In addition to the long, slender lakes which give the region its name, the landscape of the Southern Finger Lakes also consists of rolling hills, fertile valleys, ambling rivers, and deep gorges which make for breathtaking scenery and exciting outdoor adventures.

One of the most refreshing and popular ways to enjoy the stunning geography of the region is playing golf on the many courses strewn throughout the area.

Public Courses in Steuben

While private clubs like Corning Country Club, which for decades hosted the annual LPGA Corning Classic, are exceptional and well worth playing if you can get your pro to pull a few strings, Steuben County’s public courses are accessible to everyone and offer a variety of experiences.

Bath Country Club is nestled at the base of a steep hill creating a panoramic backdrop for your golf outing. None of the holes are excessively long, nor extremely narrow. With a mix of holes tucked back in the woods and those that are relatively open, this course is a good fit for all skills levels, though probably the least difficult for low-handicappers. The change in elevation on some holes makes for beautiful approach shots and often requires adjustments with regards to club selection.

Another popular course perfect for a little friendly competition has become part of the New York State Parks system which can also mean rate benefits for seniors, veterans, and golfers with disabilities.

Indian Hills State Park, located in the small town of Addison, just outside Corning, runs alongside the Tioga River and has a wonderful mix of holes with regards to length, doglegs and straight design, water hazards, sand traps, and other on-course obstacles that aren’t overly concerning, but do make for a fun and scenic round.

If you’re looking for something a little different, there are two courses in Hornell that offer an array of scenic holes, as well as a few that tend to favor a player with home course knowledge.

Twin Hickory Golf Club is an 18-hole course located on a hilltop just outside town and comes in at less than 6,400 yards from the tips. When you’re done with your round, enjoy a meal in the clubhouse featuring a casual restaurant and bar.

Or visit Hornell Golf Club which opened for play over 100 years ago. If you’re looking for a little local lore, former Hornell Golf Club Pro Ed “Porky” Oliver tied Gene Sarazen and Lawson Little for 1st place in the 1940 US Open before being disqualified for teeing off too early.

Other Top Clubs

Of course, some of the best public courses in the area are located just outside Steuben making Corning the perfect spot to set up base camp for multiple days of golfing fun.

One of the most iconic public courses in the area, which happens to have been designed by Donald Ross, is the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira. The longest of the courses at 6,857 yards from the tips, Mark Twain is popular with adept shot makers as well as weekend golfers.

Much of the course resides on a hillside, making for a range of uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies, as well as beautiful views. The greens are massive with swells and undulations, so be prepared to play a big break. While there’s a great deal of forgiveness when it comes to accuracy off the tee, making Twain a dream course for big hitters and those with a finely-tuned short game, the length does bring inherent challenges and might not be the best fit for newbies concerned with score.

Tucked along the northern banks of the Chemung River, Willowcreek Golf Club is the flattest course of the five. It might also be the narrowest, thanks to myriad pine trees and willow trees scattered throughout its 27 holes. That’s right, this course has an additional nine which is excellent for beginners as there are no sand traps and far fewer trees.

The greens on all three nines are relatively small and mostly flat, which makes them much easier to read as there is typically less break. You don’t have to be a big hitter to score here, but you do need to keep the ball in play. Willowcreek is also a great course for couples just looking for a relaxing outing. With an on-site bar and restaurant, and raised outdoor patio offering a bird’s-eye-view of the finishing holes over a cocktail or tasty meal.

Perhaps the most popular among aspiring and accomplished golfers is Soaring Eagles which is part of Mark Twain State Park . The course where former PGA and Champions Tour veteran Joey Sindelar honed his skills, Soaring Eagles offers a wonderful blend of short holes providing opportunity for lower scores, as well as long holes and those with large multi-tiered greens that reward adept shotmaking without excessively penalizing the less skilled golfer.

You won’t find yourself hitting the same shot on every hole here, but instead will need to use every club in the bag. Located next to a wetland, you might see heron and the occasional beaver and fox, as well as golfers of all ages, shapes, sizes, and ability levels.

You might wonder why there’s a Mark Twain Golf Course and a Mark Twain State Park in the Finger Lakes. Twain married a girl from Elmira and spent 20 summers living at Quarry Farm with his in-laws and writing his famous books. Of course, he mostly went by Sam when he was there.

Most of the courses have putting greens for pre-round warmup while Hornell Golf Club, Willowcreek, and Soaring Eagles also have driving ranges if you’re interested in hitting balls. Mark Twain has a practice area and shag balls available to rent.

Each of these courses have nine-hole and eighteen-hole rates for golf and also for riding golf carts and push carts. A few also have dining and beverage options to round out your golf excursion.

There are at least eight other courses of varying degrees of difficulty within one hour of Corning, from links courses to hilltop layouts, from courses where savvy, skilled shotmakers can go low if they’re on their game to rural tracts that set up great for captain and crew tourneys and relaxing good times.

• Elmira Country Club (private, 18 holes, 20 minutes from Corning)
• Watkins Glen Golf Course (public, 9 holes, 30 minutes from Corning)
• Tomasso’s Golf Course (public, 9 holes, 30 minutes from Corning)
• Shepherd Hills (public, 18 holes, 35 minutes from Corning)
• Arrowhead Creek (public, 9 holes, 45 minutes from Corning)
• Tioga Country Club (public, 18 holes, 45 minutes from Corning)
• Catatonk Golf Course (public, 18 holes, 60 minutes from Corning)
• The Links at Hiawatha Landing (public, 18 holes, 60 minutes from Corning)

Miniature Golf, Driving Range, and So Much More

Looking to hone your skills or simply have some fun with the family, Park Ave Sports Center is the perfect spot for golf-related good times. Not to mention a whole lot of other exciting activities like Live-Action Laser Tag, Batting Cages, Water Wars, Ice Cream . . .

Less than five minutes from downtown Corning and a couple miles from the playgrounds, disc golf, and green space of Dennison Park, you’ll find a collection of fun outdoor activities just waiting to be discovered.

Mini Golf

Commercially built by Harris Mini Golf, a New Jersey firm that has been building top-notch courses for over two decades, specializing in exceptional design, this is a legit course, offering a variety of shots and challenges to newbies and to diehard golf fanatics.

With several water features, as well as holes offering over, under, and figure eight designs, Park Ave’s miniature golf (aka putt-putt) course is landscaped to provide rewards for the bold and accurate, as well as penalties for wayward shot and less than proficient putters.

Driving Range

While a handful of big-hitters might not want to use their drivers, most everyone will be able to grip it and rip it without fear of losing any balls in the river, as it’s 270 yards to the bottom of the dyke (despite it looking closer than it really is).

Although, apparently, not so long ago a long-drive contestant stopped by to stay “tuned-up” and ended up making a donation to replenish the supply of balls after he sent a few into the great beyond.

Learn more about Park Ave’s most unique offering which is unlike any laser tag you’re going to find in the entire area, as well as Water Watrs, Batting Cages, and Ice Cream here.

Other Mini-Golf Courses

There are two other mini-courses within a 30-minute drive of Corning:

Harris Hill Amusement Park (20 minutes from Corning)

The park includes a driving range, a small go-kart track, miniature golf, and a number of picnic areas (tables, grills), a lifeguarded swimming pool during summer, and is also home to the National Soaring Museum.

The Yard FLX (25 minutes from Corning)

This spot between Corning and Watkins Glen is home to Mini-Golf, a go-kart track, Corn Hole, Jumbo Jenga and other Yard Games, and is less than 5 minutes from Watkins Glen International Racetrack.

With world-class wine, award-winning craft beverages, mocktails and a variety of exceptional culinary options for food, world-renowned museums, and a stunning landscape (clear lakes, hiking trails, gravel cycling and mountain biking trails), you can customize your own itinerary (use the free Explore Steuben app to discover other nearby fun experiences) for the Ultimate Golfer Getaway.