My hometown of Rochester, NY, is a golfing town. Despite its smaller size, Rochester has hosted the 1995 Ryder Cup, the 2003 and 2013 PGA Championships, the Senior PGA Championship, and the annual Wegmans LPGA event, and even the Xerox Classic. With a number of world class courses, such as Oak Hill and Locust Hill, residents squeeze in as much playing time as they can, given the harsh winters, and are thrilled to welcome professionals with regularity.
To help you enjoy the PGA Championship experience taking place this weekend, I've tried to compile a list of Rochester and golfing related apps and websites. But first, I'll give you more details about the town hosting this year's event.
Oak Hill is the only course to have hosted all six championships, specifically The Ryder Cup (1995), The PGA Championship (1980, 2003 and 2013), The Senior PGA Championship, The US Open Championship (1956, 1968 and 1989), The US Amateur Championship (1949 and 1998), and The US Senior Open Championship (1984)! I don't think we're eligible for the British Open, but you never know...
Golf is really big here. Everywhere you look, vehicles are plastered with the official PGA logo. Many residents rent out their homes to players. In fact, I think one of the golfers is taking up residence on my street. We even have street names like Ryder Cup Circle. Every available parking lot has been converted to a shuttle parking lot. My dad is a volunteer Marshall, and I even tried to volunteer for the technology staff, but I was too late. They already had too many applicants! Like I said, golf is big here.
We even have a Golf Balls On Parade exhibit, with statues of golf balls on a tee as rendered by a variety of local artists. Check them out at GolfballsOnParade.com.
Tiger Woods has been here several times, including last week to size up the greens at Oak Hill. He took a vacation from Rochester to win a tournament last weekend, and he'll be back at this week's PGA. As if you didn't already know, Tiger is on a whole different level. When he was here in 2003 for the previous Rochester-based PGA Championship, the whole northeast lost power during a major outage in the nation's power grid. But at his temporary residence, the lights were still on, thanks to a backup generator!
1. The Weather Channel (free)
In Rochester, they say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes." It's no joke—the weather can change quickly, so you will want a reliable weather app handy. Weather.com's app offers forecasts with animated weather maps, which is very handy.
2. PGA Championship (free)
A good sports broadcasting app is a must, and there's no better place to start than with the official app of the PGA Championship! ESPN ScoreCenter (free) or Golf Channel (free) are worthy apps to consider as well.
3. WROC News 8 (free)
You might want to get some local flavor. The PGA Championship will broadcast on TNT and CBS, so the local CBS channel's app (WROC News 8) should be on your iPhone. The local newspaper, The Democrat & Chronicle, will have plenty of coverage, in print and online.
Also, the local Golf Week Rochester paper is dedicated just to golf, and a great source of commentary.
4. Golf New York (free)
Feeling inspired to "play a round" at one of Rochester's courses? There's an app for that, too! Want to play golf on your iPad? Electronic Arts has you covered with Tiger Woods PGA Tour ($0.99). Speaking of having you covered, you will want to dress for success, so check out Bobby Jones' clothing line, from local longtime men's fashion icon, Hickey Freeman!
5. Wegmans (free)
Finally, no visit to Rochester is complete without a trip to Wegmans! Wegmans is like a supermarket on steroids! It has expanded beyond the Rochester market, but this is where it got its start, so check out the original location in Pittsford, or its newest flagship, on East Avenue (the same street as Oak Hill Country Club) for the best experience! And of course, Wegmans has an app!
