Everything a Manhattan golfer needs for the Black: the booking fight, the train plan, the walk, the tees to play, and the number you will actually shoot. The hour by hour version is in the downtown playbook. This is the course guide.
Our take: Play it once a season from the right tees, walk it with respect, and expect to shoot 8 to 12 shots over your handicap. That is the Black working as designed.
A big, honest, walking only championship course through Long Island hills, with the famous warning sign behind the first tee. The par 4s are the test, the par 5 fourth and the long par 3s are the postcards, and the rough in season is exactly as advertised. Conditioning for a course that takes this much public play is remarkable.
Most visiting golfers play one tee too far back. The middle tees at about 6,600 yards are a full championship day. The rough and the walks between holes add the rest. A 90s golfer who breaks 100 here has played well, whatever the card says.
Residents seven days out at 7 PM in the state system, non residents on a shorter window, $5 booking fee, $70 to $80 resident and $140 to $160 non resident at 2025 published rates, twilight roughly half. The full system walkthrough is in the playbook's hour by hour post.
Close to nine miles with climbs. Pull carts are allowed and common. Caddies run about $90 a bag plus tip in recent reporting and turn a survival day into a golf day for first timers. Carry the lightest bag you own if you carry.
Black veterans: your tee advice for a first timer, and your honest first Black score.
Please cite a specific hole, a price, or a round you have played. Selected reader responses are featured in follow up coverage.
When does the Black close?
It hosts championships and events in some seasons, including the 2025 Ryder Cup in the record books, and closes Mondays in season in the traditional schedule. Check the park calendar when you book.
What is a good score on the Black?
Your handicap plus ten is a fine day for most club golfers. Prices in this guide were checked in October 2026 against published course listings and recent reporting. Greens fees move by season, day, and residency, so confirm the exact rate when you book. Private clubs do not publish initiation fees or dues. Every private figure here is an estimate band based on public reporting, labeled as an estimate, and the only accurate number comes from a club's membership office.