Finger Lakes Region
Golf
To say this is the Best Golf region in the entire U.S. is not at all an exaggeration. Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?
20 - Major PGA and LPGA Events including: 3-U.S. Opens, 3-PGA Championships, 1-Ryder Cup, 4-LPGA Championships, 1-Senior PGA Championship. 4 - Different Country Clubs have hosted a professional tournament. Walter Hagen, Robert Trent Jones, Jeff Sluman, Terry Diehl, Calvan Peete, Danille Downey, and current PGA golfer Dominic Bozzelli have Rochester roots. 96 - Courses are in the area including the world famous Oak Hill Country Club which has held 12 major PGA Events. Oak Hill is the only Country Club in the U.S. that has hosted the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, the Senior PGA Championship, the Senior U.S. Open, and the Ryder Cup.
You won’t be able to play Oak Hill, Monroe, or Country Club of Rochester any time soon unless you are friends with a member, but there are many great Public Courses that you can play all summer long. And unlike places like Florida or Arizona, most courses cost less than $30 to play 18 and none are over $65. Here are the Best Public Courses in the FLX Region…
Greystone Golf Course - Walworth
This is the most immaculately groomed public course in the area. It has a feel more like one of Rochester’s $30,000 a year membership country clubs than a $44 for 18 course. Stoney’s Pub and Restaurant is a great place to unwind over an adult beverage while you scheme about how you could have shot 6 strokes better. Our only issue with this course is that there are about 5 recessed tee boxes that give you a blind shot to the fairway. Since it is a links course and there is heather in the rough on many holes, you better have at least 10 balls in your bag if you have a tendency to slice off the tee!
Course Stats - Par: 72, Blue Tee Slope: 131, Blue Tee Yardage: 6594 yards
Cost - Summer Weekday - $44 Walk, $53 Ride, Weekend - $68 Ride Only
Food/Drink - Available at Stoney’s Pub
Website - www.greystonelinks.com/
Ravenwood Golf Course -Victor
This immaculately maintained course has only been on the golf scene since 2003, but it is the best public course in the area. It is a links style course with a lot of hills that make it very challenging, but even a low 50’s for 9 holes golfer can enjoy the course without throwing clubs or wanting to quit the game after 6 holes.
Course Stats - Par: 72, Blue Tee Slope: 126, Blue Tee Yardage: 6190 yards
Cost - Summer Weekday - $55 Walk, $65 Ride, Weekend - $65 Walk, $75 Ride
Food/Drink - Available at Restaurant and bar
Website - www.ravenwoodgolf.com
Mill Creek Golf Club - Churchville
We love playing this course. The clubhouse is at that highest point in the area so you can see for miles and the course layout is challenging, but incredibly unique. Hole #9 is a 160 yard par 3 that should be pretty easy except for the fact that the green is about 80 feet above the tee. But don’t worry, hole 10’s green is over 100 feet below the tee.
Course Stats - Par: 72, Blue Tee Slope: 131, Blue Tee Yardage: 6535 yards
Cost - Summer Weekday - $33 Walk, $40 Ride, Weekend - $38 Walk, $50 Ride
Food/Drink - Available at Tavern and restaurant
Website - www.millcreekgolf.com
Wayne Hills Country Club - Lyons
Most people from the Finger Lakes haven’t heard of this golf course, but do yourself a favor and take a trek out to Lyons and play it. It has some unique and beautiful holes and it is incredibly well maintained.
Course Stats - Par: 72, Blue Tee Slope: 129, Blue Tee Yardage: 6629 yards
Cost - Weekday - $37 Ride Only, Weekend - $40 Ride Only
Food/Drink - Available at The Clubhouse and Restaurant
Website - www.waynehillscc.com
Deerfield Country Club - Brockport
Since new owners took over the course in 2015, the facilities and the 27 holes have both seen some major improvements. The clubhouse is a major events center with some “Kodak moment” photo spots for wedding receptions and parties, but more importantly, the course has received a facelift and improved irrigation to keep it lush in case of a dry Rochester summer. All three of the 9 hole settings have a unique feel to them. The East is the shortest and easiest with less hazards to blow up your round. The South is a bit tighter and has more water and hazards to get you into trouble, and the North, well, add a few strokes to your usual score because it has a lot of holes that can turn into blow-ups pretty easily. All-in-all, it is a fun course that is reasonably priced and the 19th hole at the Clubhouse is a great place to talk a better game than you shot on the course.
Course Stats (North/South Courses) - Par: 72, Blue Tee Slope: 138, Blue Tee Yardage: 6736 yards
Cost - Summer Weekday - $29 Walk, $39 Ride, Weekend - $39 Walk, $49 Ride
Food/Drink - Available at the Clubhouse and Centerpost Grill
Website - www.deerfieldcc.com/