24 Hours: The Very Best Public Golf Experience In The USA. Ever.

(Let's start out bold and confident with that subject line!)

It all starts in the very belly of the beast:

Step One: The Night Before. Meet In New York City.
That’s right. Manhattan. The Big Apple. Surprised? Just wait. Eat a big steak or something hearty. Have a little fun but crash early. You’re going to need some fuel & rest for tomorrow. It's gonna be an epic day.

Step Two: The Morning Of, Meet In Times Square Before Dawn!
The next morning have your golf group meetup, ready to play with sticks, at Times Square Hot Bagels (200 West 44th St) just before dawn. Grab a coffee and breakfast and wander 1/2 bock east to the heart of Times Square to see the sunrise and munch fresh bagels.

Sit back and let that sink in a bit. Visualize the shot. You are standing in the middle of Times Square with your golf clubs on your back. The streets are quiet with very few souls in sight. The sun is just starting to shine thru the skyscrapers and you, my friend, are about to play G in the urban kingdom. . . .

Step 3: Take the Subway to Van Cortlandt Park. The Bronx.
Thats right. The Subway. At Dawn. With Your Sticks.

Hop on the 1 and 9 subway train and ride it all the way to the end of the line in the Bronx. You've got a tee time at Van Cortlandt. "Vannie" is the oldest public course in the United States opening on July 6th 1895. It hosted the very first public tournament in the USA in 1896. The golf course is a short 2 block walk from the end of line station. The ride up is a great opportunity to use the straphanger bars for a needed pre-round stretch routine (the train should be lightly populated at that time of day)

VanCortlandt sports 2 big apple sized par 5's, the 625 yard #2, and the 605 yard #12. You will be playing in the footsteps of countless celebs and luminaries including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis, Rudy Giuliani, and . . .wait for it . . . . the Three Stooges made Van Cortlandt their preferred golf course back in the day. Look at the grouse indeed!

Step 4: You’re heading to BethPage Black!
Now the sizzle on top of the steak: We make this best ever, single day, mega public golf experience of all time :) by having a pickup arranged and then heading immediately out to the absolute mecca of US public golf 45-55 minutes away in Long Island: Bethpage State Park. Play your afternoon 18 on the legendary Black Course, host of 2 US Opens and a scary sign at #1 tee:)

The Black Course is one of the best courses on the planet and is a very tough challenge to put up a great score. You need to know that it is also a remarkably fun course to play no matter how you are scoring. It is that good and that beautiful. The Black is a very special course period. It has everything. It's wonders are better documented elsewhere by pro writers.

** Please do everyone and yourself a favor and make sure you rake your bunkers and fix ballmarks on the greens. Its the right thing to do everywhere but especially here.

As the Black is a long, hilly, walking only course, I'd recommend only doing 9 holes at Van Cortlandt. You'll be beat at the end of this epic day but you'll be smiling at that very best type of tiredness. (and the french dip on the back patio of BethPage's clubhouse is so frickin tasty).

Step 5: Back to Manhattan for a Night On The Town
The golf may be over , but the fun is still rolling. Scoot back to the city, have a shower and hit the town for a great meal and beyond. Anything you can imagine, you can do in Manhattan.

Every golf trip addict should have this day once in their life. It will be an experience that you and your pals will relive till your dying days . . . .or until you do it again.

Note: I honestly don't know anyone (including me) who has has done this yet. In fact, I'm the only guy I've ever heard talk about it. I'm plotting out my timing and crew now and will likely do this before end of year. Post 2 with pics will arrive here after that. Its the kind of day that is destined to turn into an annual event.