The Grover Cleveland Golf Course is a historic

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

located in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

that hosted the 1912 U.S. Open that was founded as The Country Club of Buffalo. It is one of two courses owned by Erie County.

Course

The golf course is located at 3781 Main Street. The 18-hole course is (from the back tees) and is a par 69. It has a course rating of 65.5 and a slope rating of 102.

History

The course was founded as The Country Club of Buffalo on February 11, 1889, and was originally located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Nottingham Terrace, near the present-day Delaware Park and SUNY– Buffalo State College. After purchasing the 1823 Samuel Schenck House, which included the Old Stone House, farm and orchard at 3781 Main St, they moved from their site on Elmwood Ave. The CCB built the original club house, polo field, archery field, tennis courts and lastly the 18 hole golf course. Noted architect E.B. Green designed the first clubhouse, which opened in August 1889. In 1899, the club relocated to make way for the 1901

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

. The clubhouse became the Women's Center during the Pan-American Exposition. The club acquired land at the intersection of Main Street at Bailey Avenue at the City of Buffalo’s border with the Town of Amherst. The club began construction of a golf course at that time and constructed a clubhouse on the site in 1901. George Cary, who also designed the landmarked

Buffalo History Museum The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...

, designed the clubhouse. The 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, and a polo field were completed in 1902. In 1910, A.L. Pfitzner, a pilot from

Curtiss Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decade ...

, made the first airplane flight in Western New York from the club's grounds. In 1910 and 1911, Walter J. Travis renovated the course in anticipation of attracting a major golf tournament. In 1912, the course hosted the 1912 U.S. Open, won by the defending champion, 20-year-old John J. McDermott, Jr., still the youngest-ever champion and the first American to win the title. McDermott won the tournament with a score of 283.

Sale

In 1922, the Country Club of Buffalo began acquiring new property, and in 1925, the existing course was sold to the City of Buffalo for $800,000. In 1926, the club completed its relocation to its present location in the Town of Amherst at 250 Youngs Road in Williamsville, New York. When the club moved to its present location in Amherst, the existing site was renamed

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

Park to honor the former

Mayor of Buffalo The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of the city of Buffalo in the U.S. state of New York. List of mayors Number of mayors by party affiliation History In 1853, the charter of the city was amended to include the town ...

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

, and

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. It was at this time, that the Main St. property was rezoned from being part of

Amherst, NY Amherst () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census. The second ...

to becoming part of Buffalo, NY. The present course has hosted the

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). F ...

in 1931, the Curtis Cup in 1950, the Carling Cup Matches in 1960, and the National Junior Girls Championship in 1962.

Country Club of Buffalo

The transported Country Club of Buffalo, located in the Town of Amherst is a (from the back tees), par 72 Donald J. Ross, ASGCA designed golf course also opened in 1926. The course rating is 71.8 and it has a slope rating of 127 on Bent grass. Timothy P. Minahan, CCM manages the course as the general manager. The clubhouse, which overlooks the eighteenth green, was designed by

Duane Lyman Duane Lyman (1886–1966) was an architect based in Buffalo, New York, known for his prolific career which included 100 school buildings, many churches, and numerous large homes both in the city and suburban communities. At the time of his death, ...

and opened in 1927.

References

{{U.S. Open golf venues 1889 establishments in New York (state) Golf clubs and courses in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1889 Sports venues in Buffalo, New York