About Our Club

Historic Club Legacy

Established in 1924, Sodus Bay Heights is a club with a rich golf history. While still a teenager, Robert Trent Jones began his legendary career by serving as the first golf professional at Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club. Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Jones did not design the golf course at Sodus Bay Heights. To this day the original architect remains unknown.


Sodus Bay Heights began as a nine hole golf course with a clubhouse, a separate pro shop and a small caddy building. In 1953, an addition to the clubhouse was planned and constructed by Jim and Al Santelli. Today this addition is the Robert Trent Jones grill room. On July 1st, 1972, a new clubhouse was opened. It included a beautiful banquet room with panoramic windows offering sweeping views of Sodus Bay. The pro shop was incorporated into the new building, eliminating the need for the caddy house. A patio was added just outside the grillroom in 1980.


In 1966, Claude Wright Sr. formed a committee to begin planning the expansion of the golf course to eighteen holes. Geoffrey S. Cornish, a golf course architect from Amherst, Massachusetts, was retained to redesign the existing course and layout an additional nine holes on the west side of Route 14. On May 25, 1969, the new 18 hole golf course was dedicated. A memorial stone commemorating the day was placed next to the flagpole.

Leadership Through the Years

Honoring the individuals who have guided our club’s growth, tradition, and success over the decades.

A simple black line drawing of a golf ball on a tee above a wavy ground line

Superintendent History

  • Ivan Clark 1933 - 1936
  • Warner Featherly 1937-1974
  • Kenneth Campbell 1975
  • Tom Charnock 1975 - 1978
  • Paul Christ 1978 - 1984
  • Stephen Boone 1984 - 2017
  • Todd Vankouwenberg 2018 - 2022
  • Martin Ward 2022 - Present
Simple black-and-white sketch of a golf ball on a tee above a wavy line.

PGA Professional History

  • Our First Golf Professional - Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1930 - 1935
  • Scoop Haubner 1935 - 1939
  • Douglas Cousins 1939 - 1942, 1947
  • Byron Proesus 1948
  • Douglas Cousins 1949 - 1951
  • Leland Boice 1952 - 1977
  • Dennis Mead 1978 - 1979
  • Paul M. Carter 1980 - 2006
  • David B. Jones 2007 - 2015
  • Ben Wilson 2016 - 2019
  • Andrew Smith - 2019 - Present
Simple black-and-white sketch of a golf ball on a tee against a white background

Board of Directors

  • Mr. Jack May - President
  • Mr. Matt Hoffmann - Vice President
  • Ms. Stephanie Johnson - Secretary/Treasurer
  • Mr. Nicholas Rawden
  • Mr. Ted Hagberg
  • Mr. Mike Lawhead
  • Mr. Noah Johnson
  • Mr. Dennis Pragel
  • Mr. Bob Schlegel
  • Mr. Matt Albertazzi

Tradition Since 1924

Nearly a century of championship golf, scenic beauty, and unforgettable member traditions.

  • Timeless Golf Tradition at Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club

    Sodus Bay Heights was founded in 1924 and we are quickly approaching our 100th Year Anniversary. Robert Trent Jones, the famous course architect, was our first PGA Professional. It was at Sodus Bay Heights that he discovered his love for the game and went on to become one of the most famous Golf Course Architects of our time. In 1969 Geoffrey Cornish led the redesign of our course, and since then it has been meticulously cared for.


    Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club is characterized by its rolling hills and breathtaking views of Lake Ontario and Sodus Bay. Water hazards come into play on four holes, with 'First Creek' crossing many of the fairways. The course will surely test every aspect of your golf game. When you pair rich history with world-class views you are left with Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club, truly a wonderful experience.


    Members enjoy world class golf throughout the season and there are a number of special events and tournaments for both Men and Women. The Premiere Member Event of the Season is the Thomas - Heiden Cup which is a 3 - Day Ryder Cup-themed event. Sodus Bay Heights members and their guests also have exclusive morning tee times on weekends and holiday, and are able to schedule their rounds up to seven days in advance.

  • The Jones Legacy

    Black-and-white portrait of a smiling man in glasses, seated at a desk with his hands folded.

    “The sun never sets on a Robert Trent Jones golf course.”


    - RTJ


    Robert Trent Jones was born on June 20, 1906, in Ince-in-Makerfield, England. While still a child, he immigrated with his parents to the United States, where they settled in East Rochester, New York. As a teenager, Jones worked as a caddy at The Country Club of Rochester under Walter Hagen.


    An exceptional golfer in his own right, Jones recorded the best score of all amateur golfers at the 1927 Canadian Open. He also set a course record at The Country Club of Rochester. He followed his passion for golf by accepting a job as the first golf professional at Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club in Sodus Point, New York.


    While employed at Sodus Bay Heights, the membership encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming a golf course architect. With the help of generous Sodus Bay Heights members, Jones attended Cornell University, embarking on a customized course of study that allowed him to pursue his interest in golf course design. While a student at Cornell, he designed nine holes of the university's golf course, now known as the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course at Cornell University.


    From his humble beginnings at Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club, Robert Trent Jones designed more than 500 golf courses in 45 states and 35 countries around the world. He took pride in saying, "The sun never sets on a Robert Trent Jones golf course."


    In 1987, Robert Trent Jones was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. That same year he received the Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA’s highest honor. Today his legacy lives on through his sons. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Rees Jones are world-renowned golf course architects in their own right.


    The game of golf would be much different today had Robert Trent Jones not found his way to Sodus Bay Heights. We take pride in knowing that the generosity of several of our charter members launched the legendary career of the man that set the standard for the field of golf course design.

Come, join us, and take a walk where golf as we know it was born.