Holiday Valley Resort

Holiday Valley is best known as one of western New York's premier ski destinations, and the golf course shares that same mountain setting — playing across the rolling terrain of the Allegheny Highlands in Cattaraugus County. The course works with the natural contours of the ski resort's hillsides, which means elevation changes are a genuine factor throughout the round, not just a visual backdrop. Ellicottville itself is a lively four-season resort town that punches well above its size, drawing visitors from Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland for its outdoor character and solid dining scene.

The par-70 layout suits the mountain environment: shorter by design, but the terrain ensures you'll rarely face a flat lie or a straightforward club selection. Resort golf here carries a relaxed, unpretentious tone — this is a place built for enjoyment rather than examination.

Ellicottville sits in a part of New York that doesn't always get its due from the broader golf world, but the Allegheny hills offer genuinely scenic, varied ground to play on, particularly in the long light of a summer evening.