by Nina
In all the years I lived in Manhattan, I never met, or even heard of, a tourist who came looking for golf. But assuming such folks do indeed exist, they wouldn't have to look hard.
There are city courses in every borough, most easily accessible by public transit, and plenty more choices those willing to rent a car. If the point you meant to make was that if you're starting in Manhattan, getting in a round of golf will take the better part of an entire day, then I agree. But what has that got to do with the fact that several famous courses in the area are private? If you were invited by a member, it would still take all day to get there, play, and get back to Manhattan. And there's no city I know where tourists can just show up at private clubs and play.
While I'm at it - why do so many golf writers equate "greatness" with difficulty? You can keep Bethpage Black - I'd rather play Van Cortlandt Park, or drive up to Crystal Springs in northern NJ. (If you go there, I'd bring the wife, and stay overnight. There's a nice spa if she doesn't play.)

by Dick Sutton of Ben Sutton Golf School
Right on about NY state having great golf. We picked this state for our second location specifically to serve all the devoted golfers in the city and the region.
Our golf school is connected with a beautiful course located at Christman's Windham House Inn & Resort in the Catskill Mountains--a course lovingly constructed by its golf-lover owners. The views are spectacular and the holes are challenging. Plus of course you can improve your golf game in our custom-designed 50-acre golf learning facility. So you can kill two birds with one vacation!

by Bradley
I will agree that being a golfer from Manhattan is not easy, primarily since there has been only one golf course EVER with a '212' area code (By the way, knowing the answer to that question is a great bit of trivia).
However, being from the 'outer boroughs' of NYC does give one at least the opportunity to play in one's own 'hood. Brooklyn has 2 public golf courses, Queens has 4, Staten Island has 4 (1 being private) and the Bronx has 4 (soon to be 5). Most of them are municipally owned and not 'Country Club' caliber and a 6-hour round on the weekend is not uncommon, but it is not as difficult to play as you paint in your article.
Also, you are way off base with the
'sleeping in the parking lot' to get onto the Black Course at Bethpage. That practice stopped years ago after they initiated a telephone reservation system. If you have a NYState drivers license you can call up to a week in advance for a tee-time.

by Ray Tennenbaum
Really, have you ever even played a New York City course?
http://www.mgagolf.org/intraclub/query/catquery.html?doc_number=8988
Or do y'all pride yourselves on your ignorance?

by Matt
I agree, its tough to find really great golf within very close disctance to NYC. BUT, this may be one of the only places in the country where you can actually ride the subway to a golf course. You can ride the 1 train to Van Courland Park golf course just minutes north of Manhattan in the Bronx. It's actually America's oldest public golf course, built in 1897. Dyker Beach in Brooklyn, which is actually not a bad course is also accessible by subway on the R train. Perhaps NYC's greatest golf secret is Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx - a surpisingly challenging and interesting layout, also right in New York city. While the golf isn't fabulous, I'd argue its well more than adequate for such a densely populated city.

by BigJohn
We've got to put an end to this nonsense about staying overnight in the parking lot at Bethpage to get a tee time on the Black Course. You'll get on without doing that; besides there are four other courses at Bethpage that offer fine golf. I'd go for Red, Green, Blue and Yellow in that order. Those courses even allow carts. There's lots of great/good golf on Long Island, but don't tell anyone so we can keep it to ourselves.

by Dick Rocchio
You are so far off course in your opinion of golf in New York. Bethpage Black is not the only "great" course in the area. Within two hour's drive there are at least 60 courses open to the public, and they aren't all municipal cow pasture courses. Look to the North and East of the City and you will find golf at its best. New York State has the best golf in America. Only the State Legislature doesn't know it. And, apparently, uninformed "jouralists."

by Stuart Hotchkiss
I think hitting golf balls at Chelsea Piers can actually screw up your swing. After all, we don't play on courses with a foundation of concrete and mechanically adjusted tees.

by Jack
New York has adequate golf for the casual golfer, but for those who want to play frequently it's a gigantic pain in the neck. I don't have a car so I'm severely limited - I'm sure there are lots of great courses in Jersey, it's just not practical. I get out to Bethpage once or twice a month, it's worth the trip, they do a great job maintaining out there and it's not much more expensive than the city courses even including the cost of transit, but I have to leave my apartment almost 3 hours in advance of my tee time. And Dyker and Van Cortlandt and Pelham/Split Rock are great - if you like to play in 5 1/2 to 6 hours. It's really hard to play both days of the weekend unless you have a personal assistant to take care of everything else that needs doing.