$76 (cart included), played on Friday, June 2006 at 6am

Fulfilled all expectations...came all the way from Victoria, BC, Canada and it didn't disappoint. It was a grueling test of golf...long even from the white tees (6,700 yards and most of the par 4s are over 420 yards), very little water (only one of the par 3s), long wild grasses lining most fairways, tons of sand protecting all of the greens and perfectly placed to gobble up tee shots. It seemed like we kept up a great pace (not a lot of waiting) but it still took 5 hours...could have been 5 of the most enjoyable hours of my life, though! Below are things I tried to find out before we left for our trip but couldn't because it seemed there was very little information about how to get tee times: 1. We arrived after the Thursday night Mets game in June(about 30 minutes from Shea although the detour on the LI Expressway made it longer) at about midnight fearful that we'd arrived too late to get one of the first tee times the next morning. We pulled into the dark parking lot at the front right of the property and were pleased to find out that we were the 6th car there. You must back into the numbered spot (I guess to make a quick get away to the reservations desk the next morning). After engaging in some small talk with the other avid golfers who were already hanging out in the parking lot (and had done this many times) our excitement began to grow as the "veterans" indicated that we would be a slam dunk to get an early tee time on the Black. Like my kids on Christmas Eve, we then settled into our reclined rental car seats for what we hoped would be a very quick (but restful)4 hours sleep. 2. At 4:30 AM the park ranger rapped on our window and told us to hurry up and roll it down (unbelievably we had fallen into a deep sleep and were a bit groggy!). He gave us each a wrist band and two numbers (every golfer must be present at that point) and told us to drive to the reservations desk, which is in the same building as the pro shop. At 4:30 AM about 30 cars were parked in the lot waiting for the park ranger's arriveal. At the door to the reservations desk another employee allows in the golfers based on the numbers assigned. As we reached the front of the line, we were asked to view the video screens above the counter showing the available tee times for the 5 courses. We were thrilled to snag the 7:09 tee time. I almost had to be pinched it was so unbelievable to actually have the sought after tee time. Unfortunately calling my buddies or wife on the West Coast at 4:45 AM EDT wouldn't elicit the same shared excitement as I was experiencing so I had to share it with my one buddy with me! The first tee time on the Black was at 6:30 and spaced 9 minutes apart so the tee times right up to about 7:30 I believe were saved for walk up traffic. After that one tee time per hour was available for walk up traffic. 3. We were surprised that Friday tee times still attract the weekday rate of $78 for non-state residents. As we had not showered for 3 days in the sticky east coast heat, we gladly paid the $5 daily charge which gave us access to the locker rooms immediately. We showered (quite likely in the stall where Tiger showered!) and felt as spry as we had ever felt. 4. We then got a quick breakfast (most guys choose to kill the time in the restaurant) and headed over to pick up our rental clubs at the range and hopefully hit a bucket of balls. The only two downers on the experience were the absolutely crappy clubs they rent for $30(mismatched no name set and a bag with broken zippers) and the fact that the range was closed. 5. We then proceeded to the practice green for a few putts before heading to the first tee. We spent time taking pictures in front of the famous "this golf course is extremely difficult..." sign and the Bethpage "home of the 2002 and 2009 US Open" sign. The two guys we were paired up with were perfect partners as one guy was from Queens who had played the course many times before so could walk us around and the other guy was an interesting travelling young business man from Mississippi who had played in the 1996 Basketball Final Four for Miss State. Interestingly the guy from Queens had shown up in the parking lot at 4:00 as a single and still got this prime tee time on the Black. 6. After the round, the pro shop, as expected, had lots of interesting merchandise for very reasonable prices. After filling up on souvenirs for the buddies back home, we again showered in the nice locker rooms and then headed to Philly to see the Phillies that night! 7. It wasn't the most scenic course I had ever played (come play in Whistler for that) but it was truly amazing to play a grueling golf course that Tiger had hardly been able to tame. 8. If you are not fortunate enough to get a time on the Black, we were told by the guy from Queens that the order of courses for quality and challenge is Black, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green. Recommended: Yes Green Fees Paid (US$): 78 Speed of Play (typical weekend): 4 to 5 Hours Look Out For: Sand