How YOU can play the infamously difficult next Ryder Cup course in New York before 2025

Courses
Bethpage Black Course

In 2025, the Ryder Cup will return to the glorious Bethpage Black Course in New York.

As a municipal golf course, there is no booking fee required to secure your slot, however, the venue is exceedingly popular among both New Yorkers and visitors, with a lengthy waiting list.

New York residents can play through the 18 challenging holes of the famous course for $65 on weekdays and $75 on weekends. But an out-of-towner heading to Bethpage Black can expect to play green fees of $130 on weekdays and $150 on weekends.

The course is not recommended for casual golfers and infamously sports a warning sign at the first hole that reads: “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.”

Indeed, the Black Course regularly ranks in the top ten of the toughest courses in the United States, and as the warning sign suggests, slow play is frowned upon.

Bookings for the Black Course are limited to one every 28 days. New York State residents are allowed to book a reservation one week in advance, starting at 19:00 (ET) for all courses at Bethpage. For anyone from out-of-state or international players, bookings can only be made five days ahead of tee-off.

Early birds

Because of the systems in place to prevent the course from being booked out well in advance, it is worth checking for available times on any given day. But it is common to see people camped out in the parking lot at Bethpage because the club’s first hour of tee times every morning are open on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The staff at the club will reportedly approach your parked car to offer you a ticket to snag an early tee time.

In order to get one of these coveted times, you may need to check in at the “Bethpage Inn”, as the car park is affectionately known, as early as 16:00 on the previous afternoon.

You also won’t be able to wander far from your car either as the occupants of any unattended vehicle forfeit their spot in line after an hour.

But don’t let all this put you off! It is one of the finest courses in the entire US and a must-play for all golf lovers. Find out everything you need to know on the official Bethpage State Park Golf Club website.

The Bethpage State Park has multiple courses, with the Black course being the jewel in their crown. And on top of warnings about the difficulty of the course and the long wait, prospective players should also note that Bethpage Black is a walking course. Bag Carts are available to rent from the pro shop.

When booking, remember that the State Park registration system is used for the many municipal courses in New York.

Being a municipal course, the facilities are Spartan, but it remains a massive attraction as a pure golfing experience.

And ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup taking place on the Bethpage Black Course, which also staged the 2002 and 2009 US Open and the 2019 PGA Championship, you really should tick it off the bucket list.

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