Rochester, New York Golf Course Guide

April 8, 2014 | by

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.

Shadow Lake

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.

Durand- Eastman Park

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.

Blue Heron Hills

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

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.

Bristol Harbour

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.

Ravenwood Golf Club

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