OT: What are the best public golf courses to play in Syracuse area

[OrangeXtreme]

As marsh said, timber banks is great layout but the greens are concrete and hoaky.

I haven't played Timber Banks in 5 years. Shot 83 and didn't lose any golf balls.

Can't improve on that.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Yes. Public and private sides. The west (which is a dump) is the public side.

The Back 9 of the West Course will be the parking lot for the new stadium at Skytop.

And not soon enough. That place is a goat track.

 

[Rocco]

As far as public goes Radisson in baldwinsville. Redid their bunkers last year and it made a huge difference Foxfire in baldwinsville is also a great track Timber banks is a great layout. However i just cant get past how bad they screwed up the greens. Literally not fun to hit shots into or putt. If it were me i would play Radisson.

Timber Banks is more like playing putt-putt than golf. It is a very nice course, but I agree Marsh. It's like the par 3, 9th green at Thendara up in Old Forge. Completely unrealistic.

Hard to compete with any of the Turning Stone courses though, they're all great.

 

[Marsh01]

Timber Banks is more like playing putt-putt than golf. It is a very nice course, but I agree Marsh. It's like the par 3, 9th green at Thendara up in Old Forge. Completely unrealistic.

Hard to compete with any of the Turning Stone courses though, they're all great.

Yea that green is messed up too.

I like the Timber layout but the greens and approach shots are just stupid. no fun playing there

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

We are driving past it but we need to pick people up at the Syracuse airport. Still not a problem but then after golf we are going to the Oswego area and have some time constraints. As much as I would like to play Turning Stone, I don't know if it's doable.

If you're going to the Oswego area, you have Battle Island State Park between Fulton and Oswego. It's well tended and a pretty nice course overall. Oswego also has Griffins Greens in Southwest Oswego. A lot of people like it, I still feel like it's too much like a cow pasture (which it was before they turned it into a course). With that said, I know it is one of the most popular courses in that area.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Agree with most everything posted to date.

I would add Marcellus Golf Course to the list. It used to be called Links at Sunset Ridge. They have new ownership, not sure what if any impact that will have on things. But it is a relatively open layout, pretty easy to score on, good for big hitters who spray the ball (6 par 5s). Pretty area, you get some nice views of the Marcellus Valley. The greens don't hold lines well.

Also think about Pompey Country Club if you like hilly courses. It is located up in the hills near Pompey, and is one of the highest points in Onondaga County. Has some great views of the city, Onondaga Lake and, on a clear day, you can even see the tips of the cooling towers of Nine Mile Point power plant on Lake Ontario. It is short and quirky but has some really fun holes and the greens are usually among the best in the area (not flat). Good food after too.

McConnellsville is another nice one a little off the beaten path that barely fits inside your time limit. Short, kind of hilly, nice greens that are usually fast and roll well. Reasonably priced. Has good food in the clubhouse; really good burgers.

Those last two are out in the country. If you value peace and quiet, they could be good choices.

If you want a good course close by the airport, think about Liverpool. It is flat, reasonably priced, kept in good shape, and has good greens. I don't recommend the food in the clubhouse and it is not a good choice if you are looking for peace and quiet (it has a couple of busy roads that border some holes). It would be your best choice if the weather has been wet...it drains really well.

I'm going to bump this thread because we are heading to CNY again. Thinking Green Lakes and if they are booked maybe Timber Banks. Has anything changed in the last couple years that we should know about with any courses that we should add or subtract to our list.

 

[AZOrange]

There used to be a great links course down in Binghamton area. Really good layout. Anyone know the name?

 

[realorange]

There used to be a great links course down in Binghamton area. Really good layout. Anyone know the name?

Probably not the one you are thinking of but one of my favorites years ago in that area was at Chenango Valley State Park.

 

[Cusegolfer]

There used to be a great links course down in Binghamton area. Really good layout. Anyone know the name?

Links at Hiawatha but Conklin Players Club is a better course!

 

[Trueblue25]

green lakes 100%

 

[AZOrange]

Links at Hiawatha but Conklin Players Club is a better course!

That's it. There was a great one in canandaigua I used to love to.

 

[Cusegolfer]

Links at Hiawatha

That's it. There was a great one in canandaigua I used to love to.

Bristol Harbour or Centerpointe, Greystone is in Walworth which is fairly close.

 

[AZOrange]

Bristol Harbour or Centerpointe, Greystone is in Walworth which is fairly close.

BH...that's it. Great track

 

[Cusegolfer]

BH...that's it. Great track

JB and Wildhack are members nice course but its not very long.

 

[upperdeck]

I like playing Enjoe because its fun to go to the back tees and pretend to be a big boy sometimes.. but dang its tight and long and has big trees..

 

[sutomcat]

JB and Wildhack are members nice course but its not very long.

BH is another Robert Trent Jones course...

Of the Rochester area publics, I like Greystone and Mill Creek the most.

 

[AZOrange]

Links at Hiawatha but Conklin Players Club is a better course!

Thanks for the great memories!

 

[AZOrange]

BH is another Robert Trent Jones course...

Of the Rochester area publics, I like Greystone and Mill Creek the most.

I loved Oak Hill...granted it's private but that was a mfer...

 

[sutomcat]

I loved Oak Hill...granted it's private but that was a mfer...

Oak Hill is awesome. Really fun course to play. Take an extra club on 18. No, take 2 extra clubs...

I love Green Lakes but my friends and I avoid playing it until June. The rough tends to be exceptionally thick in the spring there. They rely heavily on college kids providing the labor and you tend to lose a lot of balls/have a tough time hitting out of that stuff this time of year.

With all the rain, this spring has been a challenge for the most well run golf courses to keep the rough down. I bet it is not a good situation there right now. What a shame the state spends so much money downstate on public courses and almost nothing up here.

 

[rocklloyd]

Oak Hill is awesome. Really fun course to play. Take an extra club on 18. No, take 2 extra clubs...

I love Green Lakes but my friends and I avoid playing it until June. The rough tends to be exceptionally thick in the spring there. They rely heavily on college kids providing the labor and you tend to lose a lot of balls/have a tough time hitting out of that stuff this time of year.

With all the rain, this spring has been a challenge for the most well run golf courses to keep the rough down. I bet it is not a good situation there right now. What a shame the state spends so much money downstate on public courses and almost nothing up here.

Have you played lakeshore yet? I think tim is going for world record in number of rounds in a season category.

 

[jordoo]

Question from a noob.

I've never played golf before and really want to learn. What's the best way of going about this? Should I just go and play?

Learn to swing hard and hit the ball at the range. You can always learn to hit it straight later. . . . . . . . of course I'm still working on that part myself

To the OP. If you are going to the Oswego area Battle Island is a decent public course about 15minutes away. Or at least it used to be years ago.

 

[Marsh01]

I've been making the junior tour runs with my son this spring and Seven Oaks is in phenomenal shape. Well worth the 1 hour drive. This course could host a web.com tour event. Radisson is also in great shape (albeit wet which everywhere is at this point). He also played the RTJ course at Cornell which has gone way downhill. Sad because its a nice layout

 

[realorange]

Learn to swing hard and hit the ball at the range. You can always learn to hit it straight later. . . . . . . . of course I'm still working on that part myself

To the OP. If you are going to the Oswego area Battle Island is a decent public course about 15minutes away. Or at least it used to be years ago.

Find a local pro who gives lessons. Individual may be more than you want to pay but in the long run it will be worth starting out the right way and not having to correct later.

Often club pros will also offer group beginner lessons which should be cheaper and almost as effective as private lessons.

 

[Cusegolfer]

Oak Hill is awesome. Really fun course to play. Take an extra club on 18. No, take 2 extra clubs...

I love Green Lakes but my friends and I avoid playing it until June. The rough tends to be exceptionally thick in the spring there. They rely heavily on college kids providing the labor and you tend to lose a lot of balls/have a tough time hitting out of that stuff this time of year.

With all the rain, this spring has been a challenge for the most well run golf courses to keep the rough down. I bet it is not a good situation there right now. What a shame the state spends so much money downstate on public courses and almost nothing up here.

Green Lakes has to split the CNY budget with Battle Island and the courses in Binghamton and Elmira most of the states budget is for the 5 courses at Bethpage.

 

[Cusegolfer]

Learn to swing hard and hit the ball at the range. You can always learn to hit it straight later. . . . . . . . of course I'm still working on that part myself

To the OP. If you are going to the Oswego area Battle Island is a decent public course about 15minutes away. Or at least it used to be years ago.

Swinging harder doesn't mean you will generate more club head speed.