RayLo1

A classic Pete Craig Rochester-area golf course. Very scenic layout.
Under a new owner - a construction company CEO whose bio talks about quality and service to customers - but it doesn't show here.
The carts were just plain dirty! Mud on the floors and dirty cup/ball holders.
Range balls, some of them had bad serious flaws and a couple even had chunks taken out of the balls, and yet they were still put in the buckets. Didn't get our money's worth there.
The fairways and greens were mostly decent.
The tee boxes were awful - lots of old divot holes that were never filled in with sand/seed mix. This is about as basic as it gets when it comes to golf course management
It's worth playing once because it's a Pete Craig design. He is a local legend who was a self-trained golf course architect who designed some of the better public/private layouts in Monroe County!
Pete Craig courses: Blue Heron, Wildwood, Shadow lake, Salmon Creek, Mendon (front 9 formerly Green Hills) and Penfield Country Club among others.

I'm going to give Greystone an A- (minus).
This is one of the top public links-style courses in the Rochester area along with Ravenwood and Mill Creek.
Well-maintained and challenging.
Lots of different tee boxes to match your skill level.
Driving range hits slightly uphill.
But they don't give you the full golf outing experience. I'll explain.

We finished our round at 6:15 pm on a warm, sunny Sunday in early August - the middle of the summer, right? - and the bar was closed.
We were so disappointed!
And the back 9 behind us was full of players still out on the course.
I called later in the week and the restaurant manager said the bar closes at 5 or 5:30 - that's the way the owners want it.
Well, that's not good customer service is it?
It's a classy golf themed pub and they have a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the 18th green. And one of the fun things to do is sit outside with your drink and watch players in the fairway try to hit the green over a large pond in front.
So we had to drive almost 10 miles to the nearest town to quench our thirst because this course is out in the middle of nowhere.

The next Sunday we played an afternoon round at Ontario Golf Club which is about 30 min. from Rochester - and not much further than Greystone. It is under a new owner who BTW had just sponsored the Thunderbirds Air Show at the Rochester airport!
The clubhouse and bar have been refurbished. Their large outdoor patio overlooking the 18th green was humming with players like ourselves and dinner guests including several families. And THEY HAD LIVE MUSIC!
Our 4-some all agreed - they do it up right and it capped off a fun day!
The course at Ontario Golf Club is just as nice and well-maintained as Greystone, although it's a more traditional design - not links-style.
So if you look forward to the 19th hole after your weekend afternoon round - make sure the bar will be open!

Wildwood (originally Thunder Ridge) was designed by prolific local golf course architect Pete Craig (Blue Heron Hills, Country Club of Mendon, Old Hickory, Penfield Country Club, Salmon Creek, Shadow Lake, Twin Hills, Deerfield (with top local pro Bobby Hill, hence the original name Craig Hill).
It's frustrating hitting the ball 10-15 feet to the left of a center left pin and be off the green but this is what you get at Wildwood.
Much of the course drops down into a much lower level (which is wetter) and you may have to fight the bugs depending on the time of the year.
But all in all a decent challenge and well-maintained.
The par-3 17th is one of the prettiest holes you will see around Rochester. 201 yards from an elevated tee, surrounded by water (a creek) but there is a very generous landing area (fairway) in front that frames the hole.
Not a top notch public course but not a slouch either. Worth a visit especially in the fall BEFORE the leaves start falling.
One particular gripe - the range balls. There were some standard yellow range balls but mixed in with some old white scuds. How can you judge your shot with a ball that looks like it was new in 1960? Wildwood can and should do better.

Greystone is one of the top 2 or 3 public golf courses in the Rochester, NY area.
Great links layout. Fairways and greens in great shape.
BUT...
Today we were VERY disappointed with the condition of the tee boxes!
Sparse grass, broken tees lying all over the place (many more than can accumulate in one day), divots not filled in...in what looked like several days' worth because of the way they were in a line...every few feet away from each other from front to back on the tee box.
Doesn't anybody at on the greens staff see this...or care?
Eagle Vale, which costs a whole lot less to play, has better maintained tee boxes.
This was a $65 round so I expect the whole course to be in tip top condition.
Greystone failed in meeting that expectation.
It's the little things that make a first-class facility.
You would never see this at Ravenwood.

Hands down, the best public layout and best maintained golf course in the greater Rochester, NY area!
Tee boxes like carpet.
Beautifully maintained fairways.
Good sand in the bunkers.
Perfect greens - challenging - but not 'tricked up' in any way.
A 1st and 2nd cut of rough around the greens just like the pros see everyday. What I loved about this feature is that - if you landed on the green but the ball ran off a couple feet - you weren't penalized with 4" rough!
This extra commitment to a fine golfing experience is what sets Ravenwood apart, and why I think it is the only 5-star public golf course in this part of the state.
Pretty wide open on most holes. Not a lot of trees.
Clubhouse amenities at the 19th hole are lacking.
$45 was a senior rate.
Pricey during the summer months but I think you get your money's worth here.

I would have given this course 4 1/2 stars because a couple of its greens are severe. I would use the term 'tricked up' meaning you will never see this amount of undulation on any golf course the pros play.
Certainly not at famed Oak Hill East in Rochester, NY, site of the U.S. Open, PGA etc.
(Also, there is no 1st and 2nd cut of rough around the greens like there is at Ravenwood.)
The 5th green is the worst offender.
It makes me wonder - did they just give the guy on the bulldozer free rein when this course was built?
Pin positions are close to impossible.
The following is from the club's own website: "Architect Craig Schreiner shaped massive greens with multiple tiers and wild swinging breaks."
Wild indeed!
That said, this course has a lot to offer.
The view from the 5th tee is worth the price of admission!
The approach on the 18th over water to a shared green (with the 9th hole) is both stunning and terrifying at the same time.
In the clubhouse, the 19th hole is designed in the manner of a Scottish pub. You can have lunch or dinner here. Very nice!
There is also a large outdoor patio overlooking the signature 18th hole.
The $40 rate was fall/weekend afternoon.
Summer weekend rate is $65 before Noon.
If I had to pick the top public courses to play in the Rochester, NY area, I would rate them:
1. Ravenwood
2. Greystone
3. Blue Heron
4. Mill Creek

This used to be Marvin's golf club.
But time has taken its toll leaving the clubhouse/grounds with a dilapidated appearance.
What appeared to be a former swimming pool is covered in weeds and surrounded by a fence that has seen its better days.
Weeds also filled the flower beds.
Pro shop is minimal.
Bought a bucket of balls for the driving range.
They are not yellow range balls but rather white discards (various 2nd tier brand names) and at least half were caked with dirt.
When I asked if they could be at least cleaned, the man in the pro shop said they didn't have a machine to clean them. I wanted to say 'Well, how about having someone at least get a wet rag on them?'
What's the point of hitting mud covered range balls?
The driving range was equally unkempt, long grass and not manicured at all.
Now the course itself was in decent shape.
Probably the best part of the experience were the greens. Really decent.
The layout is fairly short even from the back (blue) tees - 6,200 yards
And some of the tee shots had large trees in strategic places that made it challenging from the back tees.
One par 3 on the back 9 had a large tree that blocked a good part of the green!
And some holes were interesting on this mostly flat layout.
Carts are gas which means a noisy ride.
All in all, OK for the price but they need to get their act together and present at least a professional golf experience, from the overall appearance to the driving range.
I'm giving this course a 'C'.

Some might call this a hidden gem as the course is some distance from downtown.
The word 'hidden' takes on another meaning here.
There are some holes where the greens are totally hidden - that is - not only can't you see the green on your approach shot - you can't even see the flag!
Hole 18 is a perfect example.
It's a totally blind shot from the fairway because you're hitting over a big hill to a green and flag you can't see. So it's really guesswork on the approach.
It's kind of unfair not to be able to see your target especially when it's the green.

Some of the holes on the front nine are just average, and you've got noise from the NYS Thruway only a couple hundred yards away.
Note that the 9th hole is a very steep uphill par 3, and they changed the 10th hole from a par 4 to a par 3 to speed up play - it had been a 'blind' down hill tee shot as a par 4.
So unusual to have two par 3's back to back.
Number 11 is straight uphill!

The sand traps were most disappointing. Some had stones the size of nickels (why weren't they raked out?). Also, some traps had almost no sand so the ball was sitting on hardpan.
This is the main reason I am not giving this course 5 stars. You can't say it's one of the best courses around with conditions like that.

All this said, the layout has some beautiful holes and the course is worth playing at least once.
Maybe a second time in the fall when the leaves are changing.

There is a grass driving range (unfortunately, you hit downhill) and there are two practice greens.

M-F rate in summer is $39 - $49 on weekends before noon - less if you're a senior.

Mill Creek does have a stunning view of the Rochester skyline and Bristol Hills from the clubhouse and it bills itself as the highest part of Monroe County. But that cuts both ways. A nice view - but this is what makes the course so hilly in places!
Also, there are hills to climb from greens to the cart path and the next tee, so older folks may find it tough on the legs over the full 18 holes even with a cart.

Bottom line: I would rate this course one notch below the top tier public golf courses in the
Rochester area - Ravenwood and Greystone. But then, they are more expensive to play.