Mendon Golf Club has hosted many championships through the years, including the 2006 RDGA District Championship and the 2016 RDGA Senior Championship, as well as several USGA Qualifiers. On September 20 and 21, Mendon hosts the 2019 RDGA Mid Amateur Championship for golfers ages 25 and over.
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FOLLOW RESULTS FROM THE 2019 RDGA MID AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP at MENDON:
CLICK HERE to REGISTER for the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship
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To say that Mendon Golf Club is a “hidden gem” among Rochester area private clubs is something of a misnomer.
Centrally located just minutes south of Pittsford on Route 64, Mendon Golf Club is easily accessible from most anywhere in the region – and, as it celebrates its 58th anniversary in 2016, it certainly isn’t a secret that Mendon is one of the area’s more established, mature venues for championship golf.
“This is a traditional, Northeast layout, with tall, mature trees and not too much water,” says the club’s PGA Head Professional Jeremy Kern. “And, it’s in phenomenal shape.”
On Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, those conditions will be put to the test as the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship visits Mendon for the first time in the event’s 12-year history. Through the years, Mendon has been host to many championships, including the 2006 RDGA District Championship and the 2016 RDGA Senior Championship, as well as several USGA Qualifiers.
As a competition created for amateur players past college-age and well into their professional careers – 25 years of age being the minimum requirement for entry into the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship – the 6,645-yard par 71 championship course at Mendon will provide a stout challenge.
For the staff and membership at Mendon – including PGA Head Professional Jeremy Kern and Superintendent Mike Armstrong – hosting the RDGA Mid Amateur will provide the facility yet another opportunity to shine as one of the top private clubs in the Greater Rochester area.
A True Championship Golf Course
First opened in 1961 as a private nine-hole course designed by legendary local golf course architect Pete Craig, “Green Hills” Golf Club, as it was originally called, added a second nine in 1967, designed by noted local golf professional Joe DeMino. The Club’s name was changed to Country Club of Mendon in 1999 – and since 2011 has been known as Mendon Golf Club.
Through the years, Mendon’s reputation as a host for championship golf has grown – right along with its status as a tough, but fair layout.
The day the course officailly opened – Sunday, July 30, 1961 – the great South African golfer Gary Player gave an exhibition to mark the occasion of the club’s grand opening. The club’s first pro, Babe Urzetta, along with Frank Commisso and sportswriter Bruce Koch joined Player as an “all-star’ foursome. Player had the highlight of the day when he drove his ball over the green on No. 4 during the exhibition (he proceeded to get the ball up and down for a birdie 3).
Soon after the grand opening, Mendon became an RDGA Member Club and has since hosted many championships, including three RDGA Junior Championships, the RDGA Senior Championship once and the RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial twice, most recently in 2006.Mendon has also hosted national junior (AJGA) and Collegiate events (including the 2016 NCAA Div. III National Championship), as well as qualifying events for both the New York State Golf Association and the USGA. In fact, this year alone, the club has hosted the Sectional Qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur as well as the 2019 Women’s RDGA Championship.
“The rolling terrain and tight fairways has made Mendon Golf Club a true test of the avid golfer,” says Andrew Principe, a local business owner and part of the club’s current ownership group.
Since the new management group took over ownership and the day-to-day operation of Mendon in 2011, the group has worked to increase memberships by more than 50 percent. The club’s family-friendly programs and membership plans have also helped to attract many new, younger members.
“Our club prides itself on having a warm and friendly atmosphere,” Principe adds.
Accuracy a Plus On a Short, Demanding Layout
Now in his ninth season at Mendon Golf Club, head greens superintendent Mike Armstong has the course in pristine condition this year – no small feat, given the dry summer we’ve had.
“The course is in phenomenal shape,” says PGA Head Pro Jeremy Kern. “Mike is always forward-thinking when it comes to improving the course, such as his recent tree project – cleaning up and trimming the trees to improve playability.”
Although the championship length of Mendon’s layout might be considered “short” by modern standards – 6,645 yards from the “tips” – the course has many ways in which to challenge golfers.
“There’s not too much water, there’s a creek that winds its way through most of the back 9,” Kern says, pointing out that holes 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 each include part of that creek, while two ponds straddle the 18th fairway and the front of the 10th green.
 The 4th hole at Mendon Golf Club – a short, 322-yard par-4 – has a well-guarded green with bunkers and a narrow approach to a small, undulating putting surface. During a celebrity exhibition for the club’s grand opening in 1961, Gary Player hit his drive through the green on this hole.
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“Many of the greens have bunker complexes – and most of them slope from back to front,” he adds. “You really don’t want to be past the hole anywhere – you want to stay below the hole. If you miss the green, it’s best to miss short.”
According to Kern – now in hs fifth year as Mendon’s PGA Head Professional after spending the previous two years as the head professional at Fox Valley Country Club in Lancaster, near Buffalo – the front 9 will set the tone for a player’s entire round.
“No. 1 is a long hole, to begin with, and if you’re in the greenside bunker, par is going to be very difficult,” says Kern. “So, if you can get through the first two holes at even par, you’re off to a good start – and if you can do well on holes 1, 2, 8 and 9, your’e going to have a good front 9.”
Kern adds that if those opening holes do give you troubles, there are birdie opportunities to be had at holes 3 through 7. But, take advantage of them when you can, because birdies can become scarse on the back 9.
“No. 10 has the creek in the fairway and a large pond in front of the green; 11 is the most difficult hole on the course (the No. 1 handicap hole); 12, you’re playing into the wind for most of the hole; and 13 is an uphill par-3,” Kern notes. He adds that although holes 14-16 offer some scoring opportunities, the greens feature more of the back-to-front-type slope with varyinhg undulations, making long putts a challenge.
Then, there’s the two closing holes.No. 17 is a long par-3 (210 yards from the Blue Tees), from an elevated tee and a green that slopes away from front to back. And 18 is a long par-4 (439 yards) with ponds along both sides of the fairway just past the tees, and a narrow approach to a small, elevated green guarded by many tall trees.
“Driving accuracy is a plus on the back 9,” adds Kern.
A Major Championship for the 25-And-Over Golfer
One of the more recent additions to the annual lineup of Rochester District Golf Association championships, the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship is open to all amateur male golfers age 25 and over (as of the beginning of each year’s tournament) who are members in good standing at RDGA clubs. All contestants must have a RDGA/USGA Handicap Index supplied by the RDGA.
Patterned after the USGA’s Mid Amateur, the first RDGA Mid Amateur Championship was held in 2007 as a way to provide a formal competition for local post collegeiate-age amateurs, for whom the game is an avocation, rather than a stepping stone to a professional career. The format of the event is a two-day, 36-hole, stroke play competition, conducted as two 18-hole rounds held on consecutive days.
To say that Stafford Country Club member Jim Scorse has dominated this championship is an understatement. In 2018, the five-time RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Memorial winner captured the RDGA Mid Am title for the seventh time in the history of the competition.
By the conclusion of the 2018 RDGA Mid Am Championship, Scorse proved himself equal to any challenge posed by host course Sodus Bay Heights, as he captured his seventh RDGA Mid Amateur Championship title, finishing two shots ahead of his nearest competitor. During the second round, Scorse staged an impressive comeback, overcoming a 3-over-par 75 in the first round. Scorse recorded four birdies and one bogey en route to a 3-under-par 69 to finish at even-par 144 for the Championship. (CLICK HERE to view the final results from the 2018 RDGA Mid-Amateur Championship.)
The 13th annual edition of the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship visits Mendon Golf Club for the first time in the Championship’s history. Scheduled for September 20 and 21, competitors will tour the beautifully-maintained, par-71 layout in two 18-hole stroke play rounds. Following the conclusion of the event, anAwards Ceremony will present the event trophy to the winner, with light hors d’oeuvres being served to contestants and their guests.
In addition to the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship trophy, the top three finishers – including ties – will receive exemptions into the 2020 RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial which will be hosted by Oak Hill Country Club.
This article was written by RDGA Communications Director Dave Eaton.
The 439-yard par-4 18th hole at Mendon Golf Club might not be the toughest hole on the course, but with one of the few ponds on the course along the left side of the fairway and a narrow approch to the green guarded by many tall trees, it will certainly demand accuracy during the 2019 RDGA Mid Amateur Championship.
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