Neighbors cash in on PGA Championship parking in Pittsford

The PGA Championship is just days away. With hundreds of thousands of people coming to town next week, some neighbors are hoping to cash in.

But what are the rules? The town of Pittsford recently announced parking restrictions and there’s been some confusion. Finding a spot to park near Oak Hill next week could be a challenge. There are rules and restrictions even for some neighbors who want to charge people to park on their lawns.

The Pittsford town supervisor says there will be no parking allowed on streets around Oak Hill Country Club during the PGA but people can park on lawns. And as you get closer to the historic course you’ll actually need a parking pass to park on someone’s lawn. That’s the case for Jerry Tirabassi who’s lived there for six years.

“Normal tradition is people park cars in their yard for the tournament and make some little extra cash,” Tirabassi said.

“We are hoping to fit 25 cars in the yard and per past years the parking goes according to what the market will demand,” Tirabassi said. “So earlier in the week prices are lower like $20 and as we get to Saturday, Sunday it will probably be $50.”

Other neighbors who live farther away from Oak Hill can also charge to park, but a parking pass is not needed. One of those neighbors, Jay Wisner, is not interested in charging for parking. He’s happy the tournament is here and even worked as a caddy for the PGA tournament when he was in high school, but there’s one thing that worries him.

“The congestion it’s going to be pretty crazy here but there is always the opportunity here to make a buck,” Wisner said.

For anyone upset about all this, Pittsford Town Supervisor Bill Smith says many of these restrictions were put in place for security reasons by law enforcement and the PGA.

“They insisted those areas have restricted traffic,” Smith said. “Those are the areas that are the closest to the two main entrances of the tournament.”

If you want to avoid paying to park, you can park for free at MCC in Brighton or the Rochester Tech Park in Gates and get a complimentary shuttle to Oak Hill. There are also specific drop-off locations for Uber and Lyft.