New York Golfers

[Andy B]

Hi there,traveling to NYC from Australia in August,would love to play somewhere,any New Yorkers here? I've heard of the legendary Bethpage Black but,don't fancy sleeping out,plus I think the Barclays are on the week after I'm there,so probably a no go. Are there other public access courses you could recommend ? Thanks,mate.

[onthehunt526]

4 minutes ago, Andy B said:

Hi there,traveling to NYC from Australia in August,would love to play somewhere,any New Yorkers here? I've heard of the legendary Bethpage Black but,don't fancy sleeping out,plus I think the Barclays are on the week after I'm there,so probably a no go. Are there other public access courses you could recommend ? Thanks,mate.

What most people don't realize is, Bethpage State Park actually has 5 courses. The Black is the most famous, by far. But the site also has the Red, Blue, Yellow and Green which aren't as difficult to get on, but still kind of hard. I'm from Upstate NY so I'm not the best person to ask.

[Andy B]

Thanks for the heads up mate.any ideas on which is the next best course out of the 4 you mentioned ?

[nevets88]

5 minutes ago, Andy B said:

Thanks for the heads up mate.any ideas on which is the next best course out of the 4 you mentioned ?

The popular consensus is Red, Blue, Green, then Yellow. Black is hard, but Red is difficult as well.

[onthehunt526]

Agreed, they were toying with using the 18th at the Red Course during the '02 Open, before the changes 18 at the Black was only 378 yards.

[FundamentallyCommitted]

Glad to hear you'll be traveling to NYC!  Mind sharing with us where you'll be staying in the area?  Not sure you'll be too keen on traveling all the way out to Bethpage from the NYC area but it depends on your expectations and flexibility.   Driving from Manhattan proper will take you at least 1.5 hours, if not more.  Traffic can be unpredictable.   But certainly for such a famed location it might be worth it to you. 

Much closer you will find a couple hidden gems up in the Bronx (where I live) in the form of Split Rock & Pelham Bay Golf Courses, 36 holes of decent municipal golf inside the largest acreage of parklands in all of the five boroughs, Pelham Bay Park.  There is also Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course, the oldest public municipal course in the contiguous United States.  These are true muni courses, so expect 5+ hour rounds on weekends with local duffers all over the course.  Best to take advantage during the week, and Pelham/Split Rock runs a deal you can't beat: 18 holes w/cart and 2 free drinks for $45, even less after 3 pm (I think I have those details correct).

There are other munis within the city limits that are also worth checking out:  Dyker Beach in Brooklyn, Douglaston and Clearview in Queens.  Staten island has several courses that I hear are nice but I've only played once over 5 years ago.   Can't speak much to those. 

Certainly this is not a comprehensive list, but it should get you started. Look into lower Westchester for some nice courses (Sprain Lake, Dunwoodie) and also several courses on long Island are not as far as Bethpage (Eisenhower Park has three 18 hole courses).   

Good luck with your search!  Do reach out if you have any specific questions.   I'm happy to help!

 

[Andy B]

Thanks mate. Appreciate your help. I'll be staying in Brooklyn so I have no idea about traffic (although I think you drive on the wrong side of the road) or how long it takes to go anywhere - but very excited by the whole trip, let alone the prospect of playing golf. Sister in law works in the corporate world so hoping she has a contact that can take me to a course somewhere. Anyway, so long as I don't get run over (did I mention I think you drive on the wrong side of the road ?) then I won't be too fussed about which course - I'm more hopeful to meet up with like golfers and get to play a round ,chat and hear about life in the Big Apple. Cheers - oh, do many courses hire clubs?? 

[FundamentallyCommitted]

Haha!  My understanding is that you guys drive on the wrong side.  Lol.

All jokes aside, yes the traffic can be terrible, particularly around Brooklyn.  Only two courses I've played in Brooklyn are Dyker Beach and Marine Park, and if you keep your expectations relatively low you can have a decent round at either one.  Like I said, avoid playing on the weekends and you could get a round in under 5 hours.  The layouts provide a decent challenge, although the courses aren't maintained to the highest of standards, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea:  they aren't atrocious by any means.  

However, if you have contacts in the corporate world I would highly recommend going that route if you can.  Getting onto any of the private courses in Westchester County (north of the city) or Long Island would be a mighty step up from what you'd get on the muni courses.  I'm jealous:  I'm from here and I don't have access to any of those pristine places.  

As for "hire clubs", I assume you mean rental clubs.  Yes, all of the courses I've played at offer rental clubs.  Check out a few of the links below for greens fees and rental rates.  Enjoy your trip!

http://www.dykerbeachgc.com/

http://www.golfmarinepark.com/

http://www.pelhamsplitrock.com/

http://www.golfnyc.com/

[FundamentallyCommitted]

Oh and how could I forget the most expensive public course in the city?!  Well, that should answer my own question...I've written off the idea of playing here because I don't have over $100 to drop for 18 holes:

http://www.trumpferrypoint.com/

Jack Nicklaus design, links-style, opened less than a year ago (I think).  If I were on vacation and ready to splurge I'd play here, but otherwise it's totally off my radar (hence the unintended omission from my original list).  I get to see it when I drive over the Whitestone Bridge from time to time, looks mighty fun.  Guess I should start saving up for the $144 resident greens fee (no cart) on a weekday.  

 

[chspeed]

If I was coming to NYC, I'd definitely play a round on one of the munis to experience NYC golf, but only if it's a weekday. Otherwise it's painful. If you have to go on a weekend, you should get to the course before dawn if you want to play in under 5-6 hours. Few more tips:

-Trump Ferry Point is not worth the price of admission IMO. It has a great practice area, but many of the views are of project housing, and all the holes start looking the same by the back 9.

-I would definitely take a day trip out to Bethpage and play Black, make a reservation though. Other courses there are fine, but nothing like Black. If you go early in the morning, getting there from Brooklyn can be fast (30 minutes), but like mentioned above, traffic is unpredictable and it can take a lot longer.

-Some of the Westchester courses are nice if you have a car. I especially like Hudson Hills.

Enjoy!