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Greystone: A New York Golf Course that isn’t Hibernating this Winter

New York State is home to more than 800 golf courses spread out across a diverse geographic area. Like many other states in the Northeast, the golf industry here is largely at the mercy of the shifting seasons. When the snow finally hits, many of these public facilities go dormant until spring.

To stay active, many golfers turn to simulator golf (a more recent phenomenon) or traditional winter outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and more. In response to this recreational demand, golf clubs groom cross-country ski trails for members or allow casual sledding and snowshoeing on property if their terrain and conditions permit. Most course operators view the snow and seemingly endless winter months as an obstacle. It becomes a time to focus on off-season projects, selling next year’s memberships, or taking a well-deserved vacation.

But one popular public golf course in the Rochester area, The Links at Greystone, sees the snow differently. To the club ownership, it isn't an obstacle; it's a product.

A Ski Area Model on a Golf Course 

New York State has more ski areas than any other state in the U.S. (52 currently). These range from subtle slopes with tow ropes to much larger, more sophisticated resorts in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and Allegheny regions. Some of the larger full-service resorts across the state like Hunter Mountain, Greek Peak, Holiday Valley, Peek’n Peak, and West Mountain also offer snow tubing to their visitors. These larger winter resorts already own the equipment, expertise and staffing to manage this second snowsport attraction pretty easily.

Greystone is certainly the outlier of the 30+ snow tubing parks across the Empire State. The venue in Walworth, N.Y. is the lone golf course to successfully incorporate this winter attraction into their own operations, turning the dead of winter into another thriving season.

Returning to Family Roots 

To understand this RDGA/NYSGA member club’s transformation, you have to quickly look back at its history. First opened in 1995 as Greystone Golf Club, the course was originally developed by the Odenbach family, whose legacy stems from deep roots in local hospitality, construction and recreation in the area. The 7,200-yard championship layout was built by architect Craig Schreiner and modeled after Scottish links-style golf; featuring rolling hills and pot bunkers throughout.

In fact, golf has been a labor of love for three generations in the Odenbach family, who first established their prominence in 1920 with a quarry and mining business in the Rochester region. Using equipment from that first successful venture, the family built three golf courses between 1979 and 1995, with 27-hole Shadow Lake GC being the initial project, along with Shadow Pines, which no longer exists.

In 2000, the Odenbach family sold everything - the quarry business and three golf courses - to an Ireland-based corporate management company to settle a family estate. But after 16 years, the corporation shifted its priorities away from golf, and the Odenbachs happily repurchased the golf courses.

Brothers John and Gardy Odenbach now co-own Greystone, while a third brother, Fritz Odenbach, co-owns Shadow Lake. The current operation at the rebranded “The Links at Greystone” is led by John and Gardy’s sons, with third-generation Alex Odenbach serving as General Manager and Dusty Odenbach, PGA as Director of Golf. Together, the cousins have breathed new life into the property. They expanded amenities, revamped Stoney’s Pub into a full-service restaurant, and committed to offering a "full-blown experience" rather than just a golf course. Part of that vision was figuring out how to keep the facility alive year-round.

“Golf started as a sidelight for us,’’ said co-owner John Odenbach. “There was always a lot of ground around our quarries, and my Dad (also named John) loved to build golf courses,’’ he mentioned in a past article about the acquisition to Len Ziehm on Golf.

He continued, ​​“At that time there were about 40 golf courses in and around Rochester. Now there’s about 80, so there’s lots of competition.’’

Since taking over, the cousins, Alex and Dusty, have now launched a complementary business of their own. Alex has always said from the beginning that “The goal of staying open all winter wasn’t to make money, it was to lose less.”

Building a Winter Attraction

The Odenbachs began researching ways they could keep the facility open during the offseason, eventually settling on the idea of a snowtubing park. The driving range was shut down in the summer of 2019 for a massive physical retooling. They graded the hill, upgraded the infrastructure, and officially converted the driving range to a tubing hill in the winter of 2020.

“We were lucky enough to have a great set-up for tubing with our water supply (to make snow), a well sloped driving range right near the clubhouse, and plenty of parking. We just saw the vision and took the risk,” said Alex Odenbach.

Now, each winter, the snowtubing operates 3-4 months from December to March (which accumulates 80+ inches of natural snow each year), the park features:

• 10-12 groomed tubing lanes with 1,000-foot runs.
• A wire tow lift to transport guests back to the top after each run.
• 3 snowmaking guns and 2 snowcat grooming machines to maintain conditions.
• Night lighting and music to create a vibrant atmosphere during evening hours.

A Resounding Success 

The Odenbach’s venture has paid off immensely. Operating on a reservation-only model with two-hour sessions to prevent overcrowding, the park provides exceptional value for its ticket price.

Tim Hahn, Greystone's superintendent since the very beginning, admits there was initial skepticism.

“Are people going to come out and pay to go sledding with all these free hills around us? The answer was a resounding yes,” Hahn says. “On a good Saturday, we could do 700 to 800 tubers.”

During their first season, the tubing park attracted a staggering 27,000 visitors. They benefitted from the COVID-19 travel restrictions in place at the time, and locals were looking for more ways to get outside. Since then, the park averages around 20,000 visitors each winter, but is extremely weather dependent.

Outside of regular public hours, the hill is also booked for private group events, birthday parties, and charities. “That keeps us pretty busy,” Hahn notes. “Our February is booked solid. I think there are three days in February where there’s not something going on here.”

The Ripple Effect 

Previously, winters were dull at Greystone, with the golf season wrapping up by late October. Now, the tubing park creates a ripple effect across the entire business. It drives a steady stream of visitors and spectators into their on-site restaurant, Stoney’s Pub, allowing the kitchen and bar to remain profitable year-round.

From an employment standpoint, becoming a year-round destination allows Greystone to retain its best seasonal maintenance and food-and-beverage staff. Furthermore, it serves as a massive marketing funnel - making every winter visitor a potential new golfer come spring.

Sometimes the weather even allows for a perfect crossover. For example, in February 2024 the weather set up perfectly where both tubers and golfers were utilizing the facility at the same time.

By refusing to hibernate, The Links at Greystone has proven that with a little imagination, the offseason doesn't have to mean the off switch.

The golf course is a top public option in the region, receiving a rating of 4.5/5 from Golf Digest and ranked 5th by Golf Advisor for golf courses in New York State.

The club is a member of the Rochester District Golf Association, and a joint-member club to the New York State Golf Association.