Irondequoit incorporated in 1916, acquired the East Avenue property, and engaged Donald Ross to lay out a nine-hole course on the site’s hilly ground. The initial nine measured roughly 3,100 yards with a balanced mix of three par-3s, three par-4s, and three par-5s; members played the loop twice for the full round. The club’s published history emphasizes how Ross used the property’s slopes to create variety despite modest length.
A second nine was added after World War II, when the club purchased land abutting Oak Hill’s East Course. Contemporary trade-press (May 1952) reported that the new nine at Irondequoit was designed by J.B. McGovern and built by the William F. Gordon Co.; the club’s own history records that the expanded eighteen was in play by 1952. Some secondary directories place McGovern’s work slightly earlier (1948) or describe construction in 1951 with first-season play in 1952. The converging evidence indicates a late-1940s commission and 1951 build, with full opening in 1952; the precise construction calendar could be fixed by consulting McGovern/Gordon job records and Rochester newspapers from summer–fall 1951.
A possible 1919 Ross return to “rework” greens appears in a Donald Ross Society listing and later forum summaries, but we have not located the underlying primary document (e.g., The Sun, Sept. 14, 1919). Until board minutes or invoices confirm a 1919 campaign, this should be treated as a research lead rather than established fact.
Documented late-20th-century work aimed to recapture original putting surfaces. In 1990, superintendent Rick Holfoth, after consulting Brian Silva (Cornish & Silva), undertook a program to expand and re-shape the greens back toward their historic perimeters, relying on member recollections, fill-pad reading, collar bentgrass, and other on-site evidence. Holfoth also identified the back nine as McGovern’s and noted the creek’s role across six holes.
Unique Design Characteristics
The present course still reads as a tale of two nines tracing their authors. Ross’s front nine leverages side-slope fairways and uphill targets: the 2nd is a “chimney” par-3 with a plateau green falling away on three sides, a compact test that punishes imprecision; the 6th is a downhill “short” par-3 to a narrow, bunker-ringed green; the 5th and 8th are mid-length par-4s to elevated greens where being below the hole is repeatedly emphasized. The front also carries three par-5s (3, 7, 9) with distinctive ground movement—note the 7th fairway pinched visually by a signature oak at ~200 yards and the 9th’s undulating approach into a perched target that resists long-second heroics.
The McGovern back nine introduces the meandering creek as the thematic hazard, with long, tree-lined par-4s stitched around two shorter interludes. The 13th—locally regarded as one of the district’s sternest par-4s—forces a tee shot short of the creek followed by a long uphill approach into a small, elevated green guarded by deep bunkers. The 15th demands exact distance control to a par-3 surrounded by the creek, and the 18th plays as a finishing par-5 reachable in two but tightly flanked by sand and slopes. The 12th offers the modern balance point—a drivable par-4 whose large, contoured green punishes misses to the wrong segment.
In terms of surviving Ross fabric, the front-nine corridors and green sites remain the clearest early expressions: compact targets (2, 4, 6), short uphill par-4s (5), and par-5s that ask for placement to preferred angles (3, 7, 9). The 1990s greenside recoveries strengthened these identities by expanding available cupping areas and reintroducing perimeter roll-offs that had been lost to rounding.
Historical Significance
Irondequoit is one of four Rochester-area clubs with direct Ross authorship and illustrates how his work in the region spanned both hilly uplands (here and at CCR/Oak Hill) and creek bottoms (via McGovern’s later extension). Its physical adjacency to Oak Hill means comparisons are inevitable, but Irondequoit’s historical role is distinct: a 1916 Ross nine that remained the club’s identity for more than three decades until McGovern—Ross’s long-time associate—completed the eighteen. That sequencing makes Irondequoit an instructive case of a Ross core later extended by a Ross associate on newly acquired ground.
The club briefly stepped onto a national stage when it hosted the Nationwide Tour’s Xerox Classic (2005–2008), played as a par-70 at ~6,720 yards (with 7 and 18 set as par-4s for the event). Winners included Rick Price (2005), Kevin Stadler (2006), Nick Flanagan (2007), and Brendon de Jonge (2008). PGA communications during the event cycle singled out several holes among the tour’s 50 toughest, reflecting how the creek-laced back nine and perched front-nine targets scaled to elite play.
Current Condition / Integrity
As it stands, Ross’s routing and green sites on the front nine remain legible in both corridor lines and target relationships. The 1990 effort to recover original green perimeters added pinning variety and revived edge movements (documented by the superintendent and Silva), though exact conformity to Ross’s original pads would require plan overlays or early aerials for full validation. The back nine—McGovern 1951/52—retains its defining creek strategy and longer par-4 rhythm; it reads as a mid-century extension rather than a Ross rework, a distinction that the club’s history and trade-press confirm.
The club continues to invest around the margins while preserving the core course. Practice-facility enhancements in recent seasons added a new putting green, expanded chipping green with added bunkers, and new range tees, with work documented in club social posts. The club’s public golf page still describes a par-72 members’ course that can be set to par 70 for professional events, a flexibility used during the Xerox Classic era.
Sources & Notes
Irondequoit Country Club — “A Brief History of Irondequoit Country Club.” Club history page; states Ross laid out the original nine in 1916 at 3,100 yards; second nine added on land purchased from Oak Hill, in play by 1952; contextual notes on terrain and the creek on the back nine; event notes (Nationwide Tour; U.S. Open qualifier).
Irondequoit Country Club — Course Tour / Scorecard. Official hole-by-hole with distances, par by tee, and descriptive notes (e.g., the 2nd “chimney” par-3; 6th short par-3; 13th as a district-tough par-4 with creek carry and elevated, bunkered green). Totals: Black 6,830 / par 72; Blue 6,451; White 6,007; Gold 5,436.
Golf Course News (trade press), “Super gets head start on Irondequoit remodeling,” July 1990. One-page report documenting greens expansion/restoration under superintendent Rick Holfoth, after consulting architect Brian Silva; notes that McGovern designed the back nine and describes the creek crossing multiple holes. Michigan State University Turfgrass Information Center scan. Golfdom (trade press), “News of the Golf World in Brief,” May 1952. Notes the new nine holes at Irondequoit CC “designed by J.B. McGovern and built by the Wm. F. Gordon Co.,” “getting its first year’s play,” which aligns with a 1951 build / 1952 season opening. Michigan State University TIC scan.
Top100GolfCourses — “Irondequoit (Rochester, NY).” Secondary profile giving the adjacency to Oak Hill and asserting McGovern’s back nine in 1948 (likely an anticipatory or commission date); useful for comparison to club and trade-press dating.
Nationwide Tour / Xerox Classic records. Coverage confirming Irondequoit CC as host from 2005–2008, with par-70 / 6,720 yards event setup and annual winners (Price 2005; Stadler 2006; Flanagan 2007; de Jonge 2008).
Club social posts — practice facility project. Club communications describing a recent practice-facility renovation (new putting green, expanded chipping green with new bunkers, new range tees, new targets). Instagram/Facebook posts.