Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, site of two U.S. Opens (2002, ’09) and one PGA Championship (2019) as well as the next Ryder Cup (2025) in the U.S., is the top-rated public-access golf course in New York.
Built by famed course designer A.W. Tillinghast in 1935, the Black is almost as famous for its sign on the first tee that warns players that the test they are about to face is “extremely difficult.” And besides ranking No. 1 among New York’s public courses, the Black is No. 27 on the 2002 Golfweek’s Best list for all classic courses built in the U.S. before 1960.
It’s hardly alone as a top-tier course in New York, particularly when private courses are considered. New York offers the deepest lineup of exceptional private courses in the country, and each of the top 20 private clubs in the state ranks in the top 100 on either Golfweek’s Best modern or classic lists.
Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.
Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for New York’s prestigious private offerings is likewise included below.
MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort | Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play
(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960
Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses.
* New to or returning to list
Best public-access courses in New York in 2022
1. Bethpage State Park (Black)
Farmingdale (27c)
2. Trump Golf Links Ferry Point
New York (m)
3. Leatherstocking
Cooperstown (T165c)
4. Turning Stone Resort (Atunyote)
Verona (m)
5. Sagamore
Bolton Landing (c)
6. Montauk Downs State Park
Montauk Point (m)
7. Bethpage State Park (Red)
Farmingdale (c)
8. Turning Stone Resort (Shenendoah)
Verona (m)
9. Links at Union Vale
Lagrangeville (m)
10. Ravenwood
Victor (m)
11. Pound Ridge GC
Pound Ridge (m)
12. Turning Stone Resort (Kaluhyat)
Verona (m)
13. Saratoga National
Saratoga Springs (m)
14. Centennial
Carmel (m)
15. Mansion Ridge
Monroe (m)
Best private courses in New York in 2022
1. Shinnecock Hills
Southampton (4c)
2. National Golf Links of America
Southampton (5c)
3. Fishers Island Club
Fishers Island (10c)
4. Friar’s Head
Baiting Hollow (3m)
5. Winged Foot (West)
Mamaroneck (15c)
6. Sebonack
Southampton (6m)
7. Maidstone Club
East Hampton (25c)
8. Garden City GC
Garden City (28)
T9. Winged Foot (East)
Mamaroneck (T30c)
T9. Quaker Ridge
Scarsdale (T30c)
11. Piping Rock
Locust Valley (T38c)
12. Oak Hill (East)
Rochester (42c)
13. Sleepy Hollow
Briarcliff Manor (T44c)
14. Creek Club
Locust Valley (62c)
15. Atlantic GC
Bridgehampton (m)
16. Hudson National
Croton-on-Hudson (69m)
T17. Fenway
Scarsdale (T79c)
T17. St. George’s
Setauket (T79c)
19. Glens Falls*
Queensbury (T85c)
20. CC of Buffalo*
Williamsville (87c)
