Week two of our July trip to New York was all about Donald Ross. I am on a quest to play every course that Donald Ross worked on in his life and western New York was one area where I could tick off several new to me Ross courses. Ross courses weren't the only highlight of the trip as we discovered a couple wonderful Walter Travis courses, and one of Robert Trent Jones' best designs.
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| CC of Rochester, a Donald Ross classic |
*Note-This write up focuses on the highlights of this trip and doesn't cover every single course played or day of the trip. You will notice many extra courses in the scorecard and flag pictures.
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| Soaring Eagles Golf Club was a lovely course, but it didn't make the trip writeup. |
Day one of the trip began in the mountains of New York. We began in the town of Palenville for a round at the nine hole Ross designed Rip Van Winkle Country Club. Built in 1919, this course is on pretty flat ground at the foothills of the Catskill mountains. |
| Rip Van Winkle Country Club, Par four 2nd hole |
Nine hole Ross courses would be the theme of day one as we headed several hours north into the mountains for our next round. The Town of Schroon Lake golf course is a 1917 Ross design that moves perfectly up and down a very severe piece of property. As usual, Ross was the master of knowing how to route a course to make every hole shine. |
| Town of Schroon Lake Golf Course, Par four 4th hole |
We drove deeper into the Adirondacks for our last nine hole Ross course on day one. Lake Pleasant Golf Course is a 1922 design where the clubhouse sits on the highest point and the mostly flat course is laid out in the valley below. |
| Lake Pleasant Golf Course, Par three 4th hole |
Day two of our Ross themed trip began in the mountains at Thendera Golf Club. Thendera was a nine hole Ross course for many years until the back nine was added about thirty years ago. I played the Ross front nine and was very impressed. The opening hole is one of the best in New York and the course has been well preserved over the years. |
| Thendera Golf Club, Par four 1st hole |
The biggest surprise of the trip was next up on day two. Surprisingly, it wasn't a Ross course that really surprised me on this leg of the trip. Yahnundasis Golf Club in New Hartford, New York was designed by Walter Travis. Travis is the most underrated architect in golf in my opinion. His designs tend to more quirky and fun than most, and as such aren't as well preserved over time. Yahnundasis has some amazing Travis greens and some wonderful blind shots that he is also known for. |
| Yahnundasis, Par five 6th hole |
The final course I played on day two was a Ross course in Syracuse called Bellevue. As always, the routing is wonderful. It works its way up and down the hills and valleys to perfection, creating a fantastic mix of holes. |
| Bellevue Country Club, Par three 15th green with Par four 16th hole in background |
Day three of the trip was the only day I didn't play multiple Ross courses. I began the day at Conklin Players Club in Conklin, New York which is a 1991 design by architect Richard Rickard. The players club name means that the course was designed for good players and requires an aerial game to score well. |
| Conklin Players Club, Par three 7th hole |
The second course on day three was The Links at Hiawatha Landing. Boston area architect Brian Silva designed Hiawatha and it opened in 1994. The front nine is more in the trees, and the back nine plays more links style. |
| The Links at Hiawatha Landing, Par three 13th hole |
The final course on day three was a very enjoyable public Ross course called Mark Twain in Elmira, New York. The routing, as always, is marvelous. The greens have shrunk over time, and a proper restoration would unlock the great potential in this design. As it presents now, it is still a very lovely design with great Ross bones. |
| Mark Twain Golf Club, Par four 1st hole |
The Ross experience began early on day four at Teugega Country Club in Rome, New York. This 1921 Ross design has some standout holes like the par three 7th, and the punchbowl like 11th hole. The greens, as always, are the star of the show! |
| Teugega Country Club, Par three 7th hole |
We took a break from the Ross theme for the second course on day four. Onondaga Country Club is a Walter Travis design, and just like the Travis course I played on day two, it is full of character and quirk.  |
| Onondaga Country Club, Par three 5th hole |
The biggest Ross surprise of the week was up next on day four. The Country Club of Rochester is a 1913 Ross design that he returned to refine in 1931. Mother nature did me a favor on this day, as our hour plus drive to the course was in hard rain, but once we arrived the rain stopped, the skies cleared, and I was able to get out in front of all the groups waiting for the rain to stop. It's rare I can tee off on a great course at three o'clock in the afternoon and feel like I have the course to myself!  |
| CC of Rochester, the brilliant Par five 15th hole |
I've obviously played a lot of Ross courses, so it's rare when I play one where I say, "Wow!" but that's what I said when playing CC of Rochester. It just had that amazing mix of fun, variety, and challenge that made it one of the best Ross courses I've played in awhile. I think the course gets overshadowed by the very high profile Ross designed Oak Hill East course, which is only a few miles away and has hosted many major championships. |
| Country Club of Rochester, Par four 8th hole |
Day five began in Rochester at the Ross designed Brook Lea Country Club. The course just completed a bunker renovation and has a large statue of Donald Ross behind the 9th hole. A unique aspect to the routing of this course is that both 9 and 18 are par 3's. |
| Brook Lea Country Club, Par three 18th hole |
I headed to Buffalo after my round at Brook Lea. The next course up on day five was Grover Cleveland Golf Course, which was the original Country Club of Buffalo and hosted the 1912 US Open. Donald Ross redesigned the course in 1917 and four of his green complexes, current holes 3, 14, 17, and 18, have survived. The Ross greens are very obvious, as they are the largest and most undulating on the course.
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| Grover Cleveland Golf Course, Par three 3rd hole. One of 4 surviving Ross greens |
My experiences with Donald Ross designs ended with Grover Cleveland. My final stop on day five was the Charles Alison designed Park Country Club in the Buffalo suburb of Williamsville, New York. Alison is known for his big greens and bold bunkering and Park is a great example of both of these design characteristics. |
| Park Country Club, Par three 5th hole |
The final day of the trip I headed just south of Buffalo to the town of Aurora for a round at the Robert Trent Jones designed Crag Burn Golf Club. I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of RTJ designs, but I was pleasantly surprised by Crag Burn. The course plays in the trees for most of the front nine before becoming a links style course beginning on the 8th hole.  |
| Crag Burn Golf Club, Par three 17th hole |
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