These aren’t the traditional “top-100” golf courses in America, or the ultra-private golf clubs you can’t get onto. These are the hidden gems; they’re accessible to the public, they cost less than $50, but they’re unique, beautiful and fun to play in their own right. We’re treating this as a bucket list of golf courses to play across the country, and the world. If you have a personal favorite hidden gem, submit it here!
Giving my brother Gianni Magliocco a breather for a few days. From the wintry north, here’s the second installment of a five-part Hidden Gem of the Day series from the Buffalo-Niagara region of western New York state.
We begin our quintet of orbits with Byrncliff Resort in Varysburg, New York. About 35 minutes southeast of Buffalo proper, Byrncliff is a four-season, low-key place to hang. With cross-country ski and snowmobile trails in the winter, and 18-holes of hill-country golf (and walking trails) in the spring, summer and fall, Byrncliff is an outdoor retreat.
The golf course was opened in 1967. Designed by Russ Tryon, disciple of the legendary William Harries, The Cliff offers driveable par fours, tumbling, risky par fives, and vertical par threes that etch a trace in your memory. You’ll have loads of fun here, and you might shoot a career-low score if the putts drop. If not, you might be headed the other way, but the varied options of the lodge bar and restaurant ensure that your vital signs will remain strong.
According to the Byrncliff Resort website, you will pay between $22 and $40 for 18 holes.
Check out the full forum thread here, and submit your Hidden Gem.