Blue at Bethpage State Park Golf Course

I think it is the 2nd most difficult of the great BP courses. The Black and The Blue are for golfers that want to challenge themselves to put up a score with shots that require accuracy and tactical thinking.

Excellent course the only negative part of the course are the flagsticks not knowing if the hole is front, middle or back because the flagstick are always blue

This is a very good muni course that would probably get more attention if not overshadowed by the Black and Red courses. It is very nicely routed through really good property. You play through and over valleys and undulating fairways. A number of holes, especially on the front nine, are angled and set up in ways to make you choose different shot types. Some of the holes are nice but straightforward and simple. The greens are very good, fairly large, and have nice shaping and slope, and several are highly elevated. The fairways are fairly wide but present better spots to set up your second shots. The course is walkable although there are some steep elevations and valleys. I wouldn't make a trip to play the Blue like I would for the Black or the Red, but I found the course enjoyable to play.

So let me start by saying I enjoy all the Bethpage courses. How many people can say their home course has five nice tracks and they aren’t $100 plus rounds. My issue for blue stems more on the architecture side and the people who play it. So if you don’t know, blue is an original Tillinghast course. I really love his style and can’t get enough of the red and black course. However, a bunch of its holes were borrowed for a newer yellow course which then forced some new blue holes to be squeezed in. The course has some cool holes like the short par 5 #4 which asks you to go over the trees. #6 is a sharp and long dogleg left over tress as well. Back 9 is a bit easier than the front. That’s where my love for the course ends. As I said above they had to re-route and redesign blue. It’s a very boring course. 3 out of 4 par 3s are exactly the same. 175 yard shot with a carry over a gully and two protective bunkers. 9 and 18 are exactly copies of each other. 360+ par 4 dogleg right that goes down into a gully. I think about a third of the holes have a gully right in front of an elevated green. Yawn. Another issue is the people that play blue. It’s like they don’t care about their course. Cigarettes everywhere, as well as sunflower seeds. Today one guy threw no less than 18 butts on the tee box, fairway and green. He threw his first in the first tee box right in front of the starter which said nothing. I actually like this starter. He’s one of the few who aren’t rude. Today I saw a guy giving two people swing lessons on the first tee. these guys have maybe swung clubs 2-3 times in their life. I understand this is a muni but you can’t be giving first timers lessons like that unless it’s twilight. There’s easy 9 hole courses nearby. It’s very rare you get less than a 5.5 hour round out there. Just makes for a really frustrating day

If you like to have 3 groups on every par 3 on a tough front 9. This is the place for you. Shame because the rangers don't care. "Its a public course" id rather go further east to play better courses with a 4 hour max pace. The 6th hole is a piece of garbage and the 7th tee box should require safety helmets for all who play. Its the kind of course I usually score well on but never enjoy it. Also bring an extra old beat up sand wedge. For the fist sized boulders in the bunker on the right of 6.

Everyone told me that all of the Bethpage courses were very nice, but I will have to respectfully disagree. The Blue course was fine, but nothing to write home about. The greens and fairways were in great condition but very slow. The tee boxes were not in great shape, and the cart paths were a joke. Also, I was disappointed in the optics of the course. It was not nearly as beautiful as I had been told. Maybe I had my hopes too high, but I was disappointed. The starter and cart guys were incredibly rude, to the point where I was called stupid for trying to carry my clubs over to my cart instead of getting the cart and driving back to my clubs. However, there is certainly something to be said for the wow factor of the clubhouse and walking over to the Black Course and looking down 1 fairway and 18 green. The food at the restaurant is great too. I would certainly recommend going to Bethpage, but I would pony up for the Red and/or Black Courses instead.

The blue course which people consider Bethpage's 3'rd most challenging course. Playing the course for the first time might surprise mid to high handicappers how tough this track could really play. Many tee shots require force carries and over saddles and gullies. Target golf is required to be in lay up areas and correct angles on fairways. Course was in beautiful condition. Fescue was blooming but doesn't come into play as much as the black and red course. Pace of the round was just under 6 hours which made a beautiful day of golf much less enjoyable. A total of two water fountains and no beverage cart makes playing on a hot summer day a labor of love.

Just because it's 3rd on the rank of Bethpage courses, don't discount Blue. It offers a challenges to both better golfers and intermediate ones with the elevation changes and doglegs. The architecture is very similar to Red so if you're hoping to progress towards that, Blue will help you get there.

I recently played the tips with two friends who are both solid single digit handicaps and I never really felt disadvantaged by the course set up. If you can't get a tee time on Black or Red, Blue is your next best choice.

Our group played the Blue on a beautiful spring day. The course was in perfect condition tee to green and the green were in great shape. Not real fast but also not slow…really kind of just right. On the Blue you had better bring your big gun game or take dead aim on the greens and make the most of one putt greens. The course is very long. We were not aware that the shortest length was over 6000 and having women in the group made it a very rough day to the length. Then it seems that Bethpage courses are all very long and maybe they don’t desire shorter hitters. Personally from a golf perspective the Blue was a great course with very challenging distances to conquer.

The starter was genuinely a very nice gentleman. Upon our arrival to the first tee he was pleasant and calming to our beginning of the round and that was nice due to the first few steps you go through to play at Bethpage are not in any way customer friendly. Maybe others think their ways are quaint and stoic. I felt it was more rude and stupid and antiquated and very frustrating. You pay in the clubhouse and be sure to bow down to the queens of payment. All members of your playing group have to be there when you pay even if one person is paying for all (someone thinks that makes sense). Then you are allowed to proceed to get your gold cart (if you choose to ride) and see the court jesters to grant you permission to obtain on of them as well. We found one reason maybe they discourage women playing is the lack or on course restrooms…the Blue has none other than the turn. When we asked about that we were told to send the governor a note.

I would strongly recommend the Blue and from the look any Bethpage course for the golf but check your feelings in the trunk as the employees will surely trample it . Yes we are just normal everyday hacks but we take golf seriously and enjoy it but it took awhile to settle into our round of golf after our greeting upon arrival.

For some reason, I have never really been impressed by Blue. In fact, if given the choice, I would play any of the Bethpage Courses - over and over - except the Blue. The front is very difficult - almost equal to The Black in terms of its challenges. The back is quite easy - not that I am inclined to shoot a 36 on the back mind you.

Despite what I have written, the Blue does hold an amazing golf memory for me. On #13 - in '96 or '97, I holed out my 7-iron from the fairway for an eagle 2 - my first.

That being said - The Blue is still a fantastic golf experience. You should ignore my review and play it for yourself.

Just playing the Blue Course almost makes you want to move to Long Island. For $43 (walking), you get a course that's better than most munis and daily fee courses in the country, has history, plenty of challenge and is in one of the best golf settings in the country. Only thing is, be prepared to walk or pay the $38 cart fee. Fortunately, the course is very walkable, although you will get a workout going up and down the hills to elevated greens.