I know a few of pals that have done it, you need someone from New York with an NY address or drivers license to be able to secure a tee time I believe. Hopefully someone who has done it can give you better details. I have Bethpage on my bucket list, so i hope you make it there!

From what we've heard from people who have done it in the past, we are planning on camping out the day we arrive in the lot for a spot on the Black Course. Ferry Point we have to wait until the week prior to make a tee time. Has anyone played at Montauk Downs? That is another course we are looking at playing while we are in the area.

Joseph R - Montauk Downs is an EXCELLENT track. Tough holes and on a windy day tougher. You can get cross winds off the ocean and the bay. Definitely give it a shot. Black and RED are great courses. LI has some great public courses to be had. GOOD LUCK

If you are able to pull it off and get out there on the black course be sure to post how it was and any tips you had to secure the tee time! Good luck man!

I will definitely follow up on how everything goes. I'm excited to spend a few days in NYC golfing and visiting the city.

Especially the Red - consider the other courses at Bethpage, Eisenhower is nearby, but it's pretty generic.

Most out there is private to extremely private.

In regards to Salisbury (Eisenhower) the 1926 PGA Championship was played on the Red Course and won by Walter Hagen. In more recent times it has hosted several events on the PGA Champions Tour.

Best way to get a time on Black with no NY residency is to camp out the night before. I have done it several times and it is always worth it.

Unless it has changed the first tee time of each hour are reserved for walk ups, hence the need to camp out the night before.

The parking spaces are all numbered and a ranger shows up around the crack of dawn to give it out tickets, which you then bring up to the clubhouse to claim your choice of tee times. I have showed up around 3-4am for during the week times and as early as 2pm Friday the day/night before for saturday rounds.

Bring your tailgate/camping gear, enjoy the night and then be prepared for a brutal but incredible walk!

Nick, this was spot on. We had a great time in the lot hanging out with our friends, and even made some local friends as well in the lot.

This should answer all your questions: Here’s how to make a tee time.

First, you have to create an account that will enable you to make a tee time reservation as a New York state resident or non-resident. Click here to visit the tee time information page, and then click “Log in” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Enter your information and create a password for your account.

Once you’ve created an account, you can then reserve a tee time as a resident or non-resident, so click the appropriate box at the bottom of the tee time information page. You’ll be directed to a page with a calendar so you can choose your date, time and the number of players in your group. While it’s a simple process, there are certain disclaimers to remember.

New York State residents can book tee times seven days in advance starting at 7 p.m. ET for all courses, including the Black. Non-New York state residents can only book five days in advance starting at 7 p.m. ET. There is also a $5 per person reservation fee, which is payable when you claim the reservation at the golf course.

Tee times can be cancelled online up until six hours beforehand without penalty. After that, you’ll be charged a $15 per person no-show fee.

You must purchase your ticket — that is, pay your green fee — at least one hour ahead of your tee time. Whoever makes the reservation must be the first to pay, and must have ID. If three of the four players in your reserved group show up but the fourth doesn’t, you have to pay a no-show fee for the fourth.

If you are a no-show, you will be suspended from making any more tee time reservations until payment is received.

Finally, you must have a New York state driver’s license or non-driver identification card in order to obtain the resident rate. And if this doesn’t work out for you, don’t worry. You can always camp out in your car the night before — here’s more info on that. So, ready to play? Good luck!

SOURCE: GOLF Magazine.

Just so you know, Ferry Point is located on the Bronx side of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, not on Long Island. I grew up about 3 miles from Ferry Point in the Pelham Bay section. Anyway, the non NYC resident rate is $208.00 Mon-Thurs. and $240.00 Fri-Sun. Unfortunately, just about all of the top courses in the NY Metropolitan area are Private clubs. Good luck in your search.

Update: This past week was our trip to Bethpage and it was a great experience! We did not have any NY residents to make a tee time, so Wednesday we arrived to Bethpage and parked in the overnight lot. We went in the proshop and explored the property. Wednesday night we were alone in the overnight lot until around 2:30 AM, when a few locals from Long Island pulled into spots. Around 4:30 AM the park ranger came out with tickets, and then it was a dash back into the cars to get to the proshop to book our tee times. Thursday morning we played the Black course at 6:30 AM.
The Black Course was everything you think it would be. The condition of the course is great, and the fescue on the course is unlike anything you could expect. I was prepared for a long hike from the tips, but by the time I crossed back across the road to #15, my legs were gassed, and the walk up to #15 green is very steep. I hope that next year I am able to go back to play the black course.
After playing the Black course, we relaxed and rested until 3:00 PM, and then played a round on the Yellow Course to get some more golf in. The Yellow Course was fun, nothing special, but something to get the confidence back after Black.
We went back to the overnight lot around 7:00 PM Thursday, had some pizza delivered, and camped again. We were first in line again, but the lot was much more full early on Friday morning. Friday morning we teed off the Red Course around 6:00 AM. The red course was great. It was much more forgiving than the Black, but still gave you a test of your game.
We then drove into Manhattan, stayed the night, and awoke early Saturday to go play at Ferry Point. For the money, Ferry Point was okay. The course is very challenging, but the conditions of the course were excellent. Just note that if you play early, bring your own water. The proshop/clubhouse were unable to sell us water for a 7:00 AM tee time, on a day when the temps were in the mid 80's by the 4th hole.
One change I may make if we are able to go back is I would like to head further east on Long Island and play Montauk Downs. The gentleman in the proshop at Bethpage spoke so highly of the course, I would love to have the chance to go back and play this course in the rotation.

I had a free day before playing a two day event at Sebonack in Southampton, NY. Heard about a club in Mt. Sinai, NY called Willow Creek Golf & Country Club. Very nice track track, resort style daily fee facility. Was in terrific shape, closer to Bethpage than Montauk Downs.