Elkdale Country Club (Salamanca, NY)

Elkdale came into my peripheral when I was reading a blog called buffalogolfer.com and it had rated Elkdale as one of the top twenty public courses in the region, a surprising declaration considering I drive by it every time I go back to Bradford. It originally started as a nine hole course (1927) and expanded to eighteen holes (1962) forty years later. I always wondered if a hidden gem like this was waiting for me especially since within an hour, you have courses like Pennhills Club (Walter Travis), Moon Brook (Willie Park), and Conewango Valley (Donald Ross). 

The topography on the front nine is really good and the way the architect used the high points to locate his greens is excellent. I love 1,7,8,9 as the holes artfully played to and from the ridge. The views are beautiful on this side too, and looking south, one can make out the valley where the hills rise from. The back nine is a bit different, mainly there’s less sand traps, and the greens, while larger, are crowned. The terrain is gentler, and the holes gracefully move up and down the hill. The fifteenth (555) and sixteenth (220) are the two monster holes where length is the main challenge, otherwise, one is negotiating the treelined fairways to be in a position to score.  

(The 392 yard par four opening hole gently flows uphill where the top of the flagstick is the only thing visible from the flat.)

(The 318 yard par four seventh climbs the hill where the green sits atop a plateau. Any mishit will make for an awkward recovery…
…this view from behind shows just how isolated this green is. Yes it’s just a wedge, but the player must accurately judge the lie, stance, and elevation change to have an opportunity to make a 3)  

(The 157 yard ninth is a shortish par three with a bunker guarding the front left and a drop off that leads to this devilish trap on the right. The grille sits off to the side and adds extra pressure as everyone watches you finish up.) 

Many of the things I like about Elkdale have nothing to do with playing golf. The solitude and quietness of the valley is soothing. I even love how the kid washing the carts is the only one running the place. I can see why the course is so highly rated especially if you’re driving an hour south from Buffalo. I’m sure for those guys it’s a really nice experience. I give Elkdale a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 387 yard par four tenth plays uphill to this crowned green. The slope, grain, and mountain effect are not always the same, thus putting can be quite confusing.) 

(Many would consider the 346 yard par four seventeenth to be the signature hole. The player must work the ball to hold the left to right canted fairway and then hit a precise approach shot from a sloping lie…
…note the hidden fairway short of the water where a flat lie can be obtained. I’m sure many matches are won or lost on this little beauty.) 

(I played the back nine and was able to drive around the front nine in a cart. They were playing high school matches which prevented me from playing all eighteen. Elkdale does max out at 6,132 yards, a statistic that probably turns off really good players, but makes it a great course for the rest of us.)