The people and the experts have spoken. Buffalos best 100 golf holes have been selected for 2025. No doubt, there would have been one or two from the recently-announced, rebirth of Willowdale Park (nee Westwood Country Club) but those will wait for another list.
Over the winter, BuffaloGolfer asked its followers to nominate and vote for the best ten holes in the area. We did the heavy lifting, by tabulating those votes and selecting Buffalo’s best ten golf holes. You’ll have to wait for them, as they will be final decade released in this series.
Once we completed that arduous task, we set to selecting the “other” ninety holes that would populate our list. We ranged from Batavia to the Niagara river, from the Pennsylvania border to the shores of Lake Ontario. No doubt, we missed some. No doubt, we might have those who disagree. That’s all right. We understand.
We also recognize that some courses are simply great, much greater than others. On any given day, one could populate an entire, top 100 holes, from seven of our area clubs and courses. That was not our goal. Instead, we hoped to share the wealth and spread the recognition. Over forty courses and clubs list at least one hole in our top 100. That’s an achievement in itself.
We begin with hole 91-100. Some hale from courses you’ve not played, nor even heard of. Time to get out this summer, and experience more of what WNY golf has to offer. In no particular order, here are the Tenth Ten of BuffaloGolfer’s best 100 golf holes in Buffalo-Niagara.
Chautauqua Hill, Number 14
The 14th hole at Chautauqua Golf Club’s Hill course descends from a ledge, to the fairway, then climbs upward to a second ledge. The green rests atop that ledge, and is neither easy to hold nor putt. 14 is the transition to the back nine’s higher ground, and is the apex of the hill that gives the course its name.
Tri-County, Number 2
The second hole at Tri-County, in Forestville, is an enhanced par four. Back some 10-15 years, a dent was made in the forest, and the new tee decks were established. The hole went from being an awkward, two-shot affair, to a heroic, three-shot number. The pitch over the water is the first of three consecutive to open the round. The drop-shot third and crazy-arse fourth make the remaining 14 holes appear tame in comparison, but they ain’t.
Dande Farms, Number 15
The 15th at Dande Farms appeared in a Buffalo News (or maybe it was Courier-Express) best holes, back in the 1980s. That was before a number of our finest, public-access courses appeared on the scene. Forty years later, the 15th still stands out as a tremendous hole. Tee down to the fairway, then rise up a bit to the green. It’s the finest hole on the area’s only, bunkerless golf course. No one ever said “I learned the sand game at Dande.”
Chestnut Hill, Number 13
The lucky 13th at Chestnut Hill features the best green site on the course. The putting surface sits benched into the hill that rises adjacent to the train tracks that serve as the course’s southern boundry. Like many holes in the Tenth Ten, 13 at Chestnut Hill is not long, but it demands strategy. Get your drive into the fairway, and you won’t hit the slope that fronts the green. Any play into the rough off the deck, brings the rise into consideration.
Grover Cleveland, Number 17
Mo’ Golf has said for years that the 6th at the new CCB, is modeled on the 17th at the old CCB. Any time that the Erie County Amateur comes to Grover, the 17th figures in the outcome. There are 2.5 levels to the putting surface, and it rises from the meadow, helpless against the winds of west Buffalo.
St. Bonaventure University, Number 7
The seventh at Bonas elicited the first customer reaction of the series. “The 7th at Bona’s still give me nightmares. Haven’t played it since undergrad,” wrote @mcdonart22 on Instagram. The hole slides up and to the right, with a 90-degree creek protecting the first part of the bend. Drive through the bend and you find a pond. Safely locate the fairway and uphill goes your approach.
Shelridge, Number 13
Another lucky hole with an unlucky number, another hole with a railway for a southern border. Medina’s representative in the Tenth Ten is a long five that bends gently left, then caroms back to the right, over a pond. The greens at Shelridge are known for their domed nature, and thirteen offers the same challenge to the wedge and the flat stick.
South Park, Number 4
You don’t forget the shot over the lake at South Park. Your knees won’t let you. It can be a long play across the western finger of Lake Carroll (until someone else sets the course record) and if the wind is up, a safe landing is all that you desire. The green is sizable, but the shoreline angles to the left, confusing the senses. South Park is not a long course, so holes like four are the ones that wreck a round.
Deerwood, Number 21
It was easiest to list the 27-hole properties (Deerwood, Terry Hills) as contiguous, rather than broken, nines. Ergo, twenty-seven holes at Deerwood. The 21st is the third hole on the newest nine, the Fawn, designed and built by Scott Witter. 21 is a wee pitch to a promontory green, and comes on the heels of a reachable five and a stout four. You might be in great shape at this point, or looking to save a shot. With water left and long, and a pair of bunkers serving to protect, number 21 offers myriad outcomes to you.
Delaware Park, Number 1
The first at the Meadow is a stout par five hole. Forget the soccer fields on the right, and the big tree on the left. Rip your driver down to the right flat, and avoid the massive oak that guards the left side. Truthfully, you can bend shots around or under the great beast, but why mess with it? Second shot rises toward the green, that sits sloped toward the northern portion of the course. The par five used to show up on the scorecard as hole ten, but it’s way better as the opening salvo of a historic course.
