Ridgemont Country Club

Overview: Ridgemont Country Club is a private parkland course on Rochester’s west side, with the club’s recorded championship setup measuring 6,503 yards at par 72. The routing moves through tree-lined ground and the remnants of the original Upton-Paine farm, giving the course a settled, mature character rather than a newly manufactured look. A reservoir pond, established with the irrigation system, forms the backdrop to one of the property’s most distinctive holes. The combination of length, tree placement and traditional corridors makes Ridgemont a representative Rochester club course.

History: The property became a golf project in 1923, when the Upton-Paine home and farm were converted for a course serving Eastman Kodak managers and employees. The first nine was playable by Decoration Day in 1929, and the second nine followed in 1930. Apple trees gradually gave way to evergreens, shaping the classic parkland appearance described by the club today. A full-course watering system and reservoir arrived in 1955, while later decades brought clubhouse, dining and ownership changes. The official history does not identify an architect, so no designer is assigned here.

Did You Know? Ridgemont’s clubhouse occupies the former Upton family home, built in 1855. The old farm house therefore predates the golf course by almost seven decades and remains part of the club’s physical story.