Bethpage State Park (Black)

Address:99 Quaker Meeting House Rd
Farmingdale, New York

A public golf course that was propelled onto the national sports scene in 2002, Bethpage Black is one of the best public golf courses in the country, and the only publicly owned and operated course to ever host a major professional tournament. The hardest of the five courses on the grounds of Long Island's Bethpage State Park, the Black course was the home of the 2002 U.S. Open and is slated to host the event again in 2009.

The '02 tournament, won by Tiger Woods (the only player to break par for the 72 holes), brought the course onto the national map, with raucous New York fans charging up the tournament's atmosphere. The U.S. Open slated here for '09 is the reward for this success.

As it is a public course, Bethpage is open to the public year round, at relatively affordable rates (no more than $125 for non-New York State residents in 2007). Located about 35 miles east of New York City, Bethpage State Park is accessible via mass transit on the Long Island Rail Road, which also runs special trains when tournaments are held here.