I was very excited to hear that the LPGA Championship is moving from Locust to Monroe. I've always thought that Locust provided a pretty poor representation of Rochester golf on the national stage. Personally, there are two dozen or so golf courses in the Rochester area that I would rather play than Locust. Several of them cost less than $20 to play, but people still line up to join Locust Hill, only to line up again to get a tee time on a Saturday morning. It's tough to understand.
I'll bring back my Buffalo Golfer piece on Locust. It's pretty brash stuff in hindsight, but I stand by it. http://buffalogolfer.com/wordpress/locust-hill-not-a-worthy-major-championship-venue/
Phil,
I like your idea of hosting the LPGA at a rotation of courses. I won't speak to any rumors about Oak Hill playing host, but I always thought the West Course would be great for an LPGA event (and I mean that in the best possible way). I think Ravenwood would also be a great host. It's a very solid golf course (definitely inside my top 10 for the area), it has an excellent practice facility, and it would handle the crowds fairly easily. I would also get a big kick out of seeing the tournament at Cobblestone Creek. Cobblestone has its detractors, for sure, but I think the course is a hoot. Somehow, though, I can't see them hosting a major tournament on a regular basis.
In the meantime, before they set up a Rochester Rota, Monroe will be a great host. It's certainly one of the best 3 or 4 courses in the area. The land is really unusual for Upstate New York, with great sandy soil and rumpled terrain that the routing uses artfully. The club also has good experience from hosting the more subdued Monroe Invitational.
Ha ha, pretty scathing review of Locust Hill- and I agree with you 100%. It's dull as can be, only lacking houses on the course to complete the trifecta of bad. Yes, it's meticulously maintained, and the members tend to be great people, but I find it completely uninteresting.
Ravenwood... most like it much more than me. I find it to be kind of dull given the hype, with a few highlights sprinkled in. For the same price point in WNY I prefer Greystone, Bristol Harbor, Seneca Hickory Stick, Arrowhead, Diamond Hawk, and Whirlpool. But from the perspective of hosting an LPGA event, it would be excellent. Huge space and lots of viewing angles, and they can play it at a variety of lengths.
CCR would be another that I would LOVE to see part of this hypothetical rotation. A truly classic Ross that, if wanted, would be diabolical for the ladies. 2 or 3 under would almost certainly win. It's too short to handle the modern men bombers but just right for the ladies' game.
Cobblestone is a brutal walk and not very fan friendly in spots, but a really good tournament course (I loved playing that course!) that would test the ladies' game very well. I agree I doubt they would be interested in hosting though.