When to Play Golf in New York State
New York runs two golf calendars. Long Island plays from mid April into November and flirts with winter golf on mild weekends, while upstate the season opens in May and ends hard in late October when the lake effect machinery switches on. Time it right and you get Bethpage Black firm in September for a 160 dollar non-resident weekend fee. Here is the month by month logic for 2026.
Photograph: Bethpage Black Golf Course, via Google
Two states in one season
Draw a line roughly along the Tappan Zee. South of it, Long Island's sandy soil drains fast, the ocean moderates the temperature swings, and the great public complex at Bethpage, host of the 2025 Ryder Cup on its Black Course, plays a season that can stretch past Thanksgiving. North of it, the calendar compresses: Turning Stone's Tom Fazio designed Atunyote closes for the year by the end of October, the Adirondack and Finger Lakes courses follow the frost, and snow does the rest until May. The trick of a New York golf trip is matching the region to the month, not fighting it.
For which courses justify the trip, start with the best golf courses in New York State and the Bethpage Black profile.
The New York golf calendar
| Months | Downstate and Long Island | Upstate |
|---|---|---|
| April | Season opens; soft turf, value rates, Bethpage queues shortest of the year | Mostly closed; frost and mud weeks |
| May to June | Prime time begins; longest daylight in June; weekend sheets fill fast | Courses open through May; June is upstate's first true month |
| July to August | Hot, humid, busy; book the dawn times; afternoon storms | Peak season; Cooperstown and the lakes at their best |
| September | The best month: firm fairways, thinner crowds, full tee sheets | The best month upstate too; warm days, cool nights |
| October | Fine golf continues; fall color arrives late in the month | Color season, frost delays; Atunyote closes by month's end |
| November to March | Open weather permitting into November; occasional mild winter days | Closed; reliable snow cover in the interior |
Season dates from published course calendars, June 2026. Check tee time availability or browse New York golf resorts.
Timing the marquee rounds
Bethpage Black, Farmingdale
The people's championship course, host of the 2025 Ryder Cup, prices like a municipal because it is one: non-residents pay about 140 dollars weekdays and 160 dollars weekends in 2026, indicative, with twilight under 100. State residents book 7 days out and everyone else 5, a small per player reservation fee applies to advance times, and the first hour of the day is first come, first served, which is why the parking lot queue forms the prior afternoon. Aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday in September: firm turf, no summer heat, and the shortest odds on a same week time.
Atunyote at Turning Stone, Verona
Tom Fazio's 2004 course hosted the PGA Tour's Turning Stone Resort Championship from 2007 to 2010 and remains upstate's most polished resort round, with a green fee of about 225 dollars including cart and practice facility, 25 dollars off for resort guests, indicative for 2026. The season is the constraint: it closes by the end of October, so build the Turning Stone leg between June and early October and let the casino resort carry the evenings.
Leatherstocking, Cooperstown
Devereux Emmet's 1909 course at the foot of Otsego Lake is the romantic's upstate round, public, hilly and joined to the Otesaga Hotel and baseball pilgrimage town. July and August suit the family version of the trip; late September and early October, when the hills turn, are the photographer's window.
Plan your New York golf trip
Tell us your dates, group size and whether the trip is a Bethpage pilgrimage, an upstate loop or both. One concierge works the booking windows and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
New York season questions
When is the golf season in New York State?
Roughly mid April to early November on Long Island and around the city, and May to late October upstate, where courses like Atunyote at Turning Stone close for the year by the end of October. Lake effect snow ends the season abruptly in the western and northern parts of the state, while Long Island courses often stay open, weather permitting, deep into November.
What is the best month to play golf in New York?
September. The air dries out, the courses are at their firmest after summer, the crowds thin once school resumes, and both downstate and upstate are fully open. October adds fall color, especially around Cooperstown and the Adirondack courses, at the price of shorter days and the first frost delays upstate. June is the best early option, with the longest daylight of the year.
How do you get a tee time at Bethpage Black?
New York State residents book 7 days in advance and non-residents 5 days, with a small reservation fee per player for advance bookings, and the first hour of times each morning held for walk ups, which produces the famous overnight parking lot queue. Non-resident fees run about 140 dollars weekdays and 160 dollars weekends in 2026, indicative, among the great championship golf bargains anywhere. Always confirm directly before booking.
Is winter golf possible in New York?
Occasionally, downstate. Long Island and city munis open on mild winter days and the dedicated play golf in February windows that pass for a thaw. Upstate the season is genuinely closed: snow cover is reliable from December through March in most of the interior, and the courses use it, with several doubling as cross country ski venues. Plan a winter golf fix around a flight south instead.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Course access changes, openings and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Season dates and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.