My son and I will be in NY in September this year, what it the best way to get on the Black course? There will only be 2 of us, is the best to get there at night and wait until morning?

I was going to try the NY Shuttle service, but they want $1200 for 2 of us (plus travel to and from the course).

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Definitely don't pay $1200 too play! I played a lot this past September and October. I would say to register with Bethpage so you can try and make a tee time two days in advance. You most likely will not get a tee time (or a good tee time), but it is worth a shot. If you want to play early (assuming its a weekday), I'd get there about midnight. You would definitely get out early. If its a weekend (I am not sure). If you can't do the overnight thing, you could get there at 3am or 4am and probably get out by noon (give or take).

When its gets closer check to see if someone on here (possibly me if I am free) would hold your spot in line, then you could get there at 4:30.

Get there at midnight? Why/ What is the story behind trying to play there?

We will be trying to play on a Tuesday. So the best way is to get there at Midnight and get in line? That is not a problem, I have slept in my car before. We only have a twosome, is that easier to get out? Any other helpful tips?

I appreciate the help.

Midnight definitely should get you one of the first 5 or 10 (maybe the 1st) spot.

Make sure you check in advance that the course is going to be open and not aerated or anything.

Guaranteed not to be first. You'll be in the first ten though. Don't come after 2am, thats when about 20 cars show up at the same time.

Thanks for all the help. From looking at the pictures, I will make sure I am in top shape to walk the course.

Tuesday would be your absolute best bet, but just make sure they are open. Black closes one day a week, usually mondays, but occasionally on tuesdays for various reasons. Aeration is done around that time of year as well, so just call ahead.

if you are coming from out of state on a special trip, there's no point in trying to save any time, especially if you're fine with sleeping in your car. so just get there the night before, midnight is fine. however, that time of year, on a tuesday, you could get there at 5am and still get a tee time (probably in the afternoon).

joining up on the phone system wouldn't hurt, but if it's more of a one time thing, dont bother.

i play there every week, and can give you some tips. so if you have any questions or concerns, PM me anytime. it's my pleasure to help.

Thanks for the response. Its a one time chance, my son wants to see a Yankee game, and I figured it we were that close we could drive over and play it. I am looking forward to the challenge. I will pm you as we get closer about some tips or conditions. Thanks again.

always happy to help!

Because they are going to severly reduce the amount of foursomes on the course prior to the Open, I expect there will be a lot of pent up demand plus new "post-Open" demand.

I got in October by going on a Tuesday (with cold weather expected) and getting there at 6am. I spoke with some locals and they said mid-week would not be hard for a single/twosome to get on if you get there REALLY EARLY. For weekend play, you need to spend the night.

Does anyone know when the Black is closing prior to the Open, one month?, two weeks?, just wondering cause I live close enough to drive down and play and I want to try and got out on it again before the Open. Thanks

Anyone know when it's opening?

"[Bethpage] will reopen on April 14, before closing for the U.S. Open preparation and practice on June 2.

unless you're specifically looking to be one of the first groups out, i wouldn't bother trying to get there at midnight. i've played there several times the last few septembers and typically got there around 4ish. granted, we weren't one of the first 10 groups, i'm thinking somewhere around 15-20, but we never had a problem getting a time before 10. it's usually just me and a friend, but the only time we tried going as a 4-some, we were able to get a 9:30ish time arriving at around 4am.

*the one wildcard though is that this is a us open year so it may be a bit more packed than usual.

last fall (sept i think), i showed up as a single around 9AM on a Monday and got out at 11:50AM. a couple years ago in november i showed up with a friend at 8:30AM on a Wednesday and got out around 10:30AM or so. i usually have a tee time but those are two of my, perhaps lucky, "walk-in" experiences in the fall season.

I figure by mid Sep, the post open rush will be down. Thanks for the replies.

Not to thread jack, but does anyone know the possibility of getting a foursome on Bethpage Black when they open back up? I have customers in NYC that I would like to take out there, but I don't want to get their hopes up if it isn't possible.

register your license with the system and book a tee time a week in advance. that's pretty much the only way you'll be assured of getting a foursome out at a reasonable time.

I live in NC, so my customer would have to register his license and book the tee time in advance...correct?

not to disagree with dr pino, but getting a foursome (state resident or not) through the phone system at a time where you can still finish the round before dark is close to impossible, or at least takes a lot of diligence working the phone over the course of the week. if that's your goal, i'd say aim for the longest days of the year because you'll be lucky to get anything before 3pm (with a guaranteed 5 1/2 to 6 hour round).

otherwise, sleeping out is by far your best bet. if you can go on a weekday, do it. if you dont want to sleep out, go on a weekday (preferably tuesday) and get there just before dawn. you'll still get out at a very decent time. you may have to sit around a while, but you'll get out before 3pm. the one thing to realize is that a TON of singles play Black and pretty much eliminate any phone system foursomes in about 30 seconds. if you show up the night before or at dawn, there are groups of foursomes reserved just for walk-ups (the first hour of operation and one foursome per hour).

good luck!

it takes patience and persistence but booking a foursome via the phone system is far from impossible (at least for state residents).

here's a good article on how to get out and what to expect this season with the US Open:

http://www.golfvacationinsider.com/issues/...lack_385-1.html

I don't mind sleeping in the car....saves me the $300 hotel room I was going to pay for in Manhattan which I can now spend on everyone's tee time. If I wanted to get a foursome on, what time should I show up to be safe?

those guys do a good job. i still remember their instructions from 2002.

its definitely not impossible, but it is a major pain and takes a good bit of luck (to get a half-decent foursome time). i just didn't want the poster to get his hopes up, and i didnt think he would want his clients having to troll the phone lines.

where in NY are you, dr pino?

if you're not going to be able to book a time, the night before (dunno what time since i've never had to do that).


you're probably right that having your clients redialing repeatedly isn't the best approach

i'm up in Dutchess County, near Poughkeepsie now but used to live in Manhattan. I'll be walking in to the black as soon as it opens this season

ah, excellent. i will be doing the same. i switched around my work schedule to give me a bunch of extra days off during the week so i can get out there earlier and more often. can't wait to have her back. crap, cant wait to have the red course back for that matter.

if you're going the night before on a weekend, between 10pm and midnight will guarantee you a good early spot, at least before noon. like i was saying higher up in the thread, there's no point in cutting corners if you're already going to be sleeping out. on a tues/weds/thurs, you could get away with getting there between midnight and 4am to get the same kind of time. getting there a little later in either of those scenarios will still get you out, but maybe not until afternoon-ish. defintiely read that article that dr pino linked, they do their homework.

yeah, the red lost a lot of trees last season from what i heard...honestly I haven't played it yet (i know, shame on me). shoot me a PM when you're planning on heading over in April/May and maybe we can hook up for a round...although that limits our chances of getting on so, umm, stay away!!! LOL

haha, i hear that. i hate going alone but when i bring a friend it really cuts into the tee time options. we should do an early weekday, if you can, wont be too bad.

alright, here's an update for you (and bad news as far as I'm concerned):

The Black course will reopen on April 11 and close again on May 31. The course will only have tee times available between 8am and 1pm during this time (this may or may not include the first hour of walk-up times). Also during this time, you may only play the course ONE TIME. They will be keeping a record and photo id will be required.

So, for all of you planning on camping out prior to the open, you definitely will want to park your cars in the line a few hours earlier than usual. I'll be out there this weekend and I will try to find out some more info. For those of us who play the Black as much as possible... this sucks (until after the Open).

thanks for the update Marrrk...sucks though!

my pleasure. now the only question is: when to play?

it's nuts that you can only play it once. i'll try to find out if there are any type of exceptions when i'm there on sunday.