Golfers object to Erie County’s new 9-holes rule: ‘I’m preparing to move my league’

Erie County is changing the rules for weekday leagues that play at Elma Meadows in Elma and Grover Cleveland in Buffalo. Instead of playing 18 holes as they have for decades, each golfer will be limited to nine holes. 

“The biggest complaint we’ve received the last few years is a lack of available tee times for the public,” said Troy Schinzel, county commissioner of parks, recreation and forestry.

He said the county checked with 15 other courses in Western New York, and only one had a league playing 18 holes.

By limiting the league play, typically on a weekday morning, to nine holes, the county wants to free up more tee times. If nonleague golfers show up, they could be started on the back nine. Larger leagues would be split, with half the members starting on the front nine and half playing the back nine holes.

But Tim Augustine, president of St. Andrew’s Club that has 48 members, doesn’t think limiting leagues to nine holes will free up tee times, and he said there are plenty of courses that do allow leagues to play 18 holes. He said he has had offers from four golf courses near Elma, all allowing leagues to play 18 holes.

“I’m preparing to move my league somewhere else,” he said.

Golfers maintain the county is targeting older players, women and veterans who play in the weekday leagues.  

“First of all, we are the general public, it’s a public course,” said Mary Karlis, president of the Elma Meadows Women’s Golf Club. “As far as I know, golf is still an 18-hole sport.”

The Women’s Golf Club has been playing at Elma Meadows for more than 60 years. Half of its 130 golfers play nine holes by choice, while the others like 18 holes. The average age of members is around 70, with the youngest in her late 50s, and a 90-year-old plays nine holes, she said.

“The big dilemma right now is to…