Onondaga

Onondoga Golf & Country Club has a long tradition in the game, as members assembled the first golf course at the property in 1898. The current showcase for modern members, however, is a design created by Walter Travis during 1917.

If the membership has ever had ideas regarding extension of the course, the restrictions imposed by housing over the years stymied them. Therefore the course, at 6,500 yards, plays very much as Travis left it. The greens are well-bunkered for the most part, and the longer holes almost all feature a trap bunker that will make big hitters think twice before beginning a run-up shot well short of the green.

The toughest hole (at least according to the scorecard) comes early, as No. 2 is a 420-yard par four that will challenge even the best to score. A dogleg right, players will need to challenge two trench-like bunkers within the corner in order to get the best angle at the green (and a scoring opportunity). This hole is actually largely the work of Ian Andrew, who completed a renovation that updated the first five holes during 2009.

As is usual with Travis routes, a two-putt will never be a sure thing.