The purpose of this article is to discuss the best public golf courses in Buffalo for all types of golfers. As many of you know, not all golfers are welcome at all courses, the average golfer will only play at public courses because they do not belong to clubs. Buffalo offers many affordable public courses. I have always struggled to pick what golf course I want to play at and hopefully this will help those of you having the same problem as me. I am going to discuss my five favorite golf courses and then 3 courses that are great for beginners.
Here are the linked ranked courses:
Best Public Golf Courses in Buffalo
- The Fox Valley Golf Club
- Glen Oak Golf Club
- The Links at Ivy Ridge
- Dande Farms Golf Course
- Grover Cleveland Golf Course
Best Public Golf Courses to Learn to Golf in Buffalo
Best Public Golf Courses in Buffalo
1. The Fox Valley Club
Address: 6161 Genesee Street Lancaster, NY 14086
The Fox Valley Club is the best public golf course in Buffalo. This golf course established in 1991 is my personal favorite to play in Buffalo. The course has plenty of scenic holes with significant changes in elevation. This course is always beautifully maintained to give you the best golf experience. This course is one of the most challenging public courses in Buffalo, so I would not recommend beginners playing here.
2. Glen Oak Golf Club
Address: 711 Smith Road East Amherst, NY 14051
Glen Oak is another highly regarded golf courses just 25 minutes away from downtown Buffalo. This course has the best golf carts in the area, with built in bluetooth and GPS in the golf carts. This course has a snack shaft at the halfway point (after the ninth hole) to give you the needed boost to finish the round. The putting green is one of the best in Buffalo, it is brings all sorts of challenges with its length. Glen Oak also offers a golf simulator which is great to use on a rainy day. This is another very challenging course but you will have a great time while you are out there playing.
3. The Links at Ivy Ridge
Address: 12221 Main Road Akron, NY 14001
The Links at Ivy Ridge is yet another great public course in Buffalo. It is a relatively newer course as it opened in 2005. As you are pulling into the course, it is one of the most beautifully designed layouts including the club house you will ever see. One of the more hilly courses, it brings a great deal of challenge.
4. Dande Farms Golf Course
Address: 13278 Carney Rd Akron, NY 14001
Dande Farms has been around forever after expanding from a nine hole course to an eighteen hole course in 1965. This course is very unique in that it does not have any sand traps. As someone who hates playing in the bunkers, I can shoot freely towards the pin and not have to worry about pitching out of the sand trap. Like the other courses, they offer plenty of water hazards and trees to ensure the difficulty of the course. This was my go-to course during the pandemic because they were the only course offering ball washers. Every golfer knows you need to have a clean ball to play well and Dande Farms recognized this.
5. Grover Cleveland Golf Course
Address: 95 Franklin Street, Rm 1260 Buffalo, New York 14202
Grover Cleveland is a significantly different course than those previously listed. For those “history buffs” this course has the most history in Buffalo. Grover Cleveland was previously known as The Country Club of Buffalo from 1902-1925. This course was awarded the 18th Annual PGA Open in 1912. No other Buffalo golf course has ever hosted a major event since then. Nine of the holes still exist from 1912. The most famous hole at this course, known as “Redan”, is a par 3 serving as the 17th hole. This is one of my favorite holes in Western New York. This course is not as difficult as the others on this list, but it is no cake walk. This is also one of the only golf courses located in “downtown Buffalo”.
Best Public Golf Courses to Learn to Golf in Buffalo
This section of the webpage is for newer golfers or for some that are looking to get some extra practice while not risking being embarrassed on a bigger course. These Public Golf Courses in Buffalo are where you need to begin.
1. Delaware Park Golf Course
Address: 84 Parkside Avenue & Delaware Park Ring Road, Buffalo, NY 14214
Delaware Park Golf Course is the best course in Buffalo when learning how to golf. It has 18 holes and is centered around the historic Delaware Park. Surrounding the golf course are a long bike path, baseball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, and the Buffalo Zoo. It is a very open field, and it is very difficult to lose a ball off of your drive, no matter how bad you hit it. I can confidently show up to the course with 3 golf balls and know I will be leaving with those same three balls. There are no water hazards and this course offers broad fairways and many par threes. This course often plays quicker than other courses and is an easy walk if you decide you aren’t riding the golf carts that day.
2. Audubon Golf Course
Address: 500 Maple Road, Amherst, NY 14221
This course is unique in that it offers a full 18 holes, and it also offers a par 3 course located right across the street. The par three is a very open field, with much shorter distances, designed for golfers to work on their short game. The course itself is one of the easier courses in Buffalo but the main reason for it making this is due to the par 3 course. This is a family favorite course to play that does not offer golf carts on the par 3. The full 18 hole course has its challenges with water hazards, sand traps, and trees but it offers wide fairways on many of the holes.
3. Oakwood Golf Course
Address: 3575 Tonawanda Creek Rd, E Amherst, NY 14051
Oakwood golf course is one of the shortest courses offered in Buffalo at 2,475 yards. It is a 9 hole course focused on beginners. Almost all of the par 4’s are drive-able and the only par 3 is 450 yards. This course is perfect for someone looking to strengthen their iron play.
