dogace38

The course was a good challenge, but not so bad that it would make a first-time round miserable. Tee boxes, fairways, and greens were in good shape considering the amount of play, but definitely not perfect. The staff were extremely attentive and made sure you had a good experience. The service was the quality of a high end private facility. I will definitely go back some day.

I was in the area and played this course because it has showed up as a top Illinois course in past years. I think it is a nice course, but certainly not spectacular. The greens and fairways were in really good shape for a public course. It seemed like the tee boxes and bunkers were a little torn up, but not unplayable. There were a few quirky holes including a short par 5 that had trees blocking the fairway. There was also a long par 3 over a ravine that most people I watched had trouble reaching the green area. The rate of play was pretty slow for a Thursday morning. I played in 4.5 hours, but it could have been 5 if the groups in front of us had not quit their rounds early. If you want to hit range balls before your round arrive early because you have to drive to get to the range. There is also a halfway house for snacks/drinks that sits near the 7th and 12th holes. This is because the course routing does not take the 9th hole back to the clubhouse. Overall this is a good course that I may play again, but I would not consider it one of the top courses I have ever played.

I had an early morning Friday tee time for $53. The attendant in the pro shop seemed way too busy watching TV to give me any details about the course. He just pointed me to the first hole. It was pretty clear they were setting up the course for weekend play, but it was still in pretty good shape. Greens were a slow due to their wetness, but are probably average under normal conditions. They seemed to hold an iron trajectory very easily. I probably would not play this course on a return to Lexington. I felt Griffin Gate and the University Club were better values.

This was the course I enjoyed most during my visit to Lexington. I also played Griffin Gate, Cherry Blossom, and Boone's Trace. My biggest takeaway is that the greens were really fast. This is the home course for the University of Kentucky, so I am sure they try to keep it challenging for the college golfers. This also means they have an excellent driving range with target areas. The first six holes allow you to get away with some errant shots, but starting with #7 you have to play some target golf. This includes an island green on #8 that will test your wits. There is quite a bit of water on the back 9 that comes in to play due to a few forced carries. It is sometimes in awkward locations so you can't just pull driver on every hole. It would definitely help to have a range finder to determine the landing zones. I will definitely play this course again and I would like to try the other course on the grounds, the Wildcat course. I found this to be an unbelievable value at $34 on a Friday afternoon. They could easily charge $75.

I had a $29 Golf Now tee time at 8:20. It seemed like a good value because the course was highly rated. I started off with some range balls and putting. The practice area seemed very good. Once I got on the course I was a little disappointed in the maintenance. The edges of the bunkers had tall weeds growing out of them that needed to be trimmed and the tee boxes and greens seemed a little beat up even for late summer. There were a few instances when there were clumps of grass in the rough which made it tough to find an errant shot. Overall the layout was fun with a lot of elevation changes and a few forced carries. The greens were a little slower than what I am used to, but the dew may have played into that.

I scored a $19 prepaid tee time on Golf Now on a Thursday at 1:50. It was an excellent value for this course. To me the course setup was a little strange because some of the par 4s and 5s were very short and some of the par 3s were on the long side. I played from the blue tees which were the second longest. One of the par 3s played 215 to the middle and I think it was 235 from the tips. Overall the course was in great condition for a public course and offered a good challenge. The greens were on the fast side, but not overly difficult. I would definitely play this course again when I visit Lexington. My only complaint is there were no water coolers on the course and no beverage cart. Heat index was over 100 this day and I could not wait to hit the turn. Also, there is no driving range, but they did have a few nets set up that you could hit into.