Terry Hills is No. 1 in poll of Buffalo-area public courses

BATAVIA — Terry Hills Golf Course and Banquet Facility has worked to make itself a destination facility and it continues to pay off.

Recently, Terry Hills was named the best public golf course in the Buffalo-Niagara region in a poll by BuffaloGolfer.com.

There were 877 entrants in the poll, and Terry Hills got 148 votes, or 17 percent.

“We work real hard at keeping it in great condition because we know we have to work on getting people to drive a great distance,” said Nick Rotondo, Terry Hills owner.

“People have to drive 30 to 45 minutes to get here. Eighty percent of our play comes from the Buffalo and Rochester area.”

BuffaloGolfer.com described the 27-hole complex this way:

There is so much variety over those three nines that a golfer can’t ever get bored. The topography varies among the nines, from dramatic elevation shifts to gentle down- and uphill cascades. Terry Hills is a worthy champion.

Having 27 holes has proven to be a boon for Terry Hills, allowing the course to host tournaments of 160 golfers and above. Having 27 holes was a key reason why the Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic switched from Brierwood Country Club in Hamburg to the Batavia facility.

Today’s Ricky Palermo Golf Tournament to Cure Paralysis at Terry Hills is expected to have well over 200 golfers.

Terry Hills has hooked up with the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce for package deals, which has attracted large groups from not just Buffalo and Rochester, but Canada as well.

“Everybody likes the variety (of 27 holes). Those are some of the high points for this place,” Rotondo said. “It kind of caters to the average player.”

A Wyoming County course, Byrncliff Resort and Conference Center in Varysburg, also had an impressive showing in the poll, finishing fourth with 89 votes (10 percent).

Byrncliff, a picturesque layout, also has an on-site motel. It features cross country skiing in the winter.

Other courses finishing in the top five of the readers poll were: second, Willowbrook, 118 votes (13 percent); third, Sheridan Park, 100 votes (11 percent); and fifth, Seneca Hickory Stick, 77 votes (9 percent).