Rochester, New York Golf Course Guide
4/8/2014 | by
see also: Oak Hill Country Club - East Course, All Course Reviews
AmateurGolf.com Player Staff Member JP Kircher examines the golf offerings in Greater Rochester
Welcome to Rochester, New York, arguably
one of the
greatest golf towns in
the country.
Home to famed Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester has hosted the PGA Championship (3 times), U.S. Open (3 Times), a Ryder Cup, the U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur (2 times), and the U.S. Senior Open.
The region is also home to a major on the LPGA Tour – the Wegmans LPGA Championship, which is switching venues to Monroe Golf Club after being at nearby Locust Hill For years. Monroe has been host to the Monroe Invitational, a prestigious amateur event since 1937.
Rochester is also the home of the Country Club of Rochester, which is where Walter Hagen learned the game and resided as a pro, and Sam Urzetta (who won the 1950 US Amateur) would also call CCR home before becoming the club's longstanding pro.
Rochester is home to five Donald Ross- designed golf courses -- each very unique in its own way – and home to the first Robert Trent Jones designed course, Midvale Country Club.
All the courses mentioned above are some of
the
private gems that Rochester
has to offer, but there are also 64 public
courses in the
region. Chances are,
you are here for business and may find an
invitation to
one of these courses
very difficult. Or perhaps you are just looking
for some
fun around town and
switch up your normal course. Below you will
find my
guide to golf in
Rochester, New York:
Best Places to Play on a Budget:
Shadow Lake: Located right outside of Rochester, in Penfield, is an awesome gem called Shadow Lake. The course is very fair and playable with reachable par 5s and a downhill par 3 located on the course's signature pond. The 19th hole is arguably the best in Rochester.
Durand Eastman: A city-owned park course located on Lake Ontario, Durand has some fantastic terrain changes and offers great views. The course has some of the best holes in Rochester and is one of the older courses in Rochester with a very rich history.
Courses offering the Most Value:
Blue Heron Hills: A former private course, recently moved to semi-private about 25 minutes from downtown Rochester, this course meanders its way through marsh land offering some very challenging holes. A former host course for exhibition skins games which featured Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman, many different types of holes will test every club in your bag at Blue Heron Hills.
Mill Creek Golf Club: A newer course on the scene in Rochester, but you wouldn’t know it from playing it. The clubhouse sits on the tallest part of the property, offering some fantastic views of the farm -rich area. Golden fescue lines a lot of this course, giving some great links-style feels. Quite a few risk reward holes make this a very fun course, which consistently has some of the best greens of any course in Rochester.
Must Play Courses:
Bristol Harbour Golf Course: Located in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country, Bristol Harbour is a 1972 Robert Trent Jones design.
It's about a
45
minute drive from Rochester, but well worth it
once you
get there. Sitting
right next to Canandaigua Lake, you will have
some of
the greatest views in
the area. The course is challenging, especially
the
back nine. Don’t forget to
stay for dinner on the back porch and enjoy
breathtaking views of Canandaigua
Lake.
Ravenwood: Host to two New York State Amateurs, Ravenwood is a fantastic golf course located just south of Rochester in Victor. The course has a links-type design to it, with some great signature holes. The 3rd hole will make you feel like you are standing on 18 at TPC Sawgrass with a huge pond hugging the entire left side of the hole. Ravenwood was on the list for 2003 Best New Courses by Golf Digest.
Home to famed Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester has hosted the PGA Championship (3 times), U.S. Open (3 Times), a Ryder Cup, the U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur (2 times), and the U.S. Senior Open.
The region is also home to a major on the LPGA Tour – the Wegmans LPGA Championship, which is switching venues to Monroe Golf Club after being at nearby Locust Hill For years. Monroe has been host to the Monroe Invitational, a prestigious amateur event since 1937.
 |
Rochester is also the home of the Country Club of Rochester, which is where Walter Hagen learned the game and resided as a pro, and Sam Urzetta (who won the 1950 US Amateur) would also call CCR home before becoming the club's longstanding pro.
Rochester is home to five Donald Ross- designed golf courses -- each very unique in its own way – and home to the first Robert Trent Jones designed course, Midvale Country Club.
 |
Best Places to Play on a Budget:
Shadow Lake: Located right outside of Rochester, in Penfield, is an awesome gem called Shadow Lake. The course is very fair and playable with reachable par 5s and a downhill par 3 located on the course's signature pond. The 19th hole is arguably the best in Rochester.
|
Durand Eastman: A city-owned park course located on Lake Ontario, Durand has some fantastic terrain changes and offers great views. The course has some of the best holes in Rochester and is one of the older courses in Rochester with a very rich history.
Courses offering the Most Value:
Blue Heron Hills: A former private course, recently moved to semi-private about 25 minutes from downtown Rochester, this course meanders its way through marsh land offering some very challenging holes. A former host course for exhibition skins games which featured Jeff Sluman, Joey Sindelar, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman, many different types of holes will test every club in your bag at Blue Heron Hills.
 |
Mill Creek Golf Club: A newer course on the scene in Rochester, but you wouldn’t know it from playing it. The clubhouse sits on the tallest part of the property, offering some fantastic views of the farm -rich area. Golden fescue lines a lot of this course, giving some great links-style feels. Quite a few risk reward holes make this a very fun course, which consistently has some of the best greens of any course in Rochester.
Must Play Courses:
Bristol Harbour Golf Course: Located in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country, Bristol Harbour is a 1972 Robert Trent Jones design.
 |
Ravenwood: Host to two New York State Amateurs, Ravenwood is a fantastic golf course located just south of Rochester in Victor. The course has a links-type design to it, with some great signature holes. The 3rd hole will make you feel like you are standing on 18 at TPC Sawgrass with a huge pond hugging the entire left side of the hole. Ravenwood was on the list for 2003 Best New Courses by Golf Digest.
 |
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s originalLoading latest news...