VISITORS TO THE COUNTRY CLUB OF BUFFALO ARE GREETED BY A STATELY AND

HISTORIC SIGHT – TWO MASSIVE STONE PILLARS, WHICH STAND ON EITHER SIDE

OF THE DRIVEWAY AT YOUNGS ROAD. JUST INSIDE THE ENTRANCE LIES THE BEAUTY

OF THE FLOWER GARDENS, WITH THE FIRST HOLE OF THE DONALD ROSS-DESIGNED

GOLF COURSE BEYOND. PROGRESSING DOWN THE GRACEFULLY CURVING DRIVEWAY,

THE CLUBHOUSE COMES INTO VIEW. AFTER PASSING THE TENNIS COURTS AND

SWIMMING POOL, A SECOND SET OF STONE PILLARS USHERS THE VISITOR THROUGH

THE MAGNIFICENT FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE DUANE LYMAN-DESIGNED STRUCTURE.

AND THAT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING.

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Country Club of Buffalo is to provide its
members, their families and guests with facilities and services
amongst the finest and most highly respected in North America,
while adhering to our core values.
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of the Country Club of Buffalo is to be amongst
the finest private clubs in North America.
he Country Club of Buffalo has been an important part of the history of Buffalo, and its members have provided civic and
business leadership throughout the community. The present location of the Country Club of Buffalo is actually its third. The
Club was incorporated on February 11, 1889, and its first clubhouse, designed by E. B. Green, was opened in August of that year.
Three of the founders of the Country Club were among the founders of the Buffalo
Polo Club in 1878. Polo continued to be played on the Club grounds until 1935. In
1894, Club members placed an empty tomato can in the ground, and thus was born the
first golf hole in Western New York.
The Club moved from its city location at Elmwood and Nottingham
in 1899 to make way for the lavish Pan American Exposition. During this time, the clubhouse became the
Women’s Building and the center for all women’s activities. The Club acquired land on the city line at Main
and Bailey in 1900 and had the new course ready for play in 1902, with a new clubhouse designed by
George Cary. During 1910 and 1911, Walter J. Travis revamped the course in anticipation of attracting
a major tournament, which turned out to be the 1912 U.S. Open.
Acquisition of property
in Williamsville began in 1922, and the Donald Ross-designed course opened in 1926. The
clubhouse, designed by Duane Lyman, opened in 1927. The United States Women’s Amateur
Championship was played on the new course in 1931, and the Curtis Cup was contested in
1950, with the American women defeating the British. The Carling Cup Matches between pro-
amateur teams from the U.S. and Canada were held in 1960, and in 1962, the National Junior
Girls Championship was played at the Country Club of Buffalo.
Progress has continued
to the present, and the Country Club of Buffalo is proud to offer an unparalleled blend of traditional elegance and modern luxury to
members for generations to come. Today, the Club shines with significant improvements and renovations to the golf course and the
facilities, making it a gathering place for members, families and friends.

T H E C O U N T R Y C L U B O F B U F F A L O

3
modern, welcoming cocktail bar for members and guests to share
beverages and casual dining. The formal dining room boasts two
fireplaces and large windows overlooking the practice green to the
south and the 18th hole to the north.
On the North Terrace,
the Club’s architecture takes full advantage of its beautiful setting
on top of the Onondaga escarpment with an uninterrupted view
of the 18th hole, our shooting ranges and the northern horizon.
In addition, golfers often stop in to relax in the Donald Ross
Grille, located on the lower level of the Club.
4
hen Duane Lyman designed the clubhouse in 1926, he had
a vision of making the complex look as though it had been
converted from an old mill (the locker room), the miller’s
old brick house (the Grille), a stable (the boiler house), and various other
support buildings dating from the early 19
th
century. The clubhouse proper
represents the later and larger home of the mill owner. Inside,
the clubhouse was designed and decorated in the American
Colonial style. The clubhouse was deemed historically and
architecturally significant under Local Landmark Criteria.
The beautiful clubhouse entrance hall is decorated with
scenic wallpaper, printed in France by Zuber & Cie. Titled
“Vues d’Amérique du Nord,” this magnificent paper was
originally created in 1843 by Jean-Julien Deltil, with New
York panels added in 1861. The scenes depict Niagara Falls,
New York; the Natural Bridge, Virginia; West Point and the
Boston Tea Party. In 1961, when Jacqueline Kennedy was
First Lady, she acquired a replica of the 32-panel set for the
Diplomatic Reception Room in the White House, with
the help of an antique hunter.
Each room of the clubhouse has a personality all its own. The Pine
Room features wood paneling, bare-beamed ceilings and a large fireplace,
and serves as a comfortable lounge for members year-round.
The Club
Room also has a fireplace, along with a southern view looking out on the
golf course, featuring individual small-group seating arrangements, and a

T H E C L U B H O U S E

H O L E

1

PAR 4, 364 YDS.
The gateway to the par 70 Donald Ross designed track immediately challenges the
player. With the right side pocked with numerous bunkers and the left running along
Youngs Road, the first tee shot requires concentration and precision. Drop the ball
in the landing zone 100 yards out and be beckoned by a sloping green where ball
placement below the hole is essential.
7
egendary golf architect Donald Ross displayed his creative
genius when he designed the golf course, positioned on
the Onondaga escarpment, running around and through a
limestone quarry. Six of the holes – 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13 – incorporate
the unique beauty of the limestone. Holes 13, 17 and 18 are on the
lower level below the escarpment. This arrangement actually provides
the Country Club of Buffalo with two signature holes – the sixth, a par
three located in the midst of an old quarry that in years past provided
stone for many construction projects, and the 18
th
, which sits below a
massive natural rock garden, with beautiful plantings leading up to the
clubhouse.
The 1926 Donald Ross design has been preserved, while
improvements were made by such notables as Robert Trent Jones in
1952-54, Geoffrey St. John Cornish in 1965 and 1983, and William
Craig Schreiner in 1994-96. Recently, the course
underwent a major restoration overseen by Ron Forse,
and guided by Ross’s original intent and character. The
new golf course renovation was honored by
Golf Inc.
Magazine
with a Best in Show distinction in the 2014
Renovation of the Year – Over $1M – Private Club
category.
The course was honored by
Golfweek
Magazine
in 2004. The publication included the Country
Club of Buffalo in the list of the Top 100 Classic Golf
Courses in America (courses constructed before 1960).
The Club enjoys reciprocal relationships with historic
and traditional clubs in cities such as Toronto, Canada;
Cleveland, OH; Pittsburgh, PA and Rochester, NY.

T H E G O L F C O U R S E

Donald Ross designed over one-quarter of all courses ranked
on
Golfweek’s
“Top 100 Classics” list (pre-1960) in America.
The Buffalo News
called the
Club’s caddy services “the
crown jewel of local caddy
programs.” Club members
have access to approximately
100 independent caddies.
Many of the caddies earn the
opportunity to compete for an
Evans Scholarship; Club mem-
bers contribute to the Evans
Scholars Foundation every year.

H O L E 5

PAR 4, 301 YDS.
The shortest par 4 on the course is akin to the Sirens in Homer’s
Odyssey.
The reachable
green sits on the horizon and calls for a player to test their restraint as the gulley and
rocks are off to the right and awaiting the errant tee ball. The elevated green makes
the approach shot further than it appears and numerous greenside bunkers test a
player’s nerve.
In 2012, the Club embarked on a complete restoration of the
Donald Ross course inspired and guided by original blueprints and
an aerial photo from 1927. Each hole was reviewed for historical
accuracy while also taking into consideration modern playing
equipment and turf grooming. The nearly $2 million renovation
concluded in 2013 with numerous improvements, including:
·
68 tee surfaces reconstructed, expanded, leveled or realigned; tees
elevated post-Ross were returned to original grade to allow players
to see the flow of the land.
·
17 fore bunkers were restored to aid in navigation
·
113 bunkers constructed – 105 in original size, shape and location
·
Hour-glassed fairways were expanded to original size for tee strategy
·
Each green was returned to its size and shape circa 1926
·
The reinsertion of 6.5 acres of Ross-recommended native grass

H O L E 3

PAR 4, 416 YDS.
Previously handicapped as the most difficult hole on the course, this long par 4 coaxes
players towards the boundary off the tee. Find yourself in the rough, or a fairway bunker,
and face a long second shot into a green that filters the ball from left to right.
t the Country Club of Buffalo, the locker room is more
than just a place to don your golf shoes. It’s a communal
space where members enjoy relaxing after a round of golf
or playing cards with friends and guests. In our renovated men’s and
ladies’ locker rooms, award-winning design pays homage to the Club’s
historical roots with period finishes and fixtures commonly used in the
1920s, including unique shower heads, custom-made marble sink tops
with chrome bases, mosaic tile floors and wrought-iron chandeliers.
Modern amenities, such as a members-only entrance, state-of-the-art golf
simulator room and a fireside lounge to gather, also add to the experience.

H O L E 8

PAR 3, 207 YDS.
This long par 3 with a hidden green is made even longer as it often manages to
greet the player with a hurting wind. The large green that scarcely peeks over the
mound that cuts across the fairway seems to taunt and dare the player with their
approaching tee shot. However, hitting the expansive green is just the beginning
as a putt of 50 feet may be waiting.

11

T H E L O C K E R R O O M