't think that I would ever think to venture back there (except maybe the par 5's where the layout took driver out of my hand on 2 of 3 par 5's)

[TeeAreNY]

I ended up playing Green around noon this past Sunday for my first round at Bethpage ever. The parking lot was packed and as I was waiting on the first tee, I realized the greens were just punched 3 days prior so my expectations were pretty low. But, although the punch marks were fairly visible on the green, they actually rolled pretty well and were in good shape. The round only took 4 hours but I know that will most likely never happen again. I was beat by the end of the day considering I did my fair share of walking beyond the course. Walking from the furthest parking spot to the clubhouse and then aimlessly walking around trying to find the green's first tee lol.

[msena88]

I ended up playing Green around noon this past Sunday for my first round at Bethpage ever. The parking lot was packed and as I was waiting on the first tee, I realized the greens were just punched 3 days prior so my expectations were pretty low. But, although the punch marks were fairly visible on the green, they actually rolled pretty well and were in good shape. The round only took 4 hours but I know that will most likely never happen again. I was beat by the end of the day considering I did my fair share of walking beyond the course. Walking from the furthest parking spot to the clubhouse and then aimlessly walking around trying to find the green's first tee lol.

 

Considering how good the weather was here Sunday too, that's a minor miracle to tee off at noon and get done in 4 hours.

[chas521]

I ended up playing Green around noon this past Sunday for my first round at Bethpage ever. The parking lot was packed and as I was waiting on the first tee, I realized the greens were just punched 3 days prior so my expectations were pretty low. But, although the punch marks were fairly visible on the green, they actually rolled pretty well and were in good shape. The round only took 4 hours but I know that will most likely never happen again. I was beat by the end of the day considering I did my fair share of walking beyond the course. Walking from the furthest parking spot to the clubhouse and then aimlessly walking around trying to find the green's first tee lol.

 

Welcome to Bethpage LOL. Even if you have to wait 5 minutes, it's a good idea to let someone put their clubs in the trunk instead of walking 9 miles away.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, my friends played the Green Saturday and they also said that the aeration wasn't too bad.

[TeeAreNY]

Update: I've finally played each track since I posted this as I played Red for the first time over the weekend. A couple of my comments may be in the minority, but could also be the order I played them in (Yellow, Green, Black, Blue, and Red). My opinions could change about the non-black courses since I've only played each once. Black is next level and by far the most memorable. It takes me a couple of rounds to remember each hole, but for Black it only took that one round.

 

I enjoyed playing the Red over the weekend but don't really understand the out-of-state rate as I didn't find it to be leaps and bounds better than Blue. The layout is definitely much more interesting (which could be what you are paying for) but I guess I was expecting the conditions to be closer to Black going in but Red's conditions are more at the level of Blue/Green/Yellow, which by all means is not a knock since they are all in great shape.

[msena88]

Update: I've finally played each track since I posted this as I played Red for the first time over the weekend. A couple of my comments may be in the minority, but could also be the order I played them in (Yellow, Green, Black, Blue, and Red). My opinions could change about the non-black courses since I've only played each once. Black is next level and by far the most memorable. It takes me a couple of rounds to remember each hole, but for Black it only took that one round.

 

I enjoyed playing the Red over the weekend but don't really understand the out-of-state rate as I didn't find it to be leaps and bounds better than Blue. The layout is definitely much more interesting (which could be what you are paying for) but I guess I was expecting the conditions to be closer to Black going in but Red's conditions are more at the level of Blue/Green/Yellow, which by all means is not a knock since they are all in great shape.

 

I'm a big supporter of Red and play it the most of any of the courses there but you hit the nail on the head here. Black condition wise isn't even in the same area code as the other 4, but one would assume Red would be kept at a notch or two above the other 3 but it simply isn't true. I've played some early morning 9 hole rounds on Yellow in the last week or so and to me, conditions are as good if not better there than Red despite having the label as the "beginners" course.

 

I do want to say though, for the volume these tracks see day in and day out the conditions are fantastic for a municipal facility but I do think Red could be kept a bit better than it is. If nothing else, I'd like to see them firm up the greens a bit and get them running a bit quicker.

[chas521]

Update: I've finally played each track since I posted this as I played Red for the first time over the weekend. A couple of my comments may be in the minority, but could also be the order I played them in (Yellow, Green, Black, Blue, and Red). My opinions could change about the non-black courses since I've only played each once. Black is next level and by far the most memorable. It takes me a couple of rounds to remember each hole, but for Black it only took that one round.

 

I enjoyed playing the Red over the weekend but don't really understand the out-of-state rate as I didn't find it to be leaps and bounds better than Blue. The layout is definitely much more interesting (which could be what you are paying for) but I guess I was expecting the conditions to be closer to Black going in but Red's conditions are more at the level of Blue/Green/Yellow, which by all means is not a knock since they are all in great shape.

 

I'm a big supporter of Red and play it the most of any of the courses there but you hit the nail on the head here. Black condition wise isn't even in the same area code as the other 4, but one would assume Red would be kept at a notch or two above the other 3 but it simply isn't true. I've played some early morning 9 hole rounds on Yellow in the last week or so and to me, conditions are as good if not better there than Red despite having the label as the "beginners" course.

 

I do want to say though, for the volume these tracks see day in and day out the conditions are fantastic for a municipal facility but I do think Red could be kept a bit better than it is. If nothing else, I'd like to see them firm up the greens a bit and get them running a bit quicker.

 

For some reason, I just saw this thread. How I missed it is a big mystery. I agree that the other courses are in great shape for a municipal course facility. But I also agree that the Red could be improved. Let me give you some history as I heard it. Currier [i think that's the correct spelling] was originally the greens keeper at Eisenhower Park and he had Eisenhower in great shape for another municipal course. Bethpage became very interested in him and stole him away from Eisenhower thus making Bethpage the great place it is now. Now he is at a private {Glen Oaks?]. Anyway, the guy is a magician and is really good at his job. Regardless, both public courses went down a notch.

 

The Blue at Bethpage was once the signature course before the Black was upgraded and received the bulk of the money. Now the Black receives the bulk of the money. Personally, I think the front 9 on the Blue is on par with the difficulty of the Black - but that's my opinion.

 

Do you think that the use of motor carts on the other 4 courses [except the Black] might be part of the reason? From what I see when I play Bethpage [which I do every week] is that a lot of players do not know how to properly use them. I see them driving in places they shouldn't be going. Plus, because of the volume, you get tire tracks driving in tire tracks. I would like to suggest that Bethpage put up 'scatter' signs.

 

These are just my thoughts. You may not agree.

[PC51]

For some reason, I just saw this thread. How I missed it is a big mystery. I agree that the other courses are in great shape for a municipal course facility. But I also agree that the Red could be improved. Let me give you some history as I heard it. Currier [i think that's the correct spelling] was originally the greens keeper at Eisenhower Park and he had Eisenhower in great shape for another municipal course. Bethpage became very interested in him and stole him away from Eisenhower thus making Bethpage the great place it is now. Now he is at a private {Glen Oaks?]. Anyway, the guy is a magician and is really good at his job. Regardless, both public courses went down a notch.

 

The Blue at Bethpage was once the signature course before the Black was upgraded and received the bulk of the money. Now the Black receives the bulk of the money. Personally, I think the front 9 on the Blue is on par with the difficulty of the Black - but that's my opinion.

 

Do you think that the use of motor carts on the other 4 courses [except the Black] might be part of the reason? From what I see when I play Bethpage [which I do every week] is that a lot of players do not know how to properly use them. I see them driving in places they shouldn't be going. Plus, because of the volume, you get tire tracks driving in tire tracks. I would like to suggest that Bethpage put up 'scatter' signs.

 

These are just my thoughts. You may not agree.

 

It should be noted that the Black is receiving extra care this season with the upcoming PGA Championship in May, especially since much of the grounds preparation (I would assume) must be done this year rather than next Feb/March/April. So anyone who plays Black this year is going to notice a huge dropoff when they play the other courses.

 

I could be wrong but Craig Currier has been gone from Bethpage for a decade or so.

 

I think you're right about the carts. None of the other four can be as pristine as Black with so much cart traffic. And as you implied, very few groups really use the carts with the best interests of the course in mind. Most people are going to drive right up to their ball, conditions be damned.

[WillMK5]

To add to the difficulty, the unrelenting heat, humidity, and rain for the past 3 weeks hasn't helped. It's hard to keep fairways and greens in top shape because of all the weather. While I don't want summer to end, the fall should help improve conditions.

[kpm0915]

Has anyone had trouble with the reservation system? I made a tee time which was instantly confirmed but never received the confirmation email which was supposed to sent. When I went back to look at the tee time, which was under reservations, was no longer there. I called Bethpage but you could guess how that went. Does anyone know how likely or soon would I able to get on the black as twosome on a Tuesday arriving at 730?

[chas521]

Although the present reservation system has been in effect for this first year, it's working pretty well. Yes, there has been some "wrongs" but hopefully all will be corrected as time goes by. Remember, next year, no more phone reservations only online. Was Bethpage able to confirm your attempt? You should have no problem getting on Tuesday but you might need to kill some time before you tee off. Good luck.