New York
Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester Golf Courses & Tee Times
Western New York golf runs from the Niagara River to the Finger Lakes, with Buffalo and Rochester as the two anchors. Both cities have deep public-golf roots. Buffalo's Grover Cleveland course started as the Country Club of Buffalo, hosted the 1912 U.S. Open won by John McDermott, and was sold to the city in 1925. Rochester's Genesee Valley North course dates to 1899. The area's big-event golf is private: Oak Hill in Pittsford, a Donald Ross club, has held three U.S. Opens, four PGA Championships and the 1995 Ryder Cup. Monroe County's courses opened for 2026 on April 21 and run until early November as conditions allow.
Good weekend tee times in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 73 public courses here, from Buffalo, Spencerport, Victor, Fairport and Rochester, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Buffalo Tournament Club at 7,401 yards; there are 7 nine-hole courses.
Who runs public golf in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester
Around Buffalo, Erie County runs Grover Cleveland in the city and Elma Meadows, a 6,700-yard par 70 from 1959 along Buffalo Creek, and sells annual unlimited passes good through December 31. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy runs the city's park courses: 18 holes at Delaware Park and nines at Cazenovia and South Park, with 2026 season passes. New York State Parks runs Beaver Island on Grand Island, an 18-hole course from 1965; in 2026 veterans with a Liberty Pass walk free Monday through Thursday. Around Rochester, Monroe County Parks runs five courses and 81 holes at Genesee Valley (two 18s), Durand Eastman (18) and Churchville (27, open since 1932). A county permit cuts the 2026 weekday 18-hole walking rate from $20 to $13.
Public courses worth knowing in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester
- Grover Cleveland Golf Course - Grover Cleveland: Former Country Club of Buffalo course where John McDermott won the 1912 U.S. Open. Travis and Ross designs, nine of the 1912 holes still in play, a Redan-style par-3 17th, 5,621 yards, par 69.
- Genesee Valley Golf Course: Two 18s in an Olmsted park by the Genesee River. The North, or Old Course, was built in 1899; the South is the shorter New Course.
- Durand Eastman Golf Course: A nine by 1917, the third public course in Rochester, now credited by the county to Robert Trent Jones Sr. The park runs along Lake Ontario. Par 70, up to 6,033 yards.
- Elma Meadows Golf Course: Erie County's 6,700-yard par 70, opened 1959 on some of the highest ground of any county course, with a 495-yard par-4 finishing hole from the back.
- Churchville Park Golf Course: 27 flat holes west of Rochester, open since 1932: an 18-hole par-72 East up to 6,566 yards and a 9-hole West.
- Beaver Island State Park: State Parks course from 1965 on Grand Island in the Niagara River, 6,633 yards, with wide fairways running alongside ponds to large, gently sloped greens.
Booking tee times in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester: the local rules
At Monroe County's courses you can book up to seven days ahead, one time per day, on ForeUp online or by phone or in person, and you must cancel 24 hours out for a refund. No resident head start was listed. Erie County requires a tee time for every golfer at Grover Cleveland and Elma Meadows; book on Chronogolf or call 716-858-8355, and make changes at least four hours ahead. Buffalo's Olmsted courses also book on Chronogolf, go off every eight minutes and take cards only. Beaver Island takes walk-ups, but tee times are encouraged.
Yoink
Book on release day, then let Yoink watch the rest
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 73 courses in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
73 courses in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester
Akron
Arcade
Attica
Brockport
Buffalo
Cheektowaga
Cowlesville
East Amherst
East Concord
Forestville
Geneseo
Grand Island
Hornell
LeRoy
Macedon
Ontario
Penfield
Port Jervis
Rochester
Durand Eastman Golf Course
Robert Trent Jones Sr. rebuilt it in 1934. The fairways run through valleys between the hills by Lake Ontario, hence the old mountain goat nickname.
Genesee Valley Golf Course
The Old Course dates to 1899, laid over an Olmsted park meadow by the Genesee River. A shorter, friendlier New Course next door makes it 36 holes.
Lake Shore Country Club
West Henrietta
Other
Arrowhead Golf Club
Water borders fifteen of the eighteen, and 61 bunkers are in play.
Attica's 10th Hole
Attica's 10th Hole is a shorter 18-hole course near Attica, New York, playing to par 72 across 5,866 yards.
Audubon Golf Course
Audubon Golf Course is a shorter 18-hole course near Buffalo, New York, playing to par 71 across 5,804 yards.
Batavia Country Club
Batavia Country Club is a championship-length 18 near Batavia, New York, playing to par 72 across 7,225 yards.
Battlefield at Legends on the Niagara
One hole moves 118 feet from tee to green, and water borders ten of the eighteen.
Beechwood Golf Club
Beechwood Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in New York, playing to par 72 across 6,653 yards.
Buffalo Tournament Club
Buffalo Tournament Club is a championship-length 18 in New York, playing to par 72 across 7,401 yards.
Eagle Vale Golf Course
Nine of the eighteen bend, and water borders seven of the eighteen.
Hornell Golf Club
Hornell Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course near Hornell, New York, playing to par 72 across 6,397 yards.
Mill Creek Golf Club
One hole moves 86 feet from tee to green. Water borders twelve of the eighteen.
Morgan's Crossing
Morgan's Crossing is an 18-hole regulation course in New York, playing to par 72 across 6,628 yards.
Niagara National Golf & Country Club
Water borders thirteen of the eighteen — eleven of the eighteen bend.
Old Hickory Golf Club
The long par three plays 203 yards, and one hole moves 66 feet from tee to green.
Pelham Hills Golf Club
Pelham Hills Golf Club is an 18-hole regulation course in New York, playing to par 71 across 6,446 yards.
Shamrock Hills Golf Club
The longest forced water carry asks 204 yards, and water borders eleven of the eighteen.
Shorewood Country Club
A private members' club on the Lake Erie shore since 1918. Members play without tee times, and the club says most rounds take under four hours.
Silver Lake Golf Course
One hole moves 40 feet from tee to green. Water borders thirteen of the eighteen.
Ussher's Creek at Legends on the Niagara
Par 72 and 7,180 yards from the back tees: Ussher's Creek at Legends on the Niagara is a championship-length 18 near Grand Island, New York.
Whirlpool Golf Course
Water borders six of the eighteen. The front nine plays 306 yards longer than the back.
Wild Wood Country Club
Par 72 and 6,431 yards from the back tees: Wild Wood Country Club is an 18-hole regulation course near Rush, New York.
Why tee times in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester are hard to get
Golfers in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester get maybe six months of good weather, and they all want the same weekend mornings. Demand bunches up from May to September.
Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.
When tee time cancellations happen
Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.
How to get a tee time in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester
Yoink
All 73 courses in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester, watched for you around the clock
Pick the courses you'd play and Yoink keeps an eye on all 73 courses in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester. You see what's open in one place, and you hear about it the moment a time that fits your day, window and group turns up, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Beaver Island State Park Golf (BIGC), Cazenovia Park Golf Course and Champion Hills Country Club.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester?
Demand is highest from late spring through early fall. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Beaver Island State Park Golf (BIGC), Cazenovia Park Golf Course and Champion Hills Country Club take less time and are usually easier to book.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in New York
- Upstate NY — Capital & Central · 69 courses
- Long Island · 46 courses
- Hudson Valley · 40 courses
- Westchester & Hudson Valley · 18 courses
- New York City · 14 courses
- North Country & Thousand Islands · 10 courses
- Southern Tier · 8 courses
- Northern New England · 1 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester, NJ · 1 courses
- Erie & Northwest PA, PA · 12 courses
- Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester, PA · 1 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- www3.erie.gov · government
- bfloparks.org · official
- bfloparks.org · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- parks.ny.gov · official
- montanainternational.us · official
- monroecounty.gov · government
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- monroecounty.gov · government
- monroecountyparksgolf.com · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
Tee times in Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.