Brighton Park Golf Course, Tonawanda, NY

Brighton Park is a well-maintained municipal course in the town of Tonawanda. There’s definitely a few advantages for town residents playing this course, and I’m not sure I would return to the course.

The town of Tonawanda has another golf course called Sheridan which is more challenging with lots of water features, and is one of the better public courses in Western New York. Compared to Sheridan, Brighton Park is a pretty basic golf course.

Even though Brighton Park is a municipal golf course, there is a member’s club called the Brighton Park Golf Club (BPGC.) They have weekly tournaments, so getting a tee time at this course is sometimes really difficult. Adding to the problem is that town residents can book a tee time online up to 10 days in advance. Other golfers can only book a day in advance.

The course itself is flat with scattered large trees throughout. The fairways are wide and open. If you are looking for an easier round, I’d recommend playing the front nine. The back nine are more closed in off the tee and there are more water hazards as well. Greens are on the slower side and fairways are generally well-maintained.

The holes are fairly long - there are 14 holes over 300 yards from the gold tee. Most holes are very straight, but watch out for a sharp dogleg to the left on Hole #5. Holes #2 and #17 offer a short break from the long holes. Both are under 150 yards from the gold tee. Fairways mostly run parallel to each other, so watch out for golf balls flying in from other fairways. Greens are on the slower side.

The pace of play is very slow - more than 5 hours for an 18-hole round. There is also the problem of large groups (I can only guess it’s members of the BPGC) jumping ahead of other parties. It doesn’t make for a great experience, and I would say the customer service is below average and this course seems to favor locals.

A couple of other things to keep in mind - you can’t rent clubs here and they don’t allow people to ride along without golfing. There isn’t a formal clubhouse (just a concession where you can buy basic food, as well as balls, gloves and other equipment basics.) Across the street you’ll find the Paddock golf dome where you can practice and get food.

Pricing is $18 for 9 holes walking or $95 for a BPGC annual membership (rate is slightly higher the first year.) All in all, I’d say this is a great course for local golfers who have plenty of time on their hands and enjoy a fairly basic but well-maintained course. Next time I’ll probably just save the trouble and play Sheridan.

Course is in excellent condition because of covid-19 shutdown. Front nine is easy, which is nice (it’s fun to score well) but could use more trees to punish bad drives. Back nine is more difficult, much more tight off the tee and more water. Greens are a bit slower and flatter than average, but are kept in good condition and allow for aggressive birdie putts. Solid value for a muni especially if you don’t mind walking or have the town resident card.

This is by far the worst course I have "tried" to golf at. The customer service was absolutely awful. Such poor demeanor by the employees. I was treated horribly from the intial contact. If I could rate this course with zero stars I would. I would never recommend this course to anyone.