Bethpage-Bound?

Since I'm probably moving to Long Island soon, I thought I'd look into my future golf options: slim, none, and Bethpage.

I did once, some years ago, leave Brooklyn at 5am, get in line at 6am, only to be told the next available tee time on Bethpage Black was 6.5 hours later, at 12:30!!

The process has changed a bit in the 7 years or so since I went. Apparently they have a *Tee Reservation* system or something - which makes sense here in the modern era.

Though you can still camp out for a few open slots. And it sounds even more hellish than before:

Your second option for getting on Bethpage Black, as mentioned above, is to try and walk on, as all of the first hour’s tee times (which begin at 6:30 am), and one slot per hour thereafter, are made available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the Bethpage brass.

Walk-on hopefuls typically arrive at Bethpage in the afternoon or early evening the day BEFORE they wish to play, backing their cars into the designated and numbered "overnight" parking spaces. At about 6:45 pm, a Bethpage official hands out wrist bands, one per car, which confirms the order for the next morning’s ticket disbursement.

It is these tickets, handed out between 4-4:30 am, which allow you to purchase your round of golf. It used to be that only one player in the group needed a ticket, but now every person has to have their own ticket. [Note: If you want a caddie ($60 plus tip) or locker room use for the day ($10), pay for them at the same time as your green fee as you probably won't have time to get through the long cashier line again.]

Overnighters should consider bringing a tent or sleeping bag, too. Cars aren’t conducive to sleeping, and, if you choose to bed down on the root-laden grassy area near the parking lot, you’ll need more than your golf towel to stay warm and comfortable.

Better yet, get a hotel room nearby. Remember, only your car has to stay put to maintain your place in line. As long as you’re back before the tickets are handed out in the morning, you’re golden.

From our experience and stories from people we know, if you’re one of the first few cars in line, you’ll likely get out in the morning. Later arrivals will likely get out, too, but it probably won’t be until the afternoon. Either way, if you go this route to get on Bethpage Black, you’ll be spending a good deal of time just waiting around, so bring a good book and/or some good beer.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one other option for getting on Bethpage Black, though it’s better suited to those for whom money is not an object. NYGolfShuttle.com sells Bethpage Black packages that include the green fee and round-trip transportation from Manhattan for $750 ($400 per person for a foursome). At 15 times the in-state green fee, it is a huge premium, but convenience does have its price.

See also - Montauk Downs - It's Better Than Bethpage.

Montauk Downs - It's Better Than Bethpage

Last night I put my book down and went to bed at 2:30am. I hurried to turn my ringing alarm clock off at 4am so as to not wake my kids. Inhaling two eggs, I was out the door and on the road at 4:35am. I was heading to Montauk Downs - a gem of a golf course. I believe it's consistently ranked in the top fifty public courses in America.

Like Bethpage, it's owned and run by the state of New York. Tee times essentially don't exist. It's first come, first serve. Show up a little late and you could be waiting a few hours before you tee off.

I am on vacation in "nearby" Southampton. GoogleMaps indicates that even way out here, it's still a 30 mile, 54 minute drive.



Montauk is REMOTE. It's at the easternmost tip of Long Island - a full 119 miles from Manhattan. In fact, it's so far out, that it's actually much closer to Newport, RI (40 airborne miles) than it is to the Big Apple.

Almost halfway to the course I arrive in East Hampton. Thus far, I have seen more deer(5) than cars(4) at this wee hour of the morning.

I got to Montauk Downs at 5:20am - 5 minutes after the clubhouse opened. (How would you like to punch the clock at this course?) They slotted me in for the second tee time at 5:54am. After a 25 minute fog delay, we smacked our drivers down the first hole with only about 125 yards of visibility.

This course is pure beauty. Because it's so exposed to the ocean (on the north and the south), the winds, fog, and clouds roll in and out all day long. There's a British Open kind of feel that I have never experienced in my geographically-limited playing career. Also, last year, I must have seen twenty deer on the course during one round.

Ah,...last year. That's a round I'd like to forget. Played in the rain and shot ninety-something - a disaster for a self-estimated 8-handicap like myself.

Montauk Downs is one difficult golf track. It's 6614 yards and totes a slope of 139. (I am not sure if the slope accounts for the consistently changeable weather conditions either.) Forget the numbers, every time I have played this course it's summarily kicked my butt.

That is, until today.

I birdied the first hole in the fog and added three more later on. I can't remember the last time I had four birds in one round. Only once have I made five in a round - that was at Wyncote GC outside of Philadelphia. Today I carded a five-over 77 that, all things considered, was one of the best rounds I have ever played.

Here, I ripped a few pics off the website.

This first photo is of the 7th hole. It's a tantalizing par-5 with water in play on your tee shot, on any bold reach for green in two, and on all boring lay-up shots down the narrow right hand side.











This last pic is of the par-3 twelfth. The photo illustrates the abundant and cavernous greenside bunkering to be found throughout the course, but it does not convey the elevation change and in-your-face wind on this fierce par-3. Today it demanded a 2-iron, as did the par-3 14th which also had the added drama of water alongside the green.

What could possibly be better than paying $52 to play a top fifty course and shooting one of your best career rounds?

It almost makes you forget about all your bad rounds and all the frustration you've endured over the years.

To think that I once played Montauk so poorly that I seriously thought about quitting the game the whole torturesome ride home - which unlike the trip there, can't avoid the brutal summer vacation traffic.