Man, trying to snag a tee time at Bethpage Black used to feel like trying to win the lottery. Everyone wants a piece of that course, especially the Black. I’d heard the horror stories about the online system, so I decided to crack it myself and document what actually works.
The Setup & The Struggle
First thing I did was go straight to the source – the official reservation site. Made sure my account was set up days before I even planned to book anything. Filled in all my details, payment info, the whole nine yards. Didn’t want any hiccups when the clock was ticking.
Okay, D-day. Heard the magic window opened exactly 7 days before the date you wanna play, at like 7 PM Eastern. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. My first attempt was pathetic. Logged in at 6:58 PM two Tuesdays ago, eyeing the calendar like a hawk. Smashing refresh right at 7 PM sharp. The site just froze up, man. Stalled, spun, spun some more. Felt like forever. When it finally unstuck maybe 2 minutes later? Nada. Zilch. Zero tee times left for Bethpage Black on my chosen Tuesday morning. Just gone. Poof. That feeling sucks.
Tweaking the Approach
I was getting coffee. Seriously. Pissed off, I grabbed a coffee and thought about it. Was I just unlucky? Had a nagging feeling maybe the opening wasn’t exactly at 7 PM. Started digging through forums, some old Reddit posts. Saw a few whispers about the system actually opening maybe 10-15 seconds BEFORE 7 PM. Skeptical, but desperate.
Second try was last Tuesday. Logged in again super early, like 6:55 PM. This time? I started refreshing like a madman at 6:59:45 PM. No joke. Just kept hitting F5. Boom, the calendar lit up maybe 10 seconds BEFORE 7 PM! I swear I almost spilled my coffee all over the keyboard. Muscle memory clicked the Black, saw a single slot pop up for 9:32 AM. Didn’t even think. Slammed the mouse button faster than ever. Confirmation screen pops up! Almost yelled in my kitchen. That early refresh trick was the key.
Bonus Tip – The Group Size Surprise
Another thing I figured out? The times for singles or two players are WAY harder to get. That 9:32 AM spot I got? It was for just me and one buddy. When I was browsing the later times that weren’t instantly gone, I noticed plenty of slots for three or four players. Seems like the system holds onto those group spots longer or releases more of them. So yeah, rally your buddies! More players might mean a better shot.
What Actually Worked
So, summing up my painful practice run:
- Got the account ready way before booking time.
- Logged into the system super early (like 15-20 mins prior).
- Started refreshing like crazy around 6:59:45 PM Eastern.
- Acted FAST the second anything popped up, no hesitation.
- Noticed slightly more luck/availability trying for larger groups.
Still feels like a battle, no lie. Traffic hits the site hard at 7 PM exactly. But going for it just before the official hour gave me that tiny window I needed. Hope it works for ya too.
