A.W. Tillinghast’s 1936 design sits about an hour east of Manhattan inside Bethpage State Park, one of five courses on the property and the only one most travelling golfers come to play. The Black stretches to 7,468 yards from the tips, plays as a par 71, and earns its reputation from the opening tee shot. Fairways are narrow, the rough is dense, and the bunkers are deep, steep-faced and everywhere – Tillinghast’s signature “Great Hazard” style writ large. Rees Jones restored and toughened the course ahead of the 2002 U.S. Open, and it’s been refined again since for the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup.

The routing rolls through mature oak and pine woodland with significant elevation changes, and the par-4 fourth, par-4 fifth and par-3 17th are the holes most players will remember on the drive home. Conditioning is excellent for a public course – closer to a private club than a municipal – though greens fees and tee-time competition reflect that. Pace can be slow at peak times, often pushing five hours, partly because most players are getting their first crack at it. There’s no resort attached; you play the Black, eat at the clubhouse, and head back into Manhattan or out to the Hamptons.