Roll with the land at Mill Creek Golf Club near Rochester, New York

CHURCHVILLE, N.Y. -- There are plenty of highs and lows at Mill Creek Golf Club. The 6,962-yard layout, the handiwork of Michigan-based architects Ray Hearn and Paul Albanese dating to 2005, showcases the highest point for golf in the greater Rochester area.

From the hilltop clubhouse, holes spill off ridges to a rolling meadow before eventually climbing home again. Tantalizing downhill holes unfurl before your eyes. The first tee drops before the gentle par 4 bends right. The potentially drivable eighth hole -- guarded by wetland and bunkers -- leads to a pair of excellent par 3s: the steep skyward trek at no. 9 and the demon drop downhill to the 10th green.

A handful of split fairways (holes 4, 11, 14 and 18) offer multiple options from the tee, although it's usually best to take the route of least resistance. All the upheaval of the land and multiple fairways lead to a couple of confusing holes, especially for newcomers. It's a bit of a guessing game where to hit it on Mill Creek's par-5 11th hole and par-4 18th hole. Bad tee shots result in tough, blind approaches.

Overall, though, Mill Creek leaves golfers riding high. It's a fun place to play that, because of its remote location west of the city, costs less to play than it should.