The state Inspector General investigated allegations of bots taking tee times at Bethpage State Park’s golf courses.
Photo provided by Long Island CVB
State Inspector General Lucy Lang released a report on Friday, Oct. 24, stating there is no evidence to support allegations that bots are claiming tee times at Bethpage State Park Golf Course, putting humans at a disadvantage.
“The Inspector General’s investigation determined that bots are a serious issue at Bethpage State Park, but an issue that [the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation] is proactively addressing,” the eight-page report said.
In January, the state Inspector General’s office became aware of allegations, first mentioned on the “No Laying Up” podcast, claiming bots were being used to secure tee times on the golf course’s online reservation system, according to the report.
One Bethpage golfer appeared on the podcast, saying he had to purchase a tee time from a third party after the tee time he wanted was taken.
The investigation revealed that reservation manipulation through the use of bots is a “serious threat” to the integrity of booking systems of high-demand public golf courses, but the report said there was “no verifiable evidence” of bots claiming the tee times and reselling them.
“When bots beat out real-life New Yorkers for tee times, the spirit of communal access is lost, eroding public confidence in the integrity of New York’s public systems,” Lang said in a statement.
State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Acting Commissioner Kathy Moser shared a similar sentiment.
“Ensuring fair and affordable access to all New York State Parks is central to our mission,” she said.
Moser said the parks team has implemented multiple safeguards, including two-factor authentication and a $5 non-refundable booking fee, to protect reservations.
Limitations were added to Bethpage’s reservation process in June 2024, limiting golfers to making one reservation on the Black course every 28 days and one reservation per day on the Green, Blue, and Yellow courses.
Golfers are also limited to making one reservation on the Red course every 14 days.
The policy change limited golfers to eight cancellations per month. They were previously allowed to make an unlimited number of cancellations. That number was reduced to six earlier this year.
The report also recommended that the department utilize ID.me, an online identity verification system used by other state and federal government agencies, to combat fraud and reduce the number of cancellations allowed per month.
The recommendations also said the state department could limit the number of booking requests allowed from a single IP address or device within a set time frame, utilize device fingerprinting and prominently display the reservation system’s terms and conditions, which explicitly prohibit the use of automated tools or scripts to make reservations.
The report examined reservations from April 2024 to August 2024, revealing a high number of cancellations.
From April 2024 to August 2024, the report said approximately 105,000 reservations were made on Bethpage’s golf courses, 57,587 of which, or roughly 55%, were canceled. Sixteen thousand three hundred sixty-five reservations were specifically made for the Black course during that same period. 9,462 reservations, or 57.8%, were canceled.
The park’s Black Course has hosted multiple major tournaments, including the 2025 Ryder Cup in September, which pitted the best American and European golfers against each other for a three-day tournament.
