Grover Cleveland Golf Course

Overview: Grover Cleveland Golf Course is a public historic layout in Amherst, just north of Buffalo. Erie County lists the white setup at par 69 and 5,621 yards, with a red-tee alternative at par 72. The course’s interest comes from its compact parkland corridors, fescue rough, rebuilt bunkers and demanding green complexes, including a redan-style par three. It is a practical public round, but the architectural history and surviving tournament holes give it more weight than its modest length suggests.

History: The course began in 1902 as the Country Club of Buffalo, laid out by club member Ganson Depew. Walter Travis later contributed input and suggestions, and the property hosted the 1912 U.S. Open, won by John McDermott. Donald Ross redesigned the course in 1917 and 1918. After the club sold the property to the City of Buffalo in 1925, it became a public park and was renamed for Grover Cleveland. Land transferred for a veterans hospital in 1947 removed three holes and part of a fourth, which were replaced elsewhere. Erie County acquired the property in 1982.

Did You Know? Nine holes from the 1912 U.S. Open still survive in the present routing. The course also retains a par three known as the Redan, a design form associated with a green that falls away from the line of play.