Golf!
When in Rochester,
"G" is for Golf!
If golf is your passion,
Rochester, N.Y., is un-fore-gettable!
Rochester and the sport of golf have a long and exciting relationship: a love affair that started in 1895, when the city's first private golf course appeared as the Country Club of Rochester. It was quickly followed in 1899 by one of the first public courses in America at Genesee Valley Park. With accolades from both golfing pros and weekend putters, today's Rochester is a prime destination for those who enjoy playing or just watching, and its courses are ranked in the top 10 of "America's 100 Greatest Courses" by Golf Magazine.
Playing golf is even a favorite fundraising activity with charitable golf outings every Monday on dozens of courses from May through September! And when the pros come by to play, volunteers by the thousands make sure each tournament runs perfectly.
THE COURSES
As one of the premier golf cities in the United States, Rochester is said to have more golf holes per capita than any other northeastern city in America; and within the Greater Rochester area, more rounds of golf are played per capita than in many cities twice its size. But the most telling statistic about the depth of devotion Rochesterians have for "their game" is the impressive number of courses:
82 in and around Rochester (within a 45-minute drive), including 20 private country clubs, 35 semi-private clubs and 27 public/resort courses - many of them designed by the world's most famous golf architects!
Ranging from exclusive private clubs and popular executive-length courses to well-designed semiprivate clubs and heavily-played municipal holes, golfers in Rochester have enough options to play twice a week from spring through fall... and never walk the same course twice! One of the newest courses is Ravenwood Golf Club: an upscale, semiprivate facility featuring a large driving range and seven target greens in addition to its challenging 18-hole course, made playable for golfers at all levels with five sets of tees.
One of the oldest Rochester courses is at Durand-Eastman Park, which opened its first nine holes in 1917 and added another nine in 1934. Churchville Park offers one 18-hole course and one 9-hole course, while Genesee Valley Park boasts two 18-hole courses. All three parks provide a club house, pro shop and food concession area; and all are blessed with naturally beautiful settings.
THE TOURNAMENTS
The roster of professional tournaments played in Rochester is truly remarkable. Since 1977, the world's best women golfers have competed in Rochester's LPGA tournament at Locust Hill Country Club. This annual event in June, now the Wegmans LPGA, is famous for both the challenge of the course and the enthusiasm of fans. Rochester's galleries are consistently among the largest on the LPGA tour, leading Annika Sorenstam to say that only the Ladies' Open Championship can rival the size of the Locust Hill galleries. In addition to the annual LPGA tournament, three U.S. Open Women's tournaments have been played at the Country Club of Rochester in 1953, 1962 and 1973.
In August, "stars of tomorrow" display their prowess during the Xerox Classic Nationwide PGA Tour at Irondequoit Country Club. And Eastman Kodak Company, with its world headquarters in "golf-crazy" Rochester, recently announced a new golfing competition with a $1 million prize: the Kodak Challenge with sponsored holes at various PGA tournaments in 2009.
And as of June 2008, Rochester stands alone as home to the only golf course in America to have hosted all six of the major men's championships that move around the country-Oak Hill County Club!
1. U.S. Amateur Championship, 1949 and 1998
2. U.S. Open Men's Championship, 1956, 1968, 1989
3. PGA Championship, 1980, 2003 (coming again in 2013)
4. U.S. Senior Open, 1984
5. Ryder Cup, 1995
6. Senior PGA Championship, 2008
THE ARCHITECTS
Well-established as one of the best in the world, Oak Hill's East Course was originally designed in 1926 by Scotsman Donald Ross, one of the most famous golf architects of all time. Incredibly beautiful as well as incredibly challenging, Tiger Woods played Oak Hill East during the 2003 PGA Championship and said, "It's the hardest, fairest golf course we have ever played."
Ross initially designed both the East and West courses at Oak Hill in 1924, although portions of the famed East Course were later redesigned by other noted architects, including Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye. Ross also built the courses at Monroe and Brook-Lea country clubs, designed nine holes at Irondequoit Country Club and did some redesign work at the Country Club of Rochester.
Native son Robert Trent Jones, born in East Rochester, was a prolific designer who created hundreds of golf courses throughout the world, but his earliest efforts were on home turf. Eventually known as the "father of modern golf-course architecture," the first Jones-designed course is Midvale Golf and Country Club in Rochester. He also designed the course at Bristol Harbour and redesigned the second nine holes at Durand-Eastman Park as well as refining the original Ross designs at Oak Hill and the Country Club of Rochester
THE PLAYERS
Great tournaments and excellent courses aren't Rochester's only claims to golfing excellence and prestige, however. Through the years, Rochester has produced a number of well-known professional golfers who helped put this city on the road to golfing fame, none more flamboyant than Walter Hagen. Born in Rochester, Hagen won 11 major international titles during his career and was captain of America's first five Ryder Cup teams as well as one of the players. Known for his swashbuckling style of play, he is also credited with changing golf attire because of his own preference for wearing slacks rather than knickers. Hagen became something of a "legend" during his own lifetime; and in 1974, his copious contributions to the game were recognized when he became one of the first people inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in Pinehurst, N.C.
After Hagen, the next Rochester golfer to win a major men's tournament was Jeff Sluman, who took home his first PGA trophy in 1988 but is still waiting for the thrill of winning in front of hometown fans. Although he shot his way to the top of the leader board for the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2008, he was four strokes over the score of winning player Jay Haas, whose 7-over-par win was the highest ever for this tournament, and further proof of the challenge posed by Oak Hill's East Course.
Over the years, many of the greatest golfers in the U.S. have played in Rochester, including Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Nancy Lopez, Kathy Whitworth, Sam Sneed, Ben Hogan, Annika Sorenstam, and Tiger Woods. Rochester seems to have made a big impression on each of them. In his 1992 television special on "America's Toughest 18 Holes in Golf," Jack Nicklaus included Oak Hill's "notorious" 13th hole of the East Course, which he described as a demanding course having "devilishly subtle greens and splendid fairways."
THE FUN!
Yes, golf has been Rochester's sport since it was first introduced to America at the end of the 19th century; and 21st-century visitors get to enjoy the advantage of two centuries worth of development and growth! From terrific courses in stunning, natural settings to plenty of driving ranges for refining their swing...from ring-side seats at exciting professional tournaments to reasonably priced lessons with Rochester pros, those who love golf might agree that an appropriate nickname for Rochester is Golf Town, U.S.A.!
For golfers traveling with younger family members, Rochester has that covered, too. Among its many miniature golf courses is one on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places: Whispering Pines. Designed in 1929 by the late Robert J. Ocorr, Whispering Pines is now the oldest, unaltered miniature golf course in the country. And for those who want to give disk golf a spin, Rochester is ready with several popular courses in local parks. Known as a "hot spot" for this younger sport, when Rochester hosted the Professional Disc Golf Championship in 1999, nearly 400 players from 28 U.S. states and nine other countries converged in this multifaceted golfing city!
Looking to put some swing in your step? Why wait?
Head to Rochester, grab a club and play!
