Montauk Downs has been consistently rated as one of America's top public golf courses. In 2009, it was ranked second overall in the Golf World list of Reader's Choice Awards for overall value, behind the Bethpage Black Course, and ranked 38th overall in Golfweek's list of the Best Municipal Courses.[7][8] Before the advent of the current telephone reservation system, some golfers would sleep in their cars overnight to get morning tee times at Montauk Downs, particularly on weekends during the summer.