Brook-Lea Country Club

Brook-Lea Country Club is a Donald Ross gem in Rochester, New York, where Little Black Creek winds through several holes and both nines return to the clubhouse via par threes — a distinctive routing hallmark. The course rewards precision and course management over raw power, with Ross's trademark crowned greens and strategic bunkering demanding thoughtful shotmaking throughout.

Brook-Lea Country Club was established in 1926 when Donald Ross was engaged to design a course on a rolling property bisected by Little Black Creek on the western side of Rochester. Ross crafted a layout that uses the creek as both a strategic hazard and an aesthetic feature, weaving it through the routing in a way that influences play on multiple holes. The unique routing brings each nine back to the clubhouse with a par three, a characteristic that speaks to Ross's ingenuity in adapting his designs to the natural landscape. Ron Forse, one of the foremost authorities on Golden Age course restoration, was later brought in to restore Ross's original design intent. Forse's work focused on recovering lost green contours, rebuilding bunkers to their original shapes and positions, and removing decades of accumulated changes that had softened Ross's strategic vision. The restoration reaffirmed Brook-Lea's standing as a standout Donald Ross courses in upstate New York, a region rich with his work.