In the 1930s, when plans for “The People’s Country Club” was brought to Long Island, the country was still mired in the Great Depression and the government was looking to provide a jolt. Like many ambitious projects of the Great Depression, the municipal-course system in Bethpage State Park was an outgrowth of the Works Progress Administration, a federal jobs-creation program championed by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As the crown jewel of that system, the Black Course was designed to be a beauty and a beast. As a public-access layout, it was also meant to be a bargain. Its green fees reflected that.
On the day the Black Course opened, in 1936, the cost of playing it was $1 on weekdays, $2 on weekends and $15 for a weekday season pass. The same price applied to the three other existing courses in the park, the Blue, Green and Red (a fifth Bethpage course, the Yellow, wasn’t completed until 1958). Despite the lean economic times, the Black and its siblings were a magnetic draw. In the mid-1930s, they attracted upwards of 1,500 golfers a day.
Thanks to a surge in golf participation, tee times at Bethpage are now more sought-after than ever. But greens fees remain a relative steal. With the Ryder Cup approaching on the Black, here’s what it costs to play all five courses in the park for both New York residents and out-of-staters.
Black Course
The architect A.W. Tillinghast conceived of the Black Course as an answer to Pine Valley. The difference is not everyone can play Pine Valley.
New York State residents:
Weekdays: $70 ($40 twilight)
Weekends: $80 ($50 twilight)
Weekdays for senior citizens and juniors: $47 ($30 twilight)
Out of state:
Weekdays: $140 ($88 twilight)
Weekends: $160 ($100 twilight)
Red Course
Widely considered the second-best course in the park, the Red is often the top choice for locals, who appreciate its balance of artistry and challenge — and the fact that it doesn’t beat them up as badly as the Black.
New York State residents:
Weekdays: $43 ($26 twilight)
Weekends: $48 ($29 twilight)
Weekdays for senior citizens and juniors: $28 ($17 twilight)
Out of state:
Weekdays: $90 ($55 twilight)
Weekends: $100 ($60 twilight)
Green Course
The first course in the Bethpage system, the Green is a Tillinghast reworking of what was once Lenox Hills Country Club, a Devereux Emmet design that became part of the state park in 1932.
New York State residents:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
Weekdays for senior citizens and juniors: $25 ($15 twilight)
Out of state:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
Blue Course
Opened in 1935, the same year as the Red, the Blue is a tale of two nines. Its front side bucks and rolls over hilly terrain before giving way to flatter, shorter and less demanding back side.
New York State residents:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
Weekdays for senior citizens and juniors: $25 ($15 twilight)
Out of state:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
Yellow Course
The youngest of the bunch, the Yellow was designed by Alfred Tull, who cut his teeth on Tillinghast’s construction team before lighting out on his own. His work on the Yellow took advantage of land that was leftover from a rerouting of the Blue.
New York State residents:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
Weekdays for senior citizens and juniors: $25 ($15 twilight)
Out of state:
Weekdays: $38 ($23 twilight)
Weekends: $43 ($26 twilight)
