Bethpage State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bethpage State Park
Clubhouse at Bethpage State Park
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Type	State park
Location	Farmingdale, New York
Area	1,477 acres (598 ha)
Created	May 1934 (1934-05)
Designer	Devereux Emmet (Green course) A. W. Tillinghast (Blue, Red and Black courses) Alfred Tull (Yellow course)
Operated by	New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors	647,118 (in 2020)
Open	All year
Website	Bethpage State Park

Bethpage State Park restrooms and playground area

Bethpage State Park is a huge park in New York State. It covers about 1,477 acres (that's like 1,100 football fields!). The park is located on Long Island, right where Nassau County and Suffolk County meet.

While Bethpage State Park has tennis courts, picnic spots, and even a polo field, it's most famous for its five amazing golf courses. One of these, the Bethpage Black Course, is super famous. It has hosted major golf tournaments like the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, and the 2019 PGA Championship in 2019!

Discovering Bethpage State Park's Past

Bethpage State Park has a cool history that started with a rich railroad executive.

How the Park Began

In 1912, a wealthy man named Benjamin Franklin Yoakum bought a lot of land. It was about 1,368 acres in what is now Old Bethpage, New York. Yoakum hired a designer named Devereux Emmet to build an 18-hole golf course. This course opened in 1923. Yoakum then leased it to a private club called Lenox Hills Country Club.

After Yoakum passed away in 1929, there were some disagreements about the land. The State of New York became interested in buying it. They finally bought the land in May 1934. That's when Bethpage State Park officially became a state park!

Why It's Called Bethpage

A local historian named Jesse Merritt convinced Robert Moses, a powerful park planner, to name the park "Bethpage State Park." This name came from a large area of land bought by Thomas Powell in 1695. He bought it from three Native American tribes.

Bike trail and power line at Bethpage State Park

Growing the Park's Activities

The first golf course became known as the Green Course. By 1936, three more golf courses opened. These were designed by A. W. Tillinghast. A fifth course, the Yellow Course, opened in 1958. It was designed by Alfred Tull.

Besides golf, the park offers many other fun things to do. You can have picnics, ride horses on bridle paths, or play on sports fields. There's also a polo field, tennis courts, and trails for cross-country skiing, hiking, and biking. One bike trail even goes all the way south to Massapequa!

Where Exactly is Bethpage State Park?

Even though it's called Bethpage State Park, it's mostly located in a place called Old Bethpage. When the park was created, there wasn't an Old Bethpage post office. So, it used a Farmingdale address, and it still does today.

The park's name reflects the local names from when it was created. Before 1936, Old Bethpage was just called Bethpage. Then, a nearby area changed its name to Bethpage. To avoid confusion, the original Bethpage changed its name to Old Bethpage.

Golfing at Bethpage State Park

Bethpage State Park is a dream come true for golf lovers. It has five different 18-hole golf courses. They are ranked by how hard they are, from easiest to hardest: Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, and Black.

The Famous Black Course

The Black Course is very special. In 2002, it became the first golf course owned by the public to host the U.S. Open. Tiger Woods won that tournament. It was a very challenging and exciting event! The Black Course also hosted the U.S. Open again in 2009, which Lucas Glover won.

Before 2002, all U.S. Opens were held at private clubs. These clubs were very expensive to play at. The choice of Bethpage was seen as a way to make golf more open to everyone. For example, in 2010, playing 18 holes on the Black Course cost $75 for New York residents. It cost $150 for people from out of state.

How to Play the Black Course

It can be tough to get a tee time on the popular Black Course. If you live in New York, you can book a tee time seven days ahead. If you're from out of state, you can only book two days before. Many golfers even wait in line overnight in the parking lot to get a spot!

The golf complex has a cool logo. It shows a boy caddie carrying a golf bag. This image is carved into the black window shutters on the clubhouse.

Top Rankings for Bethpage Black

The Bethpage Black Course is highly rated by golf experts.

• In 2008, Golf Digest magazine ranked it #26 overall in America.
• It was also ranked #6 in New York State.
• It's considered the #6 toughest course in America.
• It's #5 on the list of America's greatest public golf courses.
• It's the top-ranked course run by a government group.
• The PGA calls Bethpage Black one of the "World's Most Beautiful Courses."

Major Golf Championships Hosted

Bethpage Black has hosted some of the biggest golf tournaments!

PGA Tour Events Hosted

The park has also hosted other professional golf events.

Year	Tournament	Winner	Score	To par
2012	The Barclays	Nick Watney	274	−10
2016	The Barclays	Patrick Reed	275	−9

Future Events

More exciting tournaments are planned for Bethpage Black!

Polo at the Park

Bethpage State Park isn't just for golf! It also has a special field for polo. This field is huge, about 900 by 400 feet, and has seats for spectators. It was built in 1934.

"Polo at the Park" events are held every Sunday from June through September. These events are hosted by Country Farms Polo Club. In 1994, the U.S. Open Polo Championship finals were even played at Bethpage State Park!

See also

• List of New York state parks