Like a rush on tee times at Bethpage and Montauk Downs, you can always count on the two state-park facilities finding their way onto Golfweek's annual list of top public golf courses.
Golfweek released its 2022 Best Courses You Can Play list earlier this month, a collection of rankings highlighting the elite publicly accessible courses in all 50 states. On the New York list, the Long Island contingent offered no surprises.
Bethpage Black, Bethpage Red and Montauk Downs once again represent Long Island in Golfweek's annual ranking. The Black Course, as usual, is in the top spot, followed later in the top 10 by its state-park brethren. Montauk Downs jumped up to #6 -- its highest ranking that we can recall -- and vaulted one spot ahead of the Red at #7.
For many years, Golfweek included a fourth Long Island course on its Best You Can Play list -- Tallgrass Golf Course in Shoreham. But Tallgrass is gone, and the only other course of local interest is the high-end NYC muni Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, again ranked #2 in the state.Bethpage Black also placed #27 in Golfweek's ranking of the Top 200 Classic Courses built prior to 1960. The list serves as a reminder of the incredible depth of Long Island's classic-course selection, with 15 courses and clubs making the cut, including three -- Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links and Fishers Island -- in the top 10.
For more on the three Long Island publics, including a Closer Look breakdown of Red #13 (and Tallgrass #8, just for old time's sake), check out the course flyovers via the above links.
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