CDHICKEY21

The course was challenging but not without options, and it had some interesting architectural features. Would recommend if you are in the area.

Timber Ridge was in fantastic shape when we played it. The course is definitely shorter, but the greens are its main defense. The greens are crowned, and you really need to know where to miss it. Definitely recommend giving Timber Ridge a try.

The Links at Ivy Ridge is my definitely my new favorite public access course in the Buffalo area. Course was in great shape, and the layout was interesting. Will definitely be back.

You never know what to expect when heading to a new golf course, especially in a smaller town like Randolph, NY. They are absolutely crushing it at Cardinal Hills. The course layout is very interesting, especially on the front 9. The course conditions were solid, but some of the greens had issues with unfixed divots. When you add in that the cost was $32 for 18 and a cart… I definitely recommend it.

Played Glen Oak on a Saturday afternoon and had a great experience. Weather was perfect, pace of play was really good. Cannot wait to come back and play again.

The area has been getting some rain lately, so the course definitely played soft.

The greens are in great shape, and definitely the best part of the round.

The fairways are in good shape, but the trees are starting to make them very narrow. This course has a ton of trees, they could probably take down 1,000 trees and it would still have a ton.

The tee boxes are really beat up, and on many it’s hard to find grass to hit off. Tree removal would likely help getting some grass to grow on these.

The bunks are absolutely awful, and they should really just get rid of them. They do not take care of them and most don’t drain. One picture I posted shows the golf ball sized rocks scattered all over. The second picture shows a bunker that was a pond. This is not due to the recent rain either… the bunker had dozens of tadpoles growing up in it!! They will likely be frogs before it ever dries up.

We paid $47.00 on a Sunday morning, and overall I do not think you are getting much for your money. This is probably why they had last minute tee times on a Sunday morning.

Shadow Lake is expensive ($60 on weekends) for what you get, (a flat golf course with a basic layout), but it still gets a ton of play due to location and its usual good conditions. This year it seems like things are starting to fall apart a bit. They are taking down a ton of trees and stump grinding right now, so I am not sure if maybe that is where all of the maintenance budget is going? I really hope the staff can get the course back in shape, because its trending closer to Genesee Valley ($33 max), then a premium course like Greystone ($73 max).

• Tee Boxes are beat up but the place gets a ton of play so that is not surprising. They do move them around, so not much they can do here.
• Fairways are in good shape, nothing negative to say here.
• Rough, which they seem to be letting grow out more and more, is full of weeds and little white flowers. Also full of holes from recent stump grinding. They have also stopped mowing under a majority of the trees.
• Greens are seemingly being lost one at a time, with the worst offender right now being the second hole. More than half of Green #2 is completely burned out and many spots are right down to dirt. A few other holes are right behind it. We have had a drier than normal start to June, but if you want to charge a premium, you have to water the greens. Not sure when they can get these back.

Blue Heron is a solid golf course, with an interesting and challenging layout. After being there on Saturday, I am a little bit concerned about their future. The fairways and greens were mostly in good shape, and in-line with their current price point. The bunkers were low on sand and very compacted, maybe somewhat due to recent rain. The cart paths were in really bad shape, and should be fixed up if they want to keep charging $65.00 per round. The course also got a decent amount of rain the night before, and the fairways were starting get beat up, due to there being no restrictions on location you could drive. If they want to charge similar prices to Greystone, Deerfield and Ravenwood, some changes may need to occur.

Yale is the kind of golf course that has to be seen to be believed. As you pull up to the course, the size of the place is a bit overwhelming. The pro shop is somewhat modest in size, but perhaps that will change will upcoming renovations. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, especially the GM, Peter who made a couple of random out-of-towners feel like important guests. The course layout is special, and extremely interesting. There are elevation changes, forced carries, blind shots, undulating greens, it has it all. Yale is shutting down in the fall of 2023, and will remain closed for 2 years while they put $30 million into the place, including a renovation by Gil Hanse. Cannot wait to see it again in a few years.

Keney Park is a fantastic golf course, and shocking when you consider it’s a municipal course. They put good money into the place and it shows. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

Dauphin Highlands is a very fun and interesting course. It’s not easy with all of the elevation changes, but there is room out there to hit your drives, and not a ton of trouble. We did play at 10:00 on Saturday so it played a bit slow (5:03), and that may get worse as things heat up weather wise.

This course has everything you are looking for in a top end public course. Well maintained and interesting layout, with nice practice facilitates, a full pro shop and nice restaurant. The staff was helpful and welcoming, especially in the restaurant, where we had lunch after our round. Two recommendations…. Bring a few extra golf balls, and an extra layer if it’s cold. There are plenty of spots to lose a ball if you aren’t in control, and with the wind whipping it’s colder there than expected.

Played Green Lakes in 2021 for the first time, headed back in October of 2022 and the course was as good as I remembered. A real hidden gem in CNY.

The course website mentions that it is playable for the beginner and offers a challenge to the lower handicap, and that is exactly what I found. I cannot wait to get back out and play this course for a second time, now that I have seen a few of the blind shots.

The staff in the pro shop were very welcoming and helpful. I really like the SFCC logo, so I also picked up some cool merch.

The municipal golf courses in my area definitely do not look like this. The course was in great shape, and the layout was thought provoking and challenging. If I am back in the Boston area, I will absolutely be playing here again.

Seven Oaks has recently gone under some major renovations, and I cant wait to return to play the course after those updates have settled in. Some of the greens were just opening back up, and were not perfect, thus the 4-star condition rating.

Clubhouse was also recently updated, the Pro Shop and Restaurant were fantastic.

This course is fantastic and only getting better. Seven Oaks has been undergoing renovations, and I cannot wait to see the finished product. Two of the greens are still showing signs of those renovations. The day we played was the first day that the green on hole #1 was open, and it was a bit bumpy. The guys in the pro shop were great, and talked us through all of it. On top of all the course renovations, they also added a brand new putting green and clubhouse. The clubhouse had a fully stocked pro shop, and a wonderful restaurant.

Really enjoyed my round at Center Pointe Golf Club. Course was very well maintained, and the greens were extremely pure. Seems like they have been updating the bunkers, front 9 was done but back 9 had a few that had old sand still. Would definitely recommend. Grass driving range and nice practice area as well.

It appears that Mill Creek has fallen on hard times. I play this course a few times a year and unfortunately this will likely be my last for a while. It seems like they have given up on taking care of the course. The fairway on #8 had large patches of un mowed grass. How can you have 5” tall grass in patches on the middle of the fairways? It was not wet at all, and has not rained much lately so that excuse is out. All over the course it just appears they have given up. It was disheartening to see a course that was always fun to play, start to fall apart. Save your money and head elsewhere.