Montauk Downs State Park

About Montauk Downs State Park

Montauk Downs sits near the eastern tip of the South Fork, about a mile from the hamlet. State Parks sums up how it plays in one line: the wind off the ocean and the bay changes the course from one day to the next. The greens are mostly small, so approaches over bunkers need to be precise. Map data counts five holes with water in play, four forced carries, 84 bunkers and trees along 14 of the 18. Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

The course goes back to 1927, when Carl Fisher built a private course here as part of his plan to turn Montauk into the "Miami of the North." Fisher lost his fortune in the 1929 crash. Private investors took it over in 1966 as the Montauk Golf and Racquet Club, and Robert Trent Jones Sr. redesigned it in 1968 with help from his son Rees. The pyramid-shaped clubhouse dates from that club.

State Parks bought it in 1980. Rees Jones came back in 2002 and has reworked holes a few at a time: tees moved back, bunkers rebuilt, new irrigation. In 2009 Golf World readers ranked it second in the country for value, behind Bethpage Black, and Golfweek put it 38th on its Best Municipal Courses list. Before phone reservations, some golfers slept in their cars to get weekend morning times.

The routing has moved too. In Jones's original layout the round opened on what is now the 4th, a rough par 4 with a narrow green that falls away on every side, and today's 3rd, a downhill par 4 back toward the clubhouse, was the 9th. The staff tried a reversed front nine late in 1982, found it cut about 30 minutes off a round, and kept it from 1983. So now you warm up on a loop up the hill and back, walk through the range to the 4th, and meet the pond-carry hole, the old 4th, at the 7th.

It's one of 46 courses Yoink watches in the Long Island area, and the closest alternative is Poxabogue Golf Center, about 19 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play Montauk Downs State Park

You'll carry water off the tee or into the green on 4 holes. There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 61 feet from tee to green. It's a sand-heavy layout, with about 84 bunkers.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at Montauk Downs State Park

Register first at parks.ny.gov/golf, then book online or through the reservation line at 347-921-9324 with the access number you're given. On the 2026 rate sheet, New York State residents pay $48 for 18 on weekdays and $53 on weekends; non-residents pay $95 and $106. It's open daily year round, weather permitting, and it's soft spikes only.

Booking window and green fees at Montauk Downs State Park

Booking window. On the online tee sheet Yoink reads, each new day's tee times appear 5 days ahead around 7 pm. That held on 15 of the 15 new days we tracked (Sep 14 to 29, 2026). Residents, members or cardholders may be able to book earlier, so check the course's own policy.

Green fees. For 18 holes, most tee times on the booking page were listed at $62 to $111, and the middle price was $100. That's from 733 tee times dated Sep 13 to Oct 3, 2026. Prices change with the season, the day and the time, and can differ for residents. Whether a cart is included depends on the course.

How to get a tee time at Montauk Downs State Park