History
In September of 1915 , an avid group of golfers took over a lease of 100 acres of land from Mayo Clinic doctors E . S . Judd and D . C . Balfour . Harry Turple , a Red Wing Course Golf Professional , was brought in to lay out a nine hole golf course – and Rochester Golf Club was born . The members desired a more challenging golf course and as luck would have it ; a Mayo Clinic physician married the daughter of noted golf course architect A . W . Tillinghast . Tillinghast had become the pre-eminent golf course architect of his time by designing courses such as Winged Foot , Baltusrol and the San Francisco Golf Club . In 1916 , Rochester Golf Club became incorporated and changed its name to the Rochester Golf & Country Club .
RGCC entered a new century in 2016 , and a great deal has changed over the past 100-plus years . A new state-of-the-art practice facility was built in 2016 , followed by work over the next 4 years of a new Aquatics Facility , Fitness Center , Trackman Golf Simulator Lounge , Kids Club , complete renovation of the entire Clubhouse , expansion of the restaurant outdoor dining patio and pool patio , construction of a new 10th Tee Snack Bar , 4 on-course bathrooms , and an outdoor event lawn space to accommodate up to 300 guests . Yet the biggest change to Rochester Golf & Country Club , under the direction of renowned golf course architect Tom Doak , is the complete restoration of the A . W . Tillinghast designed Golf Course . It reopened in 2020 for its first full year of golf play after 3 years of restoration and partial year closures , to the applaud of its members and long-standing golf course experts . Now truly offering year-round amenities to its membership , Rochester Golf & Country Club has become a hub for social activities with the absolute best patio dining in the city and surrounding communities , a robust and diverse social calendar of events with opportunities for growth for all facets of the membership .